Yes. You can have make your house smell good and keep it clean without lots of harsh air freshening chemicals.
How To Have A Great Smelling House
I love having a clean, delicious smelling home, and I’m guessing you do, too. But, after buying a ton of cleaning supplies to get my home smelling clean and fresh, it was still always dirty and usually smelled like a construction site (I still don’t know why???).
Add in the fact that I don’t use air fresheners or candles because I am not sure about the safety of the perfumes they use, and that just means my home was always smelling stinky and pretty much dirty.
So, I finally got fed up and decided that it was my house and I was going to make sure it stayed clean and awesome smelling. I hunted down the very best cleaning supplies that are on the natural side and that actually work (as good or better than the stinky ones) to make your house smell good all the time.
Now my home is almost always clean and fresh smelling. I have to admit, I have really surprised myself here because I’m notorious for having an organized but not-so-clean home.
And, I’m not going to lie, having a home that smells amazing kinda makes me feel like a princess.
Here are my absolute favorite cleaning supplies that will keep your home clean and make your house smell good (or actually, amazing).
Robot vacuum
If your floors are dirty, your whole house will be dirty. Really. Dirty floors cause dust and fuzz bunnies. They get your socks and furniture dirty. Dirty floors make your house smell like…well, dirt. (You did want me to tell you straight, right?)
If I had to keep only one cleaning supply in my whole house it would bemy ILife robot vacuum (we named him Jimmy).
I would give up cleaners, and sponges, wipes, and bleach. Everything to have a robot vacuum.
It’s made an enormous difference in my home. And at a $150 price tag with tons of bells and whistles (like auto-stair sensing, scheduler and a remote), I truly believe any busy mama can afford a robotic vacuum. It might take a few months of saving, but it. is. worth. it. Get one.
Method floor cleaner and microfiber cleaning mop
Do you remember the old-school Jergens lotion smell? Almond. So sweet, subtle, and comforting. I love the sweet simplicity of the scent of almond. Well, Method has created a floor cleaner that can make my entire home smell like sweet almond. *sniff* Aaahhhhhh… When life gets stressful, I grab my mop and Method floor cleaner and get to work. When I’m finished, I feel accomplished and comforted. 😀
And this stuff will make my house smell good all the time for at least a few days. I adore it. Once you’re convinced of its awesome powers, you’ll want to spring for the big bottle to save some money keep the magic alive all the time.
J.R. Watkins All Purpose Cleaner Lemon Scent
This stuff smells so yum. Sort of like like Froot Loops or Trix. The lemon scent isn’t too overpowering but is just right. It cleans just as good as all the other chemical cleaners out there that I’ve tried and one of these bottles lasts me a few months of everyday use in the kitchen. It even cleans finished wood (like the dining table and furniture around the house). I think that last bit makes it worth the extra few cents I spend for the bottle.
Plus, it’s 99.98% natural. Natural and my house smells good! Can’t beat that!
Save some extra money by buying a few at a time for under $4 a bottle.
**UPDATE** I used to snag a bottle of this from local stores, but I saw a lot of Watkins being clearanced out a few months ago and the general cleaners have been replaced with things like hand and dish soap. Total bummer. Looks like I’ll be buying my next bottle in bulk from Amazon before they disappear forever. Yikes.
Scrubbie Bubbles
This is the most harsh chemical I use (except for a smidge of bleach and a little Awesome), but the honest truth is that our tile bathroom grows mold like crazy. I have found this stuff to do the job right the first time, and that’s important for a busy work at home mama. Plus it leaves the bathroom smelling fresh and clean with a hint of sweet.
The blue can is worth the few cents extra. It sprays bigger & better, and I’m convinced it actually cleans better, too.
Toothbrushes
Our dentist always gives us old school toothbrushes, but we have a Philips Sonicare. I’m going to be honest, I’m never going back to a regular toothbrush for the rest of my life. My Sonicare makes my teeth feel like they just left the dentist’s office, and I love that.
So, all those toothbrushes our dentist hands out get to go straight to my cleaning supply closet. I use them to clean the sink drains (especially the kitchen sink drains) and the mold in the tile shower. We also have grooves in our dining table, so I dust out the crumbs every now and then with a toothbrush, too. I think getting rid of all that dirt definitely makes a difference on how fresh and clean our house smells.
Dish Soap
I absolutely adore doing dishes with this soap (as much as any girl like me could adore doing dishes). Omg. It makes the whole kitchen smell like a gorgeous perfume and not in a weird way. I usually hate the scent of soaps, but this dish soap is glorious. I have a huge bottle of other dish soap from Costco in the closet, but I’m pretty sure when this soap runs out, I’m going to buy more of this. I’ll use the other stuff for washing the car or something. Ha! This stuff is where it’s at!
**UPDATE** I have officially started stockpiling this stuff from Amazon because I can’t find it in any of my local grocery stores. Fingers crossed they haven’t discontinued it!!!
Hand Soap
What if I told you there was a gorgeous smelling hand soap (smells like the best smelling spring blooms of super sweet osmanthus) that was made with 70% organic ingredients and no harsh chemicals? You’d go buy it, right? Well, you can probably find this winner at your local grocery store (Kroger chain). It’s made by the grocery store brand and will probably be labeled differently, depending on if you are in a Kroger area or a Fred Meyer area, etc.
**UPDATE** I saw this hand soap on sale last week and picked up a bottle for a hotel stay (my best tip for hotel traveling: bring your own handsoap!), and oh my! It does smell amazing. It isn’t natural or organic, but I do think I will be buying more of this. This link is for 3 packs of 4 (so 12 total). Not a bad deal for amazing smelling hands and sinks, amiright?
***UPDATE TO THE UPDATE*** Since originally writing this, I’ve completely changed my hand soap game. I splurge on toilet paper and hand soap these days, but this is my absolute favorite hand soap of all time. Pro tip: you can sometimes find it at TJMaxx or Marshalls for around $4.99. But I love it so much, I’d pay Amazon’s price at least once or twice a year if I couldn’t find it those other places.
Awesome Cleaner
Oh yeah. This is one of my go-to’s to keep things clean and fresh around the house. It’s the good stuff from the dollar store. It’s only a dollar and will clean the green off the grass. It is definitely not natural. Not at all. It is strong and will do wonders on everything from vintage travel trailers (you wouldn’t believe the shine on our door frame!) to black streaks on gutters, to getting set in ink stains out of clothes. It definitely lives up to the hype. And it’s name. 😉
How To Make Your House Smell Good (& Clean!) All the Time
I think if I had this list of things to clean my home with plus a few magic erasers and some toilet bowl cleaner (who wants to talk about that???), I could keep the whole house spic and span forever.
If you liked this post, you might like this post about why you’ll never buy Mr. Clean magic erasers again.
I’m always looking for a great way to keep my house smelling great. Do you know any tricks that don’t involve questionable chemicals like candles or air fresheners? I’d love to hear!
If you want to remember what to buy to make your house smell good, go ahead and pin this now. 🙂
