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I’m always trying to find new ways to make my home (and everything else) smell great, with varying levels of success. TikTok and other platforms are full of hacks that are supposed to give you long-lasting scents, but they usually fall apart for me. Here’s one, however, that works.
Use household cleaner to enhance your home’s smell
I came across this TikTok that showed a woman simply filling her sink with hot water and adding a cup of household cleaner, insisting it makes the whole place smell great.
I’ve been burned before by household cleaner-related scent hacks, but this one didn’t have any of the red flags from those. It seemed almost too easy. I decided to give it a shot. I grabbed my trusty Fabuloso and ran to my sink—only to remember I lost the plug after switching to a pink debris catcher that matches my decor and prevents crumbs from entering my plumbing, but is totally ineffective at stopping up the drain entirely. I decided to fill a big bowl with hot water and half a cup of Fabuloso to really test the hack. Could a smaller vessel produce a permeating smell?
The answer was yes. It was like an instant yes. After I filled my bowl, I left the kitchen. I went back five minutes later and noticed the whole area smelled great. I returned to my living room and 10 minutes later, the smell hit me there, too. Her advice is to leave the cleaner-infused hot water alone for an hour, then dump it for all-day scent. It works. It really works. I can’t wait to try it with other scents and kinds of cleaners.
Credit: Lindsey Ellefson
The scent is much stronger than when I simply mop with Fabuloso and I think that’s because it’s more concentrated, plus the very-hot water gives it a boost into the air.
Smell hacks that don’t work
There are other hacks out there that suggest boiling old air freshener wicks or household cleaners to get this result, but you really shouldn’t because that can be dangerous. What I like about this plain hot water method is that it doesn’t involve boiling at all, so you’re not at risk of accidentally heating anything to a dangerous point or putting something potentially poisonous in the tools you use to cook your food.
That said, I never had any luck with the more natural methods, either. Another popular social media tip revolves around boiling lemons to make your place smell citrusy. I’ve tried it and it simply doesn’t work. It just wastes your lemons. Best to avoid.
The old tried-and-true
Although my home still smells of Fabuloso and I am confident it will for a very long time, I do have to add that I recently conceded that the best residential scent trick is probably the most boring. I’ve tried all kinds of air fresheners in my day and they all basically worked, although the smells dissipated quickly. Last month I tried a new one that is so powerful that the smell lingers for days even after I unplug the beast. It’s called a Wallflower and I was so impressed that I got one for my mom and boyfriend, too, and they both reported the same thing: The scent sticks around long after it’s been unplugged. To me, that’s glorious, but if that’s a little too much for you, I get it. Stick to the hack above. Here’s the freshener I got, which I will never go without again:
