This TikTok Trick to Make Your House Smell Good Actually Works
I’m always trying to find new ways to make my house (and everything else) smell good, with varying degrees of success. TikTok and other platforms are full of hacks that are supposed to make scents last, but they usually don’t work for me. However, here is one that works.
Use a household cleaner to increase the odor in your home
I came across this TikTok of a woman simply filling her sink with hot water and adding a cup of household cleaner, insisting that it makes everything smell great.
I’ve been burned by scent hacks associated with household cleaning products before, but this one didn’t have any red flags. It seemed too simple. I decided to try it. I grabbed my trusty Fabuloso and ran to the sinkâonly to remember that I’d lost the stopper after switching to a pink garbage disposal that matches my decor and prevents crumbs from getting into my plumbing, but is completely ineffective at completely blocking the drain. I decided to fill a large bowl with hot water and half a cup of Fabuloso to really test the hack. Can a smaller vessel produce a strong odor?
The answer was yes. It was like a moment of yes. Having filled the bowl, I left the kitchen. I returned five minutes later and noticed that the whole area smelled great. I returned to my living room and within 10 minutes the smell hit there too. Her tip is to let the hot water and cleanser sit for an hour and then pour it out so the scent lasts all day. It works. It really works. I can’t wait to try it with other scents and cleansers.
The smell is much stronger than when I just mop with the Fabuloso, and I think it’s because it’s more concentrated, plus the very hot water lifts it into the air.
Lifehacks for scents that don’t work
There are other tricks that suggest boiling old air freshener wicks or household cleaners to get this result, but you shouldn’t do it because it can be dangerous . What I like about this method using just hot water is that it doesn’t require boiling at all, so you don’t risk accidentally heating anything to a dangerous point or putting anything potentially poisonous in the tools you’re using to cook food.
However, I have never been able to use more natural methods. Another popular tip on social media is to boil lemons to make your home smell like citrus. I tried it and it just doesn’t work . It’s just a waste of your lemons. Best avoided.
Old time-tested
While my house still smells like Fabuloso, and I’m sure it will for a very long time, I should add that I recently admitted that the best house scent trick is probably the most boring. I’ve tried all kinds of air fresheners in my time, and they all mostly worked, although the smells faded 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 Wallflower , and I was so impressed that I bought one for my mom and boyfriend, and they both reported the same thing: the scent lasts long after it’s been unplugged. This is great for me, but if it’s too much for you, I understand. Stick to the hack described above. Here’s a freshener I’ll never go without again: