Clever hacks to make your home smell amazing

Tomato juice is a surprising solution when soap and water won’t get the smell of last week’s dinner off plastic containers. You can also use it to wipe down a nasty-smelling fridge.

Cut a couple of lemons in half, then place them cut-side-up in a dish. Leave the dish near a litter box or in a bathroom to give the room a lemon-fresh scent.

When a power outage makes your freezer stop working, you could be left with the smell of spoiled food. Get rid of the scent by pouring fresh coffee grounds – even used ones will do the trick – in the freezer overnight.

To keep nasty garbage odours at bay, sprinkle a bit of baking soda or borax in the bottom of your garbage bin. The crystals will help neutralise the smell of those kitchen scraps. Replace the powder every time you take out the garbage.

Here are 17 of the most brilliant ways to fix things using baking soda. 

No need to light the wick to get the yummy-smelling benefits of a candle. Leaving a few in unexpected spots will give you a pleasant greeting. “Try the linen closet, or anywhere fabrics might live and be able to absorb the scent,” interior designer Dee Murphy told Good Housekeeping. “Not only do you get a nice surprise every time you open the door, but your linens will carry the aroma with them wherever you use them.”

How to make your house smell good and do the floors at the same time? Soak a cotton ball with your favourite perfume, then drop it into the vacuum cleaner bag. As you do your regular chores, the vacuum will gently release the scent into the room.

A fireplace is warm and cosy, but every now and then it can also cause a stink. Throw a few lemon or orange peels into the flames to kill the scent, and prevent the smell in the future by burning the peels instead of newspaper. As a bonus, the flammable oils in the peels will burn way longer than paper.

When your humidifier starts smelling bad, pour 3 or 4 tablespoons of lemon juice into the water. Not only will it remove the odour, but it will give off a lemony scent. Add more every couple of weeks to stop the pong from coming back.

Learn more about air purifiers and humidifiers. 

Can’t get the smell of the fish you preheated out of your microwave? Pour a bit of vanilla extract in a bowl, then nuke it on High for one minute.

Learn which 10 foods you should never reheat in the microwave. 

Painting a room is a fun way to spruce up your space, but it also leaves a sickly scent before the colour dries. To make your home smell better, mix a tablespoon of vanilla extract into the paint when you open it.