9 Tricks HGTV Stars Use For A Fresh-Smelling Home
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Our favorite HGTV stars have an amazing talent for turning even the most worn-down houses into amazing dream homes that look cozy and chic. But have you ever wondered how they manage to make each space smell so incredibly delightful, too? It doesn't matter how great a place looks if it smells funky, so these stars are masters of the craft. From Erin Napier to Vern Yip and everyone in between, we've rounded up the expert advice on how to banish unpleasant odors, embrace natural fragrances, and cleverly incorporate scent-enhancing elements into your living spaces.
Whether you're planning to sell your property and need the open house to smell fantastic, or are simply seeking to indulge in a fragrant haven, this guide will equip you with the knowledge to achieve a fresh-smelling home. These expert tips range from budget-friendly DIY solutions to innovative scenting methods that professionals swear by. The best part is that these stars actually use these tips in their own homes and projects. Let's dive in.
1. Genevieve Gorder reaches for dried herbs and flowers
Interior designer and "HGTV Design Star" judge Genevieve Gorder has lots to say about scent. "Scent is one [thing] that you have to acknowledge in the very beginning, just like light," she told NBC News. For a room to be truly complete, you must consider all five senses. "Every single sense needs to be addressed for us to consciously let go," she explained. So even if you're in a space with cohesive decor, layered light, and moody textures, you won't fully unwind until you also smell something pleasant. "Think about some of your favorite spaces in life; there's usually a scent that you can attribute to it as well," she said.
But how does she make sure a house smells welcoming? Easy — she uses subtle accents of dried herbs and flowers. "I think it's about entertaining the nose with a lot of beautiful scents: oils, dried herbs, and flowers, soaps, all of these things take you to a different place as soon as you walk in the door," she told The Design Network. You can purchase these dried herbs and flowers at most home goods stores. They're usually sold in sets called potpourri. If you are particularly DIY-minded, you can also create pressed flowers at home, enhancing their scent with your favorite essential oils.
2. Erin Napier suggests an ozone generator to vanquish smokey smells
Nothing is worse than a smokey smell that won't stop clinging to your home. It sticks to everything from cushions to wallpaper to carpeting, and can be extremely difficult to defeat. Whether you purchased your house from a smoker, had a kitchen fire, or just left your windows open too long during bonfire season, the smell loves to stick around. Luckily, everyone's favorite "Home Town" girl Erin Napier has a great way to eliminate it. "PSA: we are working on a house that has been smoked in for many, many years. A six-hour treatment with an ozone generator that cost $99 has completely gotten rid of the smell in the 4,000 square-foot house," she tweeted. She followed this PSA with cheeky but accurate hashtags of #voodoo and #magic.
An ozone generator is like a heavy-duty air purifier. The machines create ozone (O3) which can clear out harmful chemicals in the air. Unfortunately, there isn't enough information about O3 to know if long-term exposure is safe. So if you rent a machine to vanquish smokey smells, it's best to run it when you aren't in the house. Treat it like you might a bug bomb: Necessary and helpful, but not something you'll want to stick around to breathe in.
3. Joanna Gaines reaches for simmer pots for a sweet-smelling home
If you love potpourri but find the scent of your favorite mixture isn't strong enough to reach the entire house, Joanna Gaines has a great alternative for you: simmer pots. "A simmer pot is essentially a stovetop potpourri," she wrote on her Magnolia blog. "I love the ease of throwing these ingredients into a pot of water and letting it fill our house with clean scents all day long."
While you can mix and match your favorite combinations to get a scent you love, Gaines recommends a citrus recipe to create a clean and crisp atmosphere. Her recipe includes mixing
2 sprigs of fresh rosemary, 1 tbsp dried lavender, and a handful of lemon slices or lemon peels with 3 cups of water. Then add a few drops of lavender and rose essential oils into the mix, and leave the heat on low to let things gradually warm up.
Gaines warns that you should be sure to check in on the pot about twice an hour to make sure there is enough water. If too much has evaporated, simply pour a few more cups in. Finally, she warns that while the pot may look and smell fantastic, it won't taste good. Resist the temptation to drink it.
4. Sandra Rinomato recommends candles to set the mood
Sandra Rinomato of "Property Virgins" and "Buy Herself" fame confirms what we were all thinking. Nothing beats lighting up a classic candle when it comes to making your home feel cozy and smell fresh. "Scent really makes a difference, whether you're taking time out for yourself or having guests over, it's the little things that can really create that 'homey' feel," she told HuffPost. "Candles are a big part of the décor in my home, and they immediately put me at ease. They've been a part of my home for years."
Choosing the right candle for your space can be tough, especially since there are so many different brands and price points to choose from. What is important when selecting a candle — no matter the color, burn time, size, or even which celebrity's name is on the side — is the smell. If you are one to grab a $6 candle at the grocery store because it smells like peaches, perfect. If you want to try a candle that looks like a bust of Napolean and costs $240, then go for it. For Rinomato, the presence of great-smelling candles is enough, no matter their cost.
5. Nate Berkus and Jeremiah Brent burn incense
Design power couple Nate Berkus and Jeremiah Brent are still learning from each other, even after years of marriage. Berkus recently shared that his husband Brent introduced several rituals into his life and home to make it look, feel, and smell better, including playing music and burning incense. "I used to pad around these spaces without music, without scent," Berkus told Domino. "I had candles, but they went on the table when I entertained —not at 9 a.m. on a Sunday morning. There's something really beautiful about the ceremony of that." In addition to lighting wicks, Berkus shared they experiment with burning incense or palo santo to increase the design experience in the room.
Incense is a fantastic, subtle scent that does a great job of elevating the entire home's smell. You don't need very much of it to go a long way. If you are having guests over, it's best to burn it a little bit before they arrive to give the smoke time to spread out. "We spend so much time making decisions about design in our homes, but very few people stop to realize that the first thing people notice is how it smells," Berkus told InStyle. With incense, your home will have a relaxed, pleasant scent that is sure to make your guests feel at ease.
6. Sabrina Soto likes scented cleaning products
HGTV darling Sabrina Soto is a pro at keeping her home clean, stylish, and smelling great, even as a mom. When you have children, Soto understands that the traditional methods for introducing pleasant scents just don't seem to work anymore. "Candles can be a fire hazard and plug-ins don't often smell fresh," she told Moms.com."A quick swipe with a scented cleaning product can leave a lingering smell of Tuscan Lavender & Jasmine through your kitchen and living space, leaving guests wondering where the potpourri is hidden."
She is so right, too. If you have a toddler, taking your eyes off them for only a second with a candle burning could result in burned fingers, singed curtains, or worse. So since you already need to wipe down your countertops after lunchtime or dust sticky fingerprints off the TV stand, you might as well do it with a cleaning product that smells fantastic. Just remember to store all cleaning products out of reach from curious little ones, as most are toxic if ingested — no matter how nice they smell.
7. Vern Yip likes wax melts
The Scentsy craze of the early 2000s still isn't over. If anything, using scented wax melts for a fresh-smelling home has only been picked up by more and more brands over the years. This method is also a favorite of HGTV legend Vern Yip, who has his very own line. When Mpls St Paul Magazine asked how important scent is to the success of a room design, Yip was quick to emphasize its value. "It's huge. Most people don't think about it because you don't really get to smell the rooms in the pretty design books," he said. "It's really important from a design standpoint that it's making you feel the way that you want to feel when you walk into your home."
But unlike a signature perfume, your home doesn't necessarily need a signature scent. Instead, you can, and should, change things up multiple times a year. "We have a wide variety of scents in the line, and I change mine up depending on the season," Yip continued. "We're in fall right now, and I just changed from one of my favorite scents, White Sands, to Sandalwood. It's another part of my seasonal rotation of pillows and throws."
8. Mikel Welch refreshes his home with linen sprays
While we should really be changing or washing our sheets at least once a week, there are plenty of other linens in our homes that we might not get around to cleaning quite as often. Our curtains, pillowcases, throw blankets, and even decorative rugs can become stale smelling if we don't do something about it. When HGTV designer Mikel Welch finds himself in this situation, he reaches for linen sprays for an easy refresh. He revealed to House Beautiful that although it is kind of on the expensive side, Le Labo SANTAL 33 is his favorite. The spray is meant to smell like a desert wind with floral hints of cardamom, iris, and violet. Plus, it has a smoky whiff of Australian sandalwood and cedarwood for a strong undertone.
The brand carries many different scents to choose from if you prefer something lighter or perhaps more citrusy. If Le Labo is a bit out of your price range with its $100 bottles, you can find several alternatives at your local home decor store. Just follow your nose (and your budget!) and find the linen spray that's right for you. Your couch cushions will thank you.
9. Martha Stewart uses vodka to eliminate unwanted home odors
Martha Stewart is a professional at getting rid of bad smells. It's one thing to enhance the atmosphere of a neutral-smelling house by introducing a pleasant scent. It's another to eliminate a foul odor to get things smelling great. When dealing with bad smells at home, we don't recommend trying to mask the scent, as the stench can easily leak through. Instead, you should take the time to find the source of the odor and eliminate it. To do this, Stewart recommends reaching for something you might already have at home: A bottle of vodka.
The homemaking guru demonstrated the technique on her Instagram. Although presented as a part of Tito's advertising campaign, you can use any brand of vodka for this hack. Just be sure it has no flavor or color, so it won't stain or be sticky. For cleaning purposes, the higher the liquor's alcohol content, the better. Simply mix 2 parts of water and 1 part of vodka into a spray bottle. Then, spritz the mixture onto the stinky parts of your home, like couch cushions, old carpets, or even smelly shoes. "Say goodbye to musty smells," Martha quipped while spraying down a pair of boots. You don't want to soak the fabrics and should give them plenty of space to air dry. Once the mixture evaporates, the alcohol should have zapped away any foul odors.