Your bedroom should smell fresh, clean, and even lightly fragranced with a natural scent. Instead, you’re reducing the power of a good night’s sleep and reducing the tranquility of your living quarters by spending a third of your life breathing musty, dusty, or just plain stinky air.
It goes without stating that if there are stacks of dirty dishes beside the bed or reeking athletic socks overflowing the laundry basket, no bedroom will smell pleasant.
If you have anything smelly in your bedroom, you should start with a thorough cleaning. Then, once you’ve gotten rid of the apparent odor-causing culprits, employ some of the following techniques and tricks to make your bedroom smell great.
1. Open the windows
Opening the windows and letting the sunlight and clean air in is the quickest way to a fresh-smelling room. Except if you live near a major highway or an industrial region, the air quality inside your home is likely to be lower than outside. Develop a habit to open your bedroom windows every morning for as long as the weather and privacy allow. Your room will smell better, and you’ll get a dose of mood-boosting, energy-boosting morning sunlight. It’s a win-win situation.
2. Change sheets.
Clean, soft bedsheets are quite comfortable, but they collect a significant quantity of human oils, fluids, and shed skin particles each night. If you go too prolonged without doing laundry, your linens will begin to smell musty. Strip your bed and wash the sheets once a week to keep the air fresh—more frequently if you let your pets sleep with you or if you have allergies.
To take it a step further, change your covers every other day. This not only makes your place smell nice, but it also makes your skin look beautiful.
3. Keep the carpet clean
Carpet is the most common pick for bedroom flooring for obvious reasons: it’s relaxing to walk on, it muffles sound and temperature swings, and it counts a lot of style to your room. However, carpet has a tendency to trap bacteria, mold, pollen, and grunge from your feet or the bottoms of your shoes. Those nasties might produce a foul odor over time. But before you grab for the harsh chemicals to deodorize your carpet, think twice. Baking soda is a good alternative. It is both inexpensive and simple. Simply spread a thick layer of powder over your carpet, let it lie for at least an hour, and then vacuum the powder and the odor away.
Remove your shoes before entering your bedroom to help keep the carpets clean.
4. DIY reed diffuser
You can buy a reed diffuser, but they’re not cheap. Instead, why not make your own? A narrow-top glass jar or vase, several bamboo kebab skewers, a quarter-cup of sweet almond or safflower oil, and 15 to 20 drops of your chosen essential oil are all you need. Choose scents that are relaxing, like lavender, jasmine, vanilla, or sandalwood. In a jar, combine the carrier and essential oils, arrange the skewers into a bouquet, and place the diffusor on your nightstand. It’ll take a day or two for the aroma to go up the skewers, so be patient.
5. Air freshener
Perhaps a reed diffuser isn’t your thing, but you still want a lovely, non-fake perfume to freshen up your room. Don’t worry, you can make your own room spray using natural ingredients. You’ll need a clean spray container, distilled water, three tablespoons of rubbing alcohol (unflavored vodka can be substituted), and at least 20 drops of your favorite essential oils. To help you relax, use a single aroma or a blend of oils like bergamot, lavender, chamomile, vanilla, and rose. In a spray bottle, combine all of the ingredients and enjoy!
