# How do you keep the house smelling fresh?



## SeaCatz (Mar 23, 2011)

I'm trying to find something to keep my house smelling fresh and clean but I get dizzy when I use plug ins or stronger smelling candles. I use febreeze sprays but it doesn't keep the house smelling nice long enough.
What do you use/do to keep the house smelling clean?


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## MowMow (Nov 6, 2010)

How does your house smell bad? Is it a litter box smell? I have a cat in a small apartment and it doesn't smell bad. 


I clean his litterbox every other day. I soak the old tray in disinfectant and water and set it out to dry (I have two so there is always a dry one to put down).
I wash his favorite blankets/sleeping spots every week.
I sprinkle the carpet with plain baking soda and vacuum thoroughly twice a week. I also mop twice a week in the kitchen/bathroom.
I wipe the kitchen counters/sink/and bathroom counter/sink every day (more than once since he walks on them and I have to wipe them down before cooking).
I try to open the windows for a little while each day (even if it's only for 30 minutes) just to let in some fresh air.


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## marie73 (Jul 12, 2006)

Wow, Krissy, can you stop by my house every Tuesday?


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## MowMow (Nov 6, 2010)

Haha. We'd be happy too. MowMow can play with the girls while I clean. I'll even trim nails (theirs, not yours) and brush them.


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## SeaCatz (Mar 23, 2011)

MowMow said:


> How does your house smell bad? Is it a litter box smell? I have a cat in a small apartment and it doesn't smell bad.
> 
> 
> I clean his litterbox every other day. I soak the old tray in disinfectant and water and set it out to dry (I have two so there is always a dry one to put down).
> ...


My house smells like a mix of cat pee and stinky dog blankets. 
I admit I probably don't clean often enough but whenever it is clean it still stinks. I cleaned the whole house for the holidays and even had a clean litter box but it still stank! I'm trying a different type of litter so that might solve the litter box problem (I do scoop everyday).

I will try washing their bedding more often but I think I need something to help purify the air. It's also kind of hard to leave the windows open in the winter time but I must admit it is better in the summer time with the windows open often. Do you know if beeswax candles work well?


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## Susan (Mar 29, 2010)

I scoop daily, wash the boxes weekly (but rarely do a full litter change-out) and clean the house weekly, and I don't notice any issues with odors. 

Do the home fragrance oils bother you the way candles do? Perhaps give those a shot.


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## swimkris (Jul 17, 2010)

I've noticed that having my litterboxes in a place where the air circulates makes a HUGE difference! I live in a townhouse, and I have 1 large litterbox outside my room at the top of the stairs & 1 extra large walk in litterbox at the bottom of the stairs right by the front door. As long as I scoop every couple of days and there is some kind of air circulation (fans, a/c, windows, etc) then there is no smell. I do realize some people are have limited space though.

Also, plastic will absorb odors, so maybe it is just time to replace their litterbox?


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## konstargirl (Feb 4, 2011)

I'm a dirty girl.. I usually wait until it gets nasty.

I clean the litter box and tanks once a week though.


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## Sinatra-Butters (Aug 9, 2010)

I scoop everyday and use plug ins from Bath and Body Works because I like the smell, not because my house smells.

Krissy come over please!!!


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## saitenyo (Nov 28, 2010)

marie73 said:


> Wow, Krissy, can you stop by my house every Tuesday?


And mine every Wednesday? 

I don't do much other than standard tidying. I scoop the litterboxes every day (used to do it twice, but since switching their food I find I only need to do it once a day). I do a full litter change and wash the boxes with hot water and soap maybe once a month, or basically once the boxes star to smell a little even with daily scooping. 

We "try" to do a thorough clean of the condo every two weeks because if we don't, my allergies start acting up, but we're not as good about this as we should be since my boyfriend and I have so little quality free time (we hate having to spend weekends cleaning).

We don't really have any smell problems though, just dust/dander problems since we don't dust or vaccum enough. Anything involving food, cat waste, etc. we make sure gets cleaned up asap. We try to avoid leaving dishes in the sink ever, or food out, and we make sure to take the trash out regularly before it stinks anything up. If the cats spill food anywhere in the kitchen while eating (which they are great at) I make sure to get all that up as soon as they're done so it doesn't rot. I run the garbage disposal in the sink at least once a week (and any time I put large chunks of food down the drain) with some hot water and soap to make sure no food is stuck in there. Food can sometimes get trapped in there and start to rot, making your kitchen smell.

Basically never letting anything involving food or litter sit too long keeps any smells from building up. We open the windows for a bit if it's ever getting stuffy or if we've let the trash sit too long.

I don't use any plug-ins or candles or anything either because I am really sensitive to scented things. They bother my allergies and give me migraines.


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## katlover13 (Apr 15, 2008)

We recently got one of those Holmes air filter/cleaners and it really works well. Some of the litter boxes are in the laundry room and even though they are scooped daily there was sometimes an odor. My husband wanted to get the air filter - I didn't think it would do anything. Boy was I wrong! The only time we smell anything now is right after one of the little darlings has dropped a bomb.
The one we got was not even very large. It only cost between 30 - 40 dollars.


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## MowMow (Nov 6, 2010)

How often are you bathing the dogs and what kind of dogs are they? When my Mini got older she got a distinct 'houndy' smell to her. I would have to be very careful to change her blankets every day and to bathe her every few weeks with a mild shampoo. It really cut down on the dog smell.

Also even though I vacuumed twice a week I had to make sure the carpets were shampooed every few months. They just always seemed to get a 'dog smell' after two or three months with the dogs living with me. Once I turned to pergo/hardwood I could just swiffer every few days and mop once a week.


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## Greenport ferals (Oct 30, 2010)

konstargirl said:


> I'm a dirty girl.. I usually wait until it gets nasty.
> 
> I clean the litter box and tanks once a week though.


Yikes!!

This week a feral cat came through the cat door. My little 7 pound 13- year-old cat Gracie went ballistic on him and he ended up under my bed. Gracie didn't have a scratch. 

This guy was STINKY. 

OK, I thought. You are mine now. I put down some Tyvek and set my Have-A-Hart trap. He was locked in the bedroom two days and two nights. Wouldn't go near it. 

Everytime I went in the bedroom the smell was terrible. Was he marking or just smelled really, really bad? 

Came home this morning, no cat in the trap, smell in the room is so bad. OK, new plan. Opened three windows - it was freezing, 32 degrees with a north wind. You are now free to go. 

Sprayed the walls and carpet down with Oxy clean, though they looked OK. Stripped the bedding, washed it and hung it out in that great big wind.

Results: All traces of his vacation under the bed are gone.


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## SeaCatz (Mar 23, 2011)

I think I have to do a big load of laundry to help pin point the problem, the dogs don't actually smell to bad because of their diet but their beds need to be washed and the litter box is not a problem anymore because the new litter is awesome.
I wanted to add some mild fragrance to the house too so if you know of any herbs or natural candles please suggest them.


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## MowMow (Nov 6, 2010)

Easy peasy... do you eat oranges or apples?


Next time you eat an orange don't throw the peel away. Put it and some whole cloves in a little pot on the stove on super low heat. (don't leave the house with this on and make sure it doesn't run out of water)


Next time you eat an apple save the core and throw it in a little pot with a cinnamon stick. (same caveat)

I save both orange peels and apple cores in the fridge in two separate baggies so I always have some at the ready. Just be sure to use the apple cores before they go icky. THe orange peels last ages in the fridge. Whenever I get a call someone is coming over I always toss some of this on and the apartment smells awesome.

Also for Garbage Disposal and sink drain smell... plug up the drain and fill the sink up with hot water and a cup of bleach (make sure you're sink material can handle bleach) and let it sit for 10 minutes then yank the plug and let it all drain down. Flushes it out nicely and deodorizes the pipes. At least I think it works great . Then I'll throw an orange peel or two down the disposal to make it smell nice and fresh.


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## Fyreflie (Mar 5, 2011)

We tend to get a "litter box smell" that accumulates near the front door (which is on a separate floor from the bathroom where the box actually is--the only thing that really cut it down was frequent scooping (two cats is twice the mess, ew!) and we switched litters--I didn't realize how big of a difference that made until we ran out of our usual litter a few days ago and used Arm & Hammer stuff for a few days instead, it REEKS in here now. Glad we stocked up on our regular again. It's some brand they have at the pet store here, I had never heard of it before. 

Other than that, frequent sweeping/mopping and fresh air. I'm allergic to pretty much anything scented so I can't burn candles, spray sprays (except the Hartz oder-buster spray our local hardware store carries, which is unscented and works great!) or use any strong cleaners.


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## swimkris (Jul 17, 2010)

What do you have in your dogs' beds? I know my mom periodically (at least 2 times a year) restuffs her dog's bed with a new pillow or cedar chips. The chips smell especially nice.

They aren't "natural" but I like to buy those febreeze gel cones. They have an apple cinnamon one that I really like


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## wicket (Mar 12, 2011)

I spray with odo ban. It really helps to neutralize the odor. You can spray it in the air and on furniture.


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## Maggie the Cat (Mar 13, 2011)

Our cat doesn't make the house smell weird but I get concerned that the dog does, especially on rainy days... ugh "eau de wet dog". I try to mop the wood floors 2x/week and vacuum the carpets often, burn a candle in the living room, and keep the dog fresh w/a bath 2x/month. 

I also recommend wrapping a fabric softener sheet around your ac/heat vents and when the air blows through, the fresh smell fills the house. I do this and change them every few weeks. It makes a huge difference.


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## Muzby (Jan 9, 2008)

We scoop daily, feed raw, clean weekly. We have a ton of beds, we barely clean them tho - no dog smell/cat smell (yay raw! lol). 

If the house needs a good smell, we boil a mixture of star anise (whole), orange rind and cinnamon sticks. MMMMMMM!


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## dweamgoil (Feb 3, 2010)

Muzby said:


> We scoop daily, feed raw, clean weekly.


I occasionally do the scented oils with the bamboo sticks because I enjoy the smell, but it's not overpowering or very long lasting. I also place some potpourri in a large bowl on the kitchen table every now and again. Most of the time I don't bother because the cats LOVE to play with it.

With 3 cats, my house doesn't smell bad, but we do make sure we are diligent about our scooping and weekly cleaning.


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