The Cinnamon Vacuuming Hack That'll Make Your Home Smell Amazing

Vacuuming is the centerpiece of any good cleaning routine, lifting all the dust, pet hair, and dropped food that inevitably ends up on your floor daily. Unfortunately, odors can still hang around after vacuuming. These smells can come from all kinds of sources, such as spills that have soaked into rugs, pet accidents, and just general everyday use. And while a vacuum can tackle visible messes, it will not always be able to take care of these underlying scents and leave your home smelling fresh. Fortunately, there is a simple and natural hack hiding in your kitchen that can help your vacuuming sessions knock out terrible smells as well: Cinnamon.

This versatile spice is not just for baking, as cinnamon has wonderful aromatic properties that can transform your home's atmosphere. Unlike many air fresheners you would find at a store, which often only mask odors with artificial perfumes, cinnamon offers a naturally warm, earthy, and slightly sweet scent that is both comforting and inviting. The pleasant aroma can help neutralize unwanted smells and create a cozy, welcoming environment. It is a fantastic idea to start using cinnamon in your routine for a cleaner home, and it will ensure your home not only looks clean but smells amazing, too.

You likely already have some ground cinnamon sitting around in your pantry, so incorporating it into your vacuuming routine will be super easy. And fortunately, there are two methods for doing so. The classic hack is to lightly sprinkle a small amount of ground cinnamon directly onto your floor before you begin vacuuming. As you clean, the cinnamon's scent will be released into your room. The cinnamon shouldn't be sprinkled on rugs or carpets directly to prevent discoloration. Instead, put a dampened napkin with cinnamon poured on it inside your vacuum bag or dustbin.  

Alternatively, you can blend cinnamon in with other household cleaning supplies to create a fragrant cleaning solution. For this method, you will mix some ground cinnamon together with baking soda and Borax in a bowl, then sprinkle the mixture across the part of your floor you want to remove odors from. Let it sit for roughly 20 minutes so it has a chance to settle in and tackle the odors. Then, get to vacuuming. 

In all cases, as the powder is sucked up, the warmth from your vacuum's motor will help activate the oils within the mixture, which will then spread across your room and make it smell clean and fragrant, just like a candle would. Another perk of this hack is that it will help make your vacuum's canister or bag smell better, too. Vacuums can gain nasty smells over time, especially if you do not know how you should be cleaning your vacuum. And while this cinnamon mixture can help, we recommend routinely cleaning your vacuum's internal compartments and filter to proactively stop it from accumulating.

If you prefer not to sprinkle powder directly onto your floors but still want to reap the benefits of the cinnamon vacuuming hack, using cinnamon essential oil is a perfectly fine alternative. And similarly, this method also relies on the heat from your vacuum cleaner's motor to activate and spread the fragrant scent (albeit here without any mess). It is a clean and simple way to enjoy the same warm, delightful aroma.

This hack helps mask unwanted odors in your carpet, and is as easy as adding some drops directly into your vacuum's bag or onto its filter, depending on what type it is. If your vacuum has a bag, simply place a few drops (to your preference level) of pure cinnamon essential oil inside a fresh bag before you put the bag in. And if you have a bagless vacuum model, apply the drops directly to the filter. Then, as you vacuum, the heat from the appliance's motor will gently warm the oil, releasing its fragrance into the air as you vacuum. This provides you with a continuous and even scent distribution, making your entire home smell amazing while you clean. As with any essential oil, know that a little goes a long way, so start with a few drops and adjust the amount to a level you prefer from there. Whether you opt for ground cinnamon or some essential oil, this hack will help your home smell amazing.