How To Make Your Apartment Smell Good: 10 Detailed Steps

There’s nothing better than coming home to an apartment that smells amazing. However, between the smells that come with furry friends, the mess made leftover from elaborate dinner parties, gym bags, etc., a fantastic-smelling home is sometimes easier said than done. 

In this article, we’re demystifying the process to take your apartment from smelling so-so to out-of-this-world. 

How Can You Make Your Apartment Smell Good?

With the steps listed below, you can have your apartment smelling as good as your favorite hotel room in no time.

1. Clean Surfaces

The foundation of a good-smelling home is clean surfaces. When we say surface, we’re talking everything from kitchen counters to the TV console (which, let’s be honest, can always use a little love). 

Cleaning your surfaces thoroughly is a great way to get rid of all the dust, pet dander, and dirt that can settle in your home and give it a musty smell. Dust and other particles can also trigger allergies, so consider this step a win-win for your apartment's smell and your overall wellness. 

When dusting, make sure to go from top to bottom. For example, you’ll want to dust your ceiling fans and the blinds before dusting coffee tables. This will prevent any dust from settling on surfaces you’ve already cleaned. 

2. Upgrade Your Laundry Routine

Another step you can take to give you and your home a smell makeover is to upgrade your laundry routine. Our Laundry Collection features a line of detergents and scent boosters that will leave your clothes, sheets, and towels smelling better for longer. Take your pick when it comes to scent — whether you opt for best-selling Sweet Ash or fresh Signature Spin, there’s something for everyone. 

Laundry has a huge impact on the smell of your apartment for a few reasons. The smell of clothes you wear around the house gets into the air, so why not make sure your clothes smell as incredible as possible? Also, the smell of your bed linens and towels can set the scent tone for your bedroom and bathroom, respectively. For this reason, it’s a good idea to include bath mats, rugs, kitchen towels, etc. into the regular laundry lineup. 

3. Incorporate Candles

A classic for a reason, the next way you can improve the smell of your apartment is by lighting scented candles. 

At Snif, all of our scented candles are made with premium soy wax, cotton wicks, and non-toxic fragrances to ensure you’re getting delicious smells in your home without any of the risks that come with lower-quality candles. 

If you’re looking for a spicy, rich scent to light in your home, look no further than Instant Karma. This candle features a blend of cardamom, nashi pear, black plum, geranium, vetiver, cedarwood, and black tea. Dark and dreamy, this is the perfect candle for those evenings when you want your home to feel luxurious and cozy in equal parts. 

Heal The Way is the candle to light when you need your space to feel like a grounding sanctuary, away from the chaos of the world. Bringing together pistachio cream, davana, plato sant, vanilla, musk, and orcanox, this candle is sweet, ambery, and oh-so relaxing. 

4. Open the Windows

Just like the smell of your favorite scented candles, the smell of fresh air is one that’s hard to beat. Make the most of good weather by throwing open your windows and letting in the fresh air. If you’re lucky and have windows on different sides of your apartment, open them all to get a cross-breeze flowing. 

If this seems like something you can do only on the most pleasant Spring days, think again. Try practicing “lüften” at home. This German concept is roughly translated to “ventilating” or “airing out” and involves opening windows to let in new, fresh air and stale, humid air. 

Even on the coldest winter days, you can practice “lüften” and leave your windows open for just a few minutes to improve the smell of your space. 

5. Try a Dehumidifier or Air Purifier

Although it might not be the first thing that comes to mind when you pinpoint what doesn’t smell good in your home, moisture is one of the most significant contributors to unpleasant home odors. That said, you can get rid of moisture by using a dehumidifier or air purifier. 

It can be especially helpful to run a dehumidifier in areas prone to moisture, such as the bathroom and kitchen. If you live in a humid place, you might also want to consider rolling up your rugs during the most humid part of the year because they can trap moisture. 

6. Wash Couch and Pillow Covers

In the same way that your bed can influence the smell of your bedroom, your couch and the cushions on it can influence the smell of your living room. That’s why washing your couch and pillow covers regularly is so important. 

You can start by vacuuming your couch to remove any crumbs, dirt, and debris that may have found their way onto it. Don’t forget to take off the cushions and give them some TLC while you have your vacuum cleaner in hand. From there, you can use a white vinegar, water, and laundry detergent solution to treat any spot stains. 

While the upholstery dries, throw all the pillow covers into the wash (with a little bit of scent booster!). With freshly washed pillow covers and a well-cleaned couch, you’ll notice that your whole living room smells cleaner than before. 

7. Clean Your Sink and Garbage Disposal

When it comes to your kitchen, the sink and garbage disposal are among the most likely sources of bad odor. To give both a full deep clean, start by clearing out all the dishes, sponges, and other cleaning materials lying around and removing any debris from the garbage disposal. 

Run the water as hot as it can go and allow it to flow down the drain. As this is happening, add a few drops of dish soap and run the garbage disposal. Let everything run for a couple of minutes, adding more drops of dish soap as you see necessary. 

To make sure all of the bad odors are truly neutralized, you can add a handful of ice to the drain and run the disposal again. Once the ice is gone, run the hot water again to finish the cleaning process.

8. Place Baking Soda in the Fridge

Although the fridge houses all the yummy leftovers, it can also be home to some unpleasant smells. 

To neutralize odors in the fridge, place an open box of baking soda on one of the shelves. The acidic compounds in your fridge that cause it to smell bad will be neutralized by the baking soda. What’s more the baking soda will suck moisture out of the air to prevent the growth of mold and mildew. 

9. Buy Fresh Flowers

Fresh flowers look beautiful, help your home smell better, purify the air, and can even boost your productivity. Given that fresh flowers can be pricey, there are a few tips you can keep in mind to help them last longer. First, change the water your flowers are in every few days or even every day for a large bouquet. 

Also, make sure to trim the stems regularly, about an inch at a time. After trimming the stems, cut off any leaves that seem to be dead — bacteria can start to grow in browning leaves. Make sure to never leave your fresh flowers in direct sunlight because heat can dehydrate them, which will shorten their lifespan. 

10. Try Reed Diffusers

If you are not allowed to have scented candles in your home or are looking for a way to keep your space smelling good even when you’re not there, you can try reed diffusers. 

For those unfamiliar with reed diffusers, they come with a set of long, thin reeds that absorb a fragrance in liquid form from a container and diffuse the scent into the air. All you have to do is turn the reeds upside down every so often to allow the fragrance to disperse into the room. 

Reed diffusers, although less potent than scented candles, are a great option because they are low-maintenance and long-lasting. That being said, you can flip your reed diffusers on your way out the door so that your home smells lovely upon your return. 

Your Scents, Your Space

With these ten steps in mind, your apartment will smell better than ever. By combining the detergency and scent boosters from our laundry collection with a few scented candles, you can give your apartment the scent makeover it deserves. 

Sources:

Dust Allergy | Causes, Symptoms & Treatment | ACAAI Public Website

Can Burning Candles Be Bad for You? | Cleveland Clinic

Improving Ventilation in Your Home | CDC

Workplace Productivity Study | About Flowers