If your home is smelling slightly too much like people live in it, but does not actually need a full clean, our Natural Multi Purpose Deodoriser is one of the easiest ways I know to make it smell fresh again naturally. A quick sprinkle on suitable surfaces, followed by a vacuum, and suddenly the whole house feels fresher, calmer and as though you’ve achieved far more than you actually have.
This is useful because there is quite a large difference between “the house could do with freshening up” and “I am prepared to clean the entire thing”.
I am almost never prepared to clean the entire thing.
I’ve always thought there is something instantly calming about a house that smells lovely. There is some rather fascinating science behind it too. Our sense of smell is closely connected to parts of the brain involved in memory and emotion, which helps explain why a familiar scent can suddenly transport you back to a particular person, place or moment.
One minute you are standing in the kitchen. The next you are eight years old in your grandmother’s house because somebody has opened a bar of soap.
Very efficient.
For me, one of those instantly comforting smells is butternut squash and apple soup bubbling away on the stove. It fills the kitchen with the most glorious cosy smell and gives the impression that somebody competent is in charge.
This is not necessarily the case.
There may still be a mountain of washing upstairs and nobody may have any idea where the dog lead has gone. But the house smells of soup, so frankly, things could be worse.
Obviously, one cannot keep a pan of soup simmering indefinitely simply because the house smells nice. This would be impractical. And eventually, quite alarming.
So, I have a great fondness for products that make the house feel fresher without requiring me to put on rubber gloves and lose half a day. I particularly like things that quietly earn their keep. You buy them for one job. Then they start appearing in other rooms because you discover they are useful for something else. Before long, they have achieved the household equivalent of tenure.
Our Natural Multi Purpose Deodoriser is one of those.
It’s made here in Norfolk using naturally deodorising ingredients, including bicarbonate of soda, which help neutralise unwanted smells rather than simply covering them with something aggressively labelled Fresh Meadow.
We all know Fresh Meadow. It smells nothing like a meadow. Nor does Ocean Breeze bear much resemblance to standing beside an ocean. The naming department has been optimistic.
Ours smells of Sicilian lemon, orange blossom, frankincense, petitgrain and neroli, so what you get is something clean and fresh rather than a fragrance shouting “LOOK HOW CLEAN THIS ROOM IS” from the doorway.
I originally used it mainly on carpets. This lasted approximately five minutes. It now gets carried around the house whenever something smells slightly too... lived in.
Here are seven ways I use mine.
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How I freshen carpets naturally
This is still probably my favourite use because the effort involved is almost insulting.
I sprinkle a little Natural Multi Purpose Deodoriser over the carpet, then vacuum it up according to the product directions. Finished.
The carpet smells fresher. The room smells fresher. I feel as though I have done something meaningful with my morning.
I have not. But I am prepared to enjoy the feeling.
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Freshening trainers and shoes
Particularly my children’s. There are elegant shoes that smell faintly of leather and shoe polish. Then there are trainers. Children’s trainers, in particular, seem capable of generating their own atmosphere. A little sprinkle inside suitable shoes works wonders on trainers, walking boots and the assorted footwear gathering by the back door in various states of collapse. There are few things more humbling than being defeated by a size five trainer.
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Freshening the dogs’ favourite spots
Mr Hobbes and Tatty (our dogs) have several preferred areas of the house. They have selected these with enormous confidence, despite neither of them having ever contributed towards the mortgage. There is one particular bit of sofa that apparently belongs to them now. Their beds also become distinctly doggy at speed. I use a little Natural Multi Purpose Deodoriser on suitable areas when they need freshening, then give Mr Hobbes and Tatty a spritz of The Dog Cologne. They smell lovely afterwards. This is useful because neither animal understands the concept of personal boundaries.
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Keeping the kitchen bin smelling fresher
Nobody has ever clicked on a lifestyle article hoping for a section about the bin. And yet, here we are. When mine needs a proper clean, I use our Scented Vinegar to clean it out, then add a little Natural Multi Purpose Deodoriser to the bottom before putting in a fresh bag. It helps with that peculiar phenomenon where the rubbish has gone, yet its spirit remains.
You have removed the bag. You have cleaned the bin. You have done everything society could reasonably ask of you.
And still, there is a faint suggestion of Wednesday’s fish...This helps.
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Freshening rugs and doormats
The rugs and doormats by our front and back doors collect an almost archaeological record of family life. Mud. Shoes. Paws. Leaves. Tiny stones. Things that have definitely come in from outside, but whose precise origins nobody wishes to discuss. A little deodoriser before vacuuming is an easy way to freshen suitable rugs and doormats without accidentally turning the whole thing into a floor cleaning project. I strongly favour household tasks with a clear exit strategy.
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Freshening wardrobes, drawers and cupboards
The seasonal wardrobe change is always revealing. I discover clothes I had entirely forgotten buying. I discover clothes I apparently believed would transform my life. I discover an improbable quantity of knitwear. And I discover that anything left shut in a cupboard for six months acquires a smell best described as “cupboard”.
So, while wardrobes, drawers and cupboards are empty, I sprinkle a little Natural Multi Purpose Deodoriser onto suitable surfaces, leave it to work according to the product directions, then vacuum it away before everything goes back in.
The linen cupboard gets the same treatment too. There is something absurdly satisfying about opening a cupboard full of clean sheets and towels and finding that it smells lovely.
This is where adulthood leads us. We become excited by linen cupboards.
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Anywhere that just smells a bit... lived in
This is really when I use the Natural Multi Purpose Deodoriser most.
Nothing is dirty. Nothing has gone catastrophically wrong. The house just smells a little too much like its occupants. A quick sprinkle on suitable areas, followed by a vacuum and ten minutes with the windows open, if the weather allows, usually makes everything feel fresher. Then I’ll wander from room to room with our Spring 91 Room Spray and give everything a light spritz. The house smells lovely. I look productive. Everybody wins.
This is especially useful when I suddenly remember people are coming over in eight minutes. There is no time to clean properly. There is barely time to hide things. One has to prioritise.
Can you use a natural deodoriser on carpets?
A natural home deodoriser helps tackle unwanted household smells rather than simply covering them with a stronger fragrance. Our Natural Multi Purpose Deodoriser contains naturally deodorising ingredients, including bicarbonate of soda, and leaves behind a fresh scent of Sicilian lemon, orange blossom, frankincense, petitgrain and neroli.
What does a natural home deodoriser do?
Our Natural Multi Purpose Deodoriser can be used to freshen suitable carpets and rugs. Always follow the product directions and check the care instructions for the particular surface before use.
Where else can you use a home deodoriser?
I use mine for suitable carpets, rugs, doormats, shoes, wardrobes, cupboards and other approved areas around the house. It is especially useful for those moments when the house does not need cleaning exactly, but does need rescuing from itself.
A category of domestic crisis I know extremely well.
