The scenter of attention
TV’s Queen of Clean Lynsey Crombie tells LISA SALMON some clever ways to keep your home smelling lovely
YOU don’t normally notice the smell of your house when you’re in it, but most of us have come home, after being out, and thought ‘Eeew, what’s that awful smell?’
Unpleasant odours are often connected to pets, cooking, damp or mould, or even simple uncleanliness. But if you smell them, any guests will too.
TV’s Queen of Clean Lynsey Crombie, who has regular slots on ITV’s This Morning and 248,000 followers on Instagram, has plenty of advice on how to get your home smelling nice – but stresses the simple, obvious ones are among the best.
“Windows open is a big one for me,” she says. “Some people just don’t like having their windows open, which is fair enough, but it’s the best thing – and taking the covers off cushions and throws and washing them once or twice a month if you’ve got the time can help keep your home smelling nice.
“But the best thing to do to keep your house smelling fresh is just to keep it clean.” These are Lynsey’s tips for keeping unwanted odours away...
Use vinegar to banish lingering cooking smells
“If you’ve cooked fish or a curry or something like that, and you’re struggling to get those smells out with just fresh air, boil up a small amount of white vinegar on the hob, let that into the air, and it’ll break down any cooking smells,” Lynsey says.
Vigorous vacuuming
Regular vacuuming to get pet hair and bits out of your carpet is really important, stresses Lynsey.
Onions eliminate odours
Cut an onion in half, pop it in the corner of the room and let it soak up the smell, she advises. It doesn’t make the room smell of onion either – it smells for a short period, but that soon disappears.
Bring out the bicarb
“I do a homemade fabric refresher, rather than buying one,” says Lynsey. “It’s just a spray bottle filled nearly to the top with tap water, a spoonful of bicarbonate of soda and 20 drops of your favourite essential oils. Once that’s made up, it will last you three months. Bicarb, and white vinegar, are the best things ever.”
Spray on some vodka
“Spraying your clothes with vodka if they smell is an old trick, but it does work,” she says. “Tips from the olden days are the best ones, and I’d vouch for the vodka one, definitely.”
Dry shampoo for smelly shoes
Says Lynsey: “If you’ve got smelly trainers or shoes, pop a bit of dry hair shampoo in them to freshen them up – that keeps your shoe cupboard smelling nicer too.”
Toilet roll tip
In your bathroom, a few drops of essential oils on the cardboard tube inside your toilet roll will keep your bathroom smelling lovely and fresh.
Simple solutions for smelly dogs
“If you keep a pretty clean ship, you won’t notice a smell, but wash their beds and blankets regularly, and even the toys they play with. I put them in the washing machine, and the plastic ones in the dishwasher.”
Lemon in the bin
“I put them in the bin to keep it smelling fresh – put whatever’s left, even just the skin, in there.”
Coffee or bicarb for the fridge
“You can put coffee grains in the fridge, to help absorb the smells in there, but I put a dish with bicarb in near the back instead,” says Lynsey. “I change that every week on my ‘Fridge Friday’.”