December 2, 2025, 4:03 pm | Read time: 4 minutes
When you open the apartment door and are greeted not only by the resident but also by a pleasant scent, it immediately creates a well-kept impression. This isn’t just for visitors. Your own home feels much more comfortable when it smells good. myHOMEBOOK shares tips to keep your home smelling fresh.
Wherever people live, odors can develop that don’t always smell pleasant. Cooking, laundry, trash, or pets can quickly cause unpleasant smells. Although it’s normal, the stench can quickly give an unkempt impression. A nice scent, on the other hand, immediately gives any home a well-kept and harmonious atmosphere.
Banish Cooking Odors from the Kitchen
Cooking can produce many strong odors, whether from dealing with pungent foods or something burning. A range hood is the first step to capturing the smells. But that’s not always enough. In any case, it’s important to neutralize the odors. You can use coffee, vinegar, lemon peel, or cinnamon for this. It’s particularly effective to boil vinegar, cinnamon, or lemon peel in a water bath. Burning dried herbs like sage can also help keep your home smelling good despite cooking fish. Be careful to let the leaf smolder on a fireproof dish or plate (it shouldn’t burn).
The trash can is another source of foul odors. It’s best to dispose of the trash regularly and clean the bin. Vinegar is suitable for cleaning. Diluted with water, it can remove bacteria and germs that cause the stench. Additionally, placing a lemon slice at the bottom of the trash can can help. The essential oils can spread and mask unpleasant odors.
Also interesting: 7 Tips Against Bad Smells in the Bedroom
Bathroom Smells? This Helps
Deposits in the pipes can quickly lead to unpleasant smells in the bathroom. In this case, clear the drain of hair and soap residue. You can further clean the pipes with vinegar, baking soda, and hot water.
To ensure a good smell, you can put a few drops of essential oil on the cardboard of the toilet roll. Alternatively, you can put the oil on a wooden clothespin. Attached to the shower curtain, it releases a pleasant scent every time you shower.
Musty-Smelling Bed Linen in the Wardrobe? What You Can Do
Odor in the Shoe Cabinet? The Best Home Remedies for Musty Shoes
Get Rid of Musty Smells in the Closet and Shoe Cabinet
If clothes in the closet smell slightly musty, it might be because they were still slightly damp when folded. To avoid the smell, make sure to only put truly dry clothes in the closet. A bowl of rice can also help. Placing it in the closet, the rice absorbs moisture. For a particularly pleasant scent, you can add a few drops of essential oil.
The same applies to the shoe cabinet. Throughout the day, we sweat—including on our feet. The sweat collects in the shoes. If you put them back in the shoe cabinet immediately after taking them off, the moisture gets into the furniture. A bowl of rice, baking soda, or salt can help absorb the remaining moisture. These home remedies usually also bind any unpleasant odors. If you want to give your shoes an extra freshness boost, you can again add a few drops of essential oil.
Basic Tips for a Good Smell in the Home
Bad odors usually arise from bacteria and germs. Microorganisms thrive in a humid climate and multiply quickly. To avoid odors, you should pay attention to the room climate. You can regulate high humidity by ventilating regularly. Important: Don’t just tilt the window, but air it out thoroughly. Also, plants can help improve the room climate.
Keeping things tidy is another fundamental measure that helps ensure your home always smells good. Regular cleaning can prevent unpleasant odors in the drain or trash can. Especially for pet owners, cleaning the home, including pet items, is essential to prevent it from smelling like a dog, cat, or rabbit.
Dogs and Cats Don’t Have to Smell
“A wet dog doesn’t smell very good. That’s quite normal when you consider the murky pond the four-legged friend played in. However, when dry, the fur of dogs and cats shouldn’t smell unpleasant. Usually, the often-disliked smell can be traced back to a food intolerance. That was the case with my cat, Harley Quinn. And with my parents’ dogs, I know: Depending on what they eat, they smell a bit different.”