Improve smell of apartment ?

Piliger

Hi all,

I live with my 20yo son in a small apartment. As is the way ... the general 'fragrance' of the apartment is ever so slightly less than what it might be ... :rolleyes:

I am looking for subtle ideas for improving the fragrance .. I find sprays WAY too strong and I have tried spraying aftershave on the carpet of curtains ... but it's very expensive, as are regular flowers.

I am also considering incense sticks but my experience of them in the past is that they also have a very strong smell.

Looking for a nice clean, fragrance that is gentle and not overpowering or sweet. Any ideas would be gratefully received

P_1

Fabreze maybe, spray it on the curtains and any fabric surface you have in the place

ARGINITE

Clean the place up and open a window or two.

frozenfrozen

Opening windows is good, dont leave shoes and clothes around the place.. don't smoke inside if you do already.. put takeaway boxes away as soon as you're done with them... fabreeze always works after a house party

Corkblowin

Vanilla scented candles in strategic places - I get mine in Dunnes.

njs030

Yankee candles. They're fairly expensive (from €15 to €30) but last a long time and have a huge range of smells!
Or you can buy little ones called tarts that are about €2 and go on the top of an oil burner with a tea light candle underneath, light it for an hour now and then and they last a week or so (depending on use).

Galvasean

Maybe an oxygen plant, like the one Jean Reno has in León?

Neyite

Can you hire a steam-cleaner for the carpets. A friend rented and the carpets were less than pristine, and with a baby crawling she hired a steam cleaner and bought detergent for it from the local tool hire co. Brought the carpets up a treat - like new by the time she was finished.

Then get the curtains drycleaned, and the sofa covers if you can.

Yankee candles have some lovely subtle fragrances - Cotton /laundry ones have a lovely fresh scent.

Piliger

ARGINITE wrote: »

Clean the place up and open a window or two.

Love it

Piliger

Corkblowin wrote: »

Vanilla scented candles in strategic places - I get mine in Dunnes.

I will check that out - in general I find scented candles sickly sweet ?

Piliger

notjustsweet wrote: »

Yankee candles. They're fairly expensive (from €15 to €30) but last a long time and have a huge range of smells!
Or you can buy little ones called tarts that are about €2 and go on the top of an oil burner with a tea light candle underneath, light it for an hour now and then and they last a week or so (depending on use).

Where Yankee Candles ? in the city ..

njs030

Most home stores will sell them. Which city are you in?
They do lovely clean cotton/sea air scents if you don't like 'flowery' type ones.

Piliger

notjustsweet wrote: »

Most home stores will sell them. Which city are you in?
They do lovely clean cotton/sea air scents if you don't like 'flowery' type ones.

I suppose you have to constantly burn them

(Dublin/Ranelagh)

frozenfrozen

Piliger wrote: »

I suppose you have to constantly burn them

(Dublin/Ranelagh)

Burn them every once in a while coupled with the previous ideas and you should be set though

njs030

Piliger wrote: »

I suppose you have to constantly burn them

(Dublin/Ranelagh)

No not at all, I burn them for an hour or so most days but it depends on how much you need them. I have 2 dogs and that amount of time is fine for me.
Here's a link for you to find them-
http://m.yelp.ie/search?find_desc=yankee+candle&find_loc=Dublin

Sinall

Make sure your laundry is done and that it's dried properly! This may sound very basic but heaps of clothes lying around that could do with a wash can make a room smell musty. Also make sure your laundry is dried properly after you wash it - air it and then put it away. If things don't dry properly they smell awful. Do a proper clean weekly and make sure the bins are emptied and the floor is mopped/washed.

I know these aren't really fragrance ideas, but you don't want to just mask any odd smells, you want to get rid of them! The candles etc will help too. Also shoes/runners - air these, buy new insoles etc etc!

maringo

Keep your kitchen bin emptied daily and clean - they can really stink a place out especially with food waste

Daisy78

Piliger wrote: »

I will check that out - in general I find scented candles sickly sweet ?

The Paul costello ones from dunnes are really nice, particularly the fig and vanilla ones. They are not at all overpowering and cost around 10euro. I recently moved into a New place which stank of stale smoke and I bought a few if these candles which have helped.

SHOVELLER

Open the windows. Fabreeze and other sprays are bad for you and the environment.

Piliger

LOTS of brilliant (and sensible) ideas guys

I am heading to town today to get some of them, and I think the place is going to be a fragrant delight from now on

Thanks again.

D'Agger

Febreeze and yankee candles, to echo what most have said here.

Use both myself and can't recommend the candles enough.

That said they only mask smells really - cleaning is the real answer!

Feckless Rogue

If you're going Yankee candles make sure you get the manly ones:



Yes they have a scent called MAN TOWN.

uberwolf

pop the filters out of the over hob extractor. they're likely completely metal and a few goes of boiling water will strip years of grease deposits.

some dtergent or similar may help finish the job

Giselle

Strip down the beds and air/fabreeze the mattresses. Wash your bedlinen with a hot wash to get rid of smells.

Open as many windows as you can and wash as many fabrics like curtains/blinds/rugs as you can, and clean your carpets. Wipe down your bathroom surfaces with detergent especially around the loo and as said before, empty the bins regularly.

Don't leave socks or musty washing in the hamper, get it done quickly before it smells up the house.

If you do all that, your nice candle will do its work without having to fight with pre-existing pongs.

mattjack

Hire the 'wimmins' on this thread.They know magic 'n' stuff.

Piliger

Giselle wrote: »

Strip down the beds and air/fabreeze the mattresses. Wash your bedlinen with a hot wash to get rid of smells.

Open as many windows as you can and wash as many fabrics like curtains/blinds/rugs as you can, and clean your carpets. Wipe down your bathroom surfaces with detergent especially around the loo and as said before, empty the bins regularly.

Don't leave socks or musty washing in the hamper, get it done quickly before it smells up the house.

If you do all that, your nice candle will do its work without having to fight with pre-existing pongs.

Jeez if I did all that I wouldn't need any candles :rolleyes:

pwurple

Piliger wrote: »

Jeez if I did all that I wouldn't need any candles.

You know, you can hire cleaning people as well.

cloud_dancer

Giselle wrote: »

Strip down the beds and air/fabreeze the mattresses. Wash your bedlinen with a hot wash to get rid of smells.

Open as many windows as you can and wash as many fabrics like curtains/blinds/rugs as you can, and clean your carpets. Wipe down your bathroom surfaces with detergent especially around the loo and as said before, empty the bins regularly.

Don't leave socks or musty washing in the hamper, get it done quickly before it smells up the house.

If you do all that, your nice candle will do its work without having to fight with pre-existing pongs.

This!^

Guys tend to overlook changing the bedclothes regularly (every two weeks), keeping curtains and rugs fresh and aired. Fabreze can be used for things you can't wash. Clothes, shoes and socks are likely the main cause of the smell so make a new rule of doing the washing regularly. Also make sure the hampers themselves aren't the cause of the smell. Give them a clean out now and then.

The candle won't do much good on its own but it will help keep the place smelling fresh if the boys keep on top of the chores.

ToxicPaddy

Every place I move into gets a thorough clean. All surfaces washed. Wooden floors and alI tile floors I use boiling hot water with bleach and when dry, i wash again with some pine fresh or other scented cleaner. Kitchen gets completely bleached, all curtains cleaned and carpets hovered thoroughly. Sofa covers the same.

As nice as candles and scented things are, they usually only hide smells if everything isn't clean. There is no substitute for cleanliness and fresh air.

As others have said, ensure all washing is dried properly and dirty washing not left to stack up. Clean the fridge regularly too and the cooker hob after cooking and oven regularly if used. Change the bed clothes every fortnight.

No smoking inside and leave shoes outside the main rooms. Take away wrappers and full bins need to be disposed of immediately.

The initial clean takes a bit of time but once done, it only takes 1-2 hours a week to maintain it.

Piliger

Ok ... VERY disappointing update to the Candles situation:

DUNNES:
Green Apple - Lidded candle :: Dunnes
Paul Costello - Fig & Vanilla

Superquinn:
Rathbornes Vanilla and Lavender

I have tried all of them yesterday and today (after airing and cleaning etc so no odour in apartment). I was afraid of getting candles that were too strong and too sweet ... but NONE of these candles produces anything !! I don't smell anything after an hour ... neither does my son and we checked after being out and returning with them still burning in case we were just immune.

Even the Green Apple one ........ the candle itself smells STRONGLY of apples ... but not the scent in the room after an hour ...



Anyone ?

Snowie

clean your bins keep your sink clean wash your dishes empty bins wash your clothes/bedsheets. Air your room out once a day before the heating and keep your feet clean. throw beer cans a bottles out or wash them out if your not going to be getting rid of them for a few days wash your bathroom and floor regularly...

another tip get some nice potted plants.. Throw your rubish out take some pride in your pad man

pwurple

Piliger wrote: »

I don't smell anything after an hour ... neither does my son and we checked after being out and returning with them still burning in case we were just immune.

Even the Green Apple one ........ the candle itself smells STRONGLY of apples ... but not the scent in the room after an hour ...

Holy feck, don't set candles burning and leave the house maybe? Christ man. Burning the place to a crisp will only provide a different smell.

I only ever came across one scented candle that ever smelled... Yankee candle. It has been linked several times in this thread already.

cloud_dancer

pwurple wrote: »

Holy feck, don't set candles burning and leave the house maybe? Christ man. Burning the place to a crisp will only provide a different smell.

I only ever came across one scented candle that ever smelled... Yankee candle. It has been linked several times in this thread already.

Yankee Candles are the best Any candle should give a nice smell though providing the place is fresh to begin with. I use the Dunnes ones now and then and they are fine.

smallgarden

you could try reed diffusers,theyre a little harder to get than the candles but are alot subtler and safer, i have small yankee candles that are quite strong smelling so they do the job without even lighting them

also bread soda i good for getting odours out of things, google it to see quantities and how best to use it

run_Forrest_run

Some good ideas here, especially removing of damp clothes or runners etc.

Just a tip if using scented candles, make sure to trim the wick regularly, (no puns please:D).
If you don't keep the wick trim the candles will start putting out black smoke and you may not notice straight away but after a while you will notice black walls or parts of the ceiling where the candles were burning, then you're looking at a paint job.

Piliger

Just got hold of a couple of Yankee Candles and they do seem better - I just got the small testers first so fingers crossed.

NB ... it isn't a candidate for "How Clean Is Your House?" .... just not a girly girl place

awec

This post has been deleted.

Jimmy Bottlehead

Some great tips on here, especially for those of us who have animals living there

I'd add in, I picked up one of the plug-in scent thingys last night in Aldi, and noticed it this morning, was very nice. Might also be worth a shot.

markesmith

Might sound a bit mad, but baking soda (not baking powder, has to be soda) in a bowl, maybe with a bit of eau de toillette sprayed on top, is brilliant. Get two-three bowls and do this with each, locate strategically througout the pad.

Whatever it is with baking soda, it cleanses air and works a treat for my place.

mood

I agree with most other posts regarding cleaning etc and opening windows etc. I assume you both shower daily but if you don't you really should. I shared a house with a guy once who only showered once a week and the smell for him and his room was unbelievably bad.

jelly4

Obviously a good scrub, along with washing bed clothes + steaming the carpets will solve your problems and the smell should go away. Some bleach down the sinks will kill any smelly germs living down there too.

For a very clean / antiseptic type smell, try putting a jar of white tiger balm on the radiator whilst its on. (it'll clear your sinuses too!).

mood

jelly4 wrote: »

Obviously a good scrub, along with washing bed clothes + steaming the carpets will solve your problems and the smell should go away. Some bleach down the sinks will kill any smelly germs living down there too.

For a very clean / antiseptic type smell, try putting a jar of white tiger balm on the radiator whilst its on. (it'll clear your sinuses too!).

Great tip. I must try that.

OP also clean curtains etc. Make sure you don't have any mold problems. Even check you plants. If there a white specs on the soil that is mold and you need to repot it!

weemcd

Few plants round the place will really help freshen the air up

donutheadhomer

notjustsweet wrote: »

Yankee candles. They're fairly expensive (from €15 to €30) but last a long time and have a huge range of smells!
Or you can buy little ones called tarts that are about €2 and go on the top of an oil burner with a tea light candle underneath, light it for an hour now and then and they last a week or so (depending on use).

yes a few little tarts around the flat should sort it out