Fresh as a Daisy

When you're living with two tweeners, a husband who drags his grease-covered work clothes home, and a chocolate lab who appears to be perpetual shedding, something eventually happens.

It starts to stink.

Of course, who am I to talk. I have some clothes in the closet that gets repeatedly hung back on the rack after each use and shoes that ought to be aired out. And that's just in the bedroom. Cooking odors never seem to go away no matter how many times I clean the house. Those invisible grease particles have taken up permanent residence on walls, cabinets, and every other surface they can latch on to–giving new meaning to "you are what you eat" and we apparently eat a lot of delectably artery-clogging stuff.

Hey, admit it. I bet you never came home to a salad dinner and told the cook it smelled heavenly.

But the combination of sweat, food, dog and my son's 14 year-old aroma gets to me after a while. It isn't that the house really smells like the local transfer station though it sure feels like it's coming in a close second. Maybe that was what caused my anxiety level to spike up this morning.

I love the smell of a new car and I am convinced there are special cleaners that give even used cars in the lot that new car smell. Walking into an empty new house is an olifactory delight with only the distinctly separate odors of freshly painted walls, stained wood and unspoiled carpet to invade my nose.


Of course, that's my OCD talking so I had to forcibly set that impulse aside and find a more constructive solution to my dilemma. I wanted to throw open all the doors and windows in the house and purge that well-used, lived-in smell. Unfortunately, it was damn windy outside and I really didn't feel like having to add dusting to my cleaning chores.

Forget Febreze. At about five bucks a bottle, I wanted a more economical way with ingredients I already had in the house. Google saved me. (for that matter, it always saves me). I found a recipe online and decided to create a homemade brew to deodorize the house. Once mixed, I sprayed what I considered the big offender of the moment.

No, it wasn't my son. He just needs to actually use the deodorant we bought him and, as we point out. it has to make contact with his skin to work.

I went to my bedroom. I sprayed the closet, the bedding, the rug, I stepped out and stepped back in a few minutes later. I sprayed again. I left. I came back. In the closet, I wasn't assaulted with the smell of sneakers and leather. That was promising. I lay on the bed and waited. I detected a faint smell of fabric softener and I my anxiety lessened.  The solution seemed to be working.

Aaahh, that blessed clean smell and my world was alright again.

And at just a modest cost, this ought to get the Good Housekeeping Seal stamp of approval.

2T Snuggle • 2T Baking Soda • Water • 24oz spray bottle