I wonder what they’re masking to want to spend money on these things.
I would prefer to be outside right now.
OP, as the other comment said, keeping a relatively neutral smell hopefully is a good goal and then maybe add pleasant undertones later. Instead of trying to introduce positive smells (cook at home more often or grow some plants, and you’ll get a bit of that!):
Make sure dirty laundry is kept in a hamper with a lid and washed at regular intervals.
If you have pets, make sure they’re housetrained and that accidents are cleaned – preferably with an enzymatic cleaner. Bathe your pets regularly too. If you have small animals in an enclosure, keep that clean.
Shower regularly, and clean your bedsheets regularly.
Make sure the house isn’t excessively humid.
Vacuum at least periodically.
Make sure dirty dishes don’t just sit dirty out in the open for long periods.
Make sure smelly garbage has a lid over it and is taken out routinely, especially if there’s stuff like meat scraps in it.
Open the windows on nice days when it’s around room temperature.
If it’s especially bad for some reason, an air purifier may help.
Regularly clean your bathroom.
Keep your fridge organized so food is less likely to go bad (or bad food gets caught quickly).
If you have a shoe rack near the door and you want to be really extra, you can once in a while deodorize your shoes. Maybe I’m a freak that I don’t do this.
Make sure the house isn’t excessively cluttered.
This isn’t all-or-nothing: any of these will help with the odor, and that’s the goal.
I violently agree with the first part, I HATE air fresheners with a passion.
That said, I’m extremely lax about many of the other things but have no problems with the house getting stinky (though I don’t have pets, and am rigorous about not having smelly kitchen garbage, and as it is an older house is not air tight and so air does get in and out).
My laundry and shoes do not smell. Maybe I’m just lucky biochemically, but the same thinking / influences that lead people to think they need air fresheners can lead them to fuck up their skin biomes with harsh cleaners (especially anti-microbials), deodorants, and other unecessary “product” may actually lead to a greater tendency to be smelly. Houses have biomes as well and the same may apply. Unless you are immunocompromised or running an operating theatre you do NOT need antimicrobial anything.
If you sweat something up, change it right away and hang it to dry, and it should not get smelly. Do not put it wet into a closed hamper, or it WILL get smelly.
As someone who doesn’t use these, the first things I think when I enter a home with them are:
OP, as the other comment said, keeping a relatively neutral smell hopefully is a good goal and then maybe add pleasant undertones later. Instead of trying to introduce positive smells (cook at home more often or grow some plants, and you’ll get a bit of that!):
This isn’t all-or-nothing: any of these will help with the odor, and that’s the goal.
Adding that dust traps odours. Pays to wipe down horizontal surfaces and objects regularly along with walls and such.
I violently agree with the first part, I HATE air fresheners with a passion.
That said, I’m extremely lax about many of the other things but have no problems with the house getting stinky (though I don’t have pets, and am rigorous about not having smelly kitchen garbage, and as it is an older house is not air tight and so air does get in and out).
My laundry and shoes do not smell. Maybe I’m just lucky biochemically, but the same thinking / influences that lead people to think they need air fresheners can lead them to fuck up their skin biomes with harsh cleaners (especially anti-microbials), deodorants, and other unecessary “product” may actually lead to a greater tendency to be smelly. Houses have biomes as well and the same may apply. Unless you are immunocompromised or running an operating theatre you do NOT need antimicrobial anything.
If you sweat something up, change it right away and hang it to dry, and it should not get smelly. Do not put it wet into a closed hamper, or it WILL get smelly.