While this may sound weird, keep in mind a smelly home can either make or break a sale. Even a Realtor will tell you to bake a fresh batch of homemade cookies before hosting an open house to air the home out and make it smell more inviting.

In addition to baking cookies, before you let prospective buyers enter your humble abode, be sure it is free and clear of odd smells including dirty laundry, stale smelling kids’ rooms, and leftover dinner aromas and/or foods left in the fridge gone bad.

Here are 15 ideas to help:

  1. Keep it Real. Keep distasteful smells away from the house or at least away from the high traffic areas e., Great Room, bathrooms and of course, the kitchen.
  2. Shoes Outside. Make sure the kids and other family members leave stinky shoes and sporting equipment in the garage.
  3. No Smokers. Don’t let smokers smoke in the house, if they must, send them outside far enough away.
  4. Beautiful Bathrooms. Keep the bathroom doors shut and be sure that no unnecessary trash builds up under kitchen sinks.
  5. Use Delightful Smelling Cleaners. One of the easiest ways to keep ugly odors at bay is to use cleaning products that smell nice. For example, trying sprinkling a scented powder on the carpet before vacuuming.
  6. Essential Oils. Put a drop of your favorite essential oil in buckets of water used to clean the floor. Any citrus oil (i.e. orange flower) is perfect for giving your home a fresh scent.
  7. Light Candles. Burn fresh smelling candles or add an incense burner in a room or two and light frequently.
  8. Clean Kitchen Floors. In a bucket mix 1/2 cup white vinegar with 1 gallon of hot water. This is safe for hardwood, linoleum, tile, and any washable surface.
  9. Use Oven Cleaner. Get rid of oven odors by mixing 1 tablespoon of baking soda, 1 tablespoon salt, and add 1/2 cup hot water. Make a gritty paste, apply to the oven, heat slightly, cool and then wipe away with a damp rag.
  10. Check Refrigerator Bins. Toss out leftovers that are beyond left over. Refrigerators should be wiped free of debris with a rag dabbed in white vinegar.
  11. Freshen Disposals. Grind a fresh lemon in your kitchen disposal for an instantly fresh scent.
  12. Add live plants to rooms since some varieties offer pleasant fragrances like Arabian Jasmine, eucalyptus, gardenias, and orchids.
  13. Fresh Flowers. Put out fresh flowers in vases. Fill vases with fresh roses, gardenias, sunflowers, or whatever your favorite flower may be.
  14. Clip a car deodorizer (like one from Febreze or Glade) to a vent’s metal slats. As the air blows through, the scent will waft throughout the room.
  15. Dryer Sheets Outside the Laundry Room. Place a few sheets in your family’s closets and dressers, and other discreet areas. Clothes and those rooms will smell fresh all day long.

These are only some of the ways you can keep your home smelling great for buyers as well as yourself. Remember a fresh home is a happy home!