Disclaimer, I still use a few cleaners around the house but I try to stick to biodegradable natural options. Like Seventh Generation cleaners. I like their antibacterial kitchen spray and I use that on a daily basis. I tried the vinegar cleaning route but I just don't like my kitchen smelling like a pickle. I also like their shower cleaner, call me crazy but I don't like to be thrown into a coughing fit when I clean the tub!
So...let's get down to business!
My main go to for a fresh smelling home is my oh so beloved oil diffuser! 
Hubby got this for me Christmas before last and I gotta say he did his research! The brand is QUOOZ and the model is Lull. It's an ultrasonic diffuser and there is a difference with ultrasonic and non in the way they diffuse the essential oils. It has a big enough tank it runs 8-10 hrs. I rotate the diffuser around the house to which ever part needs it most. After a few minutes on any sad stale smells are gone with the wind. I usually run the whole tank and that takes care of any stank (rhyme intended!) And not that my house is fitlhy, but we've got two pups and apparently like to rent houses with old stubborn smells. So sometimes I need a little extra help!
My favorite oil blends to diffuse for freshness are :
- Rosemary and Grapefruit (trust me, it's amazing!)
- Peppermint and Grapefruit
- Lemon, Lavender and Peppermint
- Lavender and Lemon
- Lemon, Orange and Grapefruit
Teally I just like to use a citrus and something else, citrus always smells clean. Mints are also great for fresh, hence breath mints ;)
My next little trick is this lovely lamp! It's a Himalayan pink salt lamp. Best lamp ever!
Reasons I love my salt lamp :
1) it's gorgeous! I mean it looks like a freaking basket of embers just chilling there and it puts off the best glow ever!
2) tons of benefits besides eye candy (I'll list a few in a moment)
3) it has a dimmer so you can crank it up full blast or keep it at a soft glow for a kick butt night light.
4) IT LEGIT FRESHENS THE AIR!!
I found a good article on salt lamps here (http://www.naturallivingideas.com/himalayan-pink-salt-lamp-benefits/) I'll sum up what it says but go check it out for yourself and research on other sites as well.
One main benefit is that it cleanses the air and deodorizes it as well. It attracts molecules because salt attracts water. It then "zaps" said molecules bu trapping the dust, allergens, pollen ect to the salt and evaporating the water. Make sense? Again, read up on other articles to get a more rounded idea of how they work.
Now it also helps promote good sleep and recharges negative ions but that's not quite relevant to what this post is about.
So after seeing my mother in law's lamp and hearing how much it helped them sleep I decided to get one myself. I got mine off amazon but some Walmarts now carry them. At least my local one does....maybe cause I live in hippieville though? So I really liked my lamp and I could tell a difference with how well I slept (warmed it up before bedtime) it helped with allergies too. But the big test was when we moved into our new home. The second bathroom smelled like it was the "smoke under the vent" room and I could not get the smell of old cigarettes out. Now it wasn't a strong fresh smoker smell, just a little old and stale. So after a few days of different experiments I finally thought to put my salt lamp in there and guess what?? After just one night of it being left on the smell was almost unnoticeable! After the second day it was gone! Blew my socks off! So I rotated it from room to room for a couple of days and it really freshened up the old stale smell of the house (1980s trailer...so yeah....smelled a little less than new!)
Thirdly my favorite floor cleaning routine!
During my late teen years at home we discovered the steam mop! My childhood home was a fixer upper when we moved in and some smells never went completely away. So like clock work anytime the weather got warm the floors would get this odd smelly smell. And cleaners only seemed to cover it till it came back worse. So we tried just plain old steam and were very impressed! Not only did the floors feel truly clean (I hate the sticky leftovers of cleaners!) the smell was finally held at bay! So when I moved out and got married a steam mop was at the top of my list. Our first house had hardwood floors and tile, the middle houses where carpeted and our current it laminate wood. I am soooo glad to be back with wood! And that joy comes from getting to steam mop!! It's amazing how clean you can get something without cleaner. No residue, no perfumed fakeness and NO CHEMICALS!!! Wooo! It's also eco friendly cause unlike disposable mop cloths these boys are rewashable. With a big dog, little dog and the love to not wear shoes our laminate usually needs to be vacuumed every other day and steamed maybe 2x a week. It's perfect to keep my home fresh and naturally clean.
A little hack of mine for tile (don't use on laminate. Unless you want to. Free country. But it left a few odd streaks and felt a little slick for my liking) is to drop a little EO on the mop head before use. 
Thieves is a wonderful disinfecting essential oil! I'm a tightwad who can't bring myself to spend 30-40 bucks on a bottle of oil (nothing agains the big brand...I just know there are other safe brands out there) So I use my knock off Thieves to put on the mop head before I steam my bathroom. Really about 2 drops will do, then just mop like usual. It cleans well and leave a nice light scent. So really any essential oil or blend would work good. I just like Thieves for cleaning with.
So yeah, my main tips for a fresh, clean and natural home. Who doesn't love the freedom to trot around barefoot and know you're not sticking to the floor? And everyone loves a clean smelling room! And not just a scent masked one at that ;)
Happy Cleaning <3
Katie
