6 things I do as a busy, crunchy-ish mom to keep my house smelling naturally clean

When I ditched artificial fragrance in our home, I had to find new, simple ways to keep my house smelling clean as a busy mom.

Here's 6 things I do regularly to keep our house smelling fresh, even with 3 kids and a dog:

Open windows daily

Research shows that opening windows daily help remove or reduce indoor airborne pollutants. Doing this (especially during the winter!) helps reduce indoor viral load during cold/flu months. Just 5-10 minutes of a cross breeze is enough to clean out the air and leave it feeling less stuffy.

Tip: Open windows in the coolest part of the day (morning usually) during warmer months.

Vacuum daily

I use a HEPA-filtered handheld cordless vacuum 99% of the time, so I can quickly clean up messes, do room tidies, and keep my house crumb and stink-free.

I vacuum the high-traffic areas in our house often, at least several times a week if not daily, to cut down on pet dander, hair, and food mess.

Ditch artificial fragrance

Once I ditched fragrance completely, our home started smelling fresh and clean instead of bogged down by fake smells.

🚫 Air fresheners and fragranced products release VOC’s into the air, contributing to indoor pollution (and health issues).

Empty trash regularly

No one likes to admit it, but this is where a lot of the stink comes from. 😷

✅ Empty the kitchen trash nightly

✅ Keep the diaper pail outside or take out dirty diapers daily

✅ Empty all other trash cans once weekly

Use natural air fresheners

If I do need to freshen up a room (like after a stinky diaper), I grab one of the natural room sprays I have sitting around and spritz it a few times.

These help cover up odors, provide aromatherapy, and freshen without polluting your indoor air.

If you do opt to burn candles, make sure it's a clean ingredient candle with beeswax and/or coconut oil and uses only essential oils. There are several small businesses that make these now!

Clean the kitchen nightly

I used to sometimes leave dirty dishes and food scum in the sink overnight, but then I realized how much it was contributing to the stink of our home.

Now, every night we run the dishwasher and clean out any food or debris in the sink.

Simple, easy habits like these can really change the atmosphere and freshen up your home. 🤍