4 Natural Solutions to Deodorize Your Home

Ideally, your house is a welcoming place of comfort where you can relax after a long day. Bad odors can get in the way of that. To rid your home of nasty smells, natural deodorizers are a must.

To clean a house and keep it smelling good, all you need are some simple, household ingredients. Whether you’re getting ready to have guests over or show prospective tenants your rental property, DIY cleaning solutions come in handy. 

To help you deodorize your home, TurboTenant has outlined the following natural cleaning remedies below. 

Natural Room Spray

Our natural room spray makes for a versatile weapon against lingering smells. All you need for this recipe is 3 drops of essential oils, 1 tablespoon of baking soda, and some distilled water.

After you mix everything together, add it to a spray bottle and you’re ready to freshen up your living space. Spritz the solution liberally around the room as much as you feel the need.

Microwave Oven Refresher

Old food is a common source for some of the worst smells. Particularly, when a microwave hasn’t been cleaned for a long time, it can lead to repulsive odors that just won’t go away. To help solve this conundrum, we have a solution. 

To create our microwave oven refresher all you need is 2 tablespoons of baking soda, 1 cup of water, and 1 microwave-safe bowl. Fill the bowl with your baking soda and water and heat it in the microwave for a couple of minutes. The resulting steam will loosen up any filth stuck to the microwave’s walls. Remove the bowl and clean the walls with paper towels. This should leave your microwave smelling better and looking cleaner.

DIY Carpet Deodorizer 

It’s all too common that people spill food or drinks on their carpet. When this happens, it can be frustrating trying to clean your home and expel those repulsive odors.

To create an easy carpet deodorizer, you only need 1 cup of baking soda, 1 tablespoon of ground cinnamon, and an empty container. Take your container – cleaned parmesan cheese containers work best – and shake your ingredients together well. 

Once you feel like your mix is properly blended, sprinkle it onto any bad-smelling carpet surfaces. Once you’ve let the mixture sit for an hour, vacuum it up and your carpet should be smelling fresh.

Garbage Disposal Cleaner

If your sink is a source of nasty smells, there’s a good chance there are bits of old food trapped in your garbage disposal. Luckily, there’s an easy fix.

Pour a cup of ice cubes down your disposal and turn it on. Wash the ice down with about a half cup of salt, and the salt and ice will mix to create an effective scrubbing solution. After a short amount of time, turn off the disposal and the blades should be free from built-up grime. 

To freshen up your kitchen afterward, toss some citrus peels down the drain, followed by cold water from the sink, and turn your disposal on once again. Soon enough, the peels will yield a refreshing smell that will replace any old odors. 

Conclusion

To rid your house of lingering smells, there are plenty of natural, DIY solutions. With our above recipes and a couple of simple, household ingredients, you’re ready to deodorize any room. So long as you’re proactive about keeping your home tidy and clean, your space will continue to smell great. For more natural deodorizing remedies, check out this infographic below!

How to Modernize Your Home's Appearance

As modern homes become more popular, many homeowners are looking for ways to update their home's appearance. Whether you're just starting to look into the idea of updating your home or have already begun renovations, this article will give you 5 tips that can help you make your house feel like a contemporary living space.

Exterior Paint

Painting the outside of your house is one of the most popular ways to give your house a contemporary look. If you're looking for an affordable way to update your home's looks, painting is definitely worth considering! When choosing what color you want it painted, make sure you pick colors that are trendy and match with current styles.

New Roofing

Another way to modernize your home's appearance is by installing a new roof. If your home's current roof is old, patchy, or just not up to contemporary standards anymore, it will definitely look better with a more modern one. Modern roofs come in a lot of different styles and materials, so you have plenty to choose from. Contacting a roofer to get some estimates is a great place to start.

Lighting

Lighting can have a huge impact on the look and feel of your home. If you're looking for an affordable way to update your whole house's appearance, consider updating or adding lighting fixtures throughout. This could be as simple as adding a new lamp or two or replacing your old bulbs with modern and trendy ones.

New Windows

Windows aren't just for letting light in; they can also help you update the appearance of any room by letting more natural light into it. If you're looking to make your house look more contemporary, consider replacing aging or dated windows. This is a good choice for those who are looking to modernize the look of their home without spending much money on renovations and repairs.

Kitchen Updates

Lastly, consider updating your kitchen. If you're looking to make a big impact on the way your home looks, this is definitely one of the best ways to do it. A kitchen can be updated by replacing old appliances, such as the stove and fridge, or by changing out counters and cabinets.

Conclusion

When it comes to the look of your house, there are plenty of ways you can update its appearance without having to do extensive renovations. The 5 tips we've covered in this article should be able to give you some ideas for how you might want to start updating your home's exterior and interior.

How to Decorate a Bedroom in Vintage Style

Vintage is always in, so when you decide to decorate your bedroom in vintage style, you won't have too much trouble achieving your dream décor. However, with vintage, you can easily stray away and turn your interior into a true mess of a variety of furniture pieces and accessories thrown in together. Therefore, stick to this comprehensive guide and check out how you can easily decorate your bedroom in vintage style without going overboard.

Colors to determine the ambiance

Brown hues mixed with eggshell, white and dusky pink will make your bedroom look and feel like your grandma’s old home. Dark finishes and deep-wood tones will bring in the vintage vibe instantly. Consider jewel-toned paint or dark and dramatic wallpaper. They will help you set off antique beds, dressers, and armoires.

Wallpapers with vintage vibes

Speaking of wallpaper, you cannot imagine a vintage-style room without trademark walls covering with flowers and other whimsical patterns. Floral wallpaper in delicate pink, blue, or cream hues will be exactly what you need to make the room look like back in the 50s and 60s. A beige wallpaper with hints of olive green and jewel tones will be a good choice. Go for soft, delicate tones if you'd like to bring in a sense of serenity into the bedroom.

Look for vintage pattern bedding

Bedding is the next item on the list to consider. Aside from the walls, bedding will be the next most prominent feature in your bedroom design. So, look into some of the most authentic patterns at Wake In Cloud and make your bedroom look beautiful in vintage vibes. More florals on the pillows and covers alongside a throw blanket that will make the entire setting connected is all you need to create a vintage ambiance in the bedroom. You can never go wrong with bed linen in soft pastels and vintage-inspired prints. To make the most of your antique-looking bedroom, add a quilt that you made out of old sheets and clothes.

Browse flea markets and antique shops for unique items

An upholstered headboard, chaise lounge, antique French dressing table and an opulent chandelier alongside swag pelmet curtains are just some of the items you need to breathe vintage vibes into your bedroom. An iron bed frame is an ideal alternative for an upholstered headboard. Stop by the flea market or go to the local thrift shop and antique store to look for unique antiques that will look perfect as a part of your bedroom décor. A dingy old nightstand can be refurbished and still look old enough to look like it belongs in your vintage style room.

Invest in an array of accessories

An old bookcase with your dated hardcover books, a lamp that you inherited from your grandma and a few throw pillows on the bed are just some of the possible accessory options that will fit seamlessly into your vintage bedroom décor. If you bring your antique teapot and place it on a bottom shelf of a nightstand and add a dated oval-shaped picture frame on top of it, you’ll build a fabulous vintage style bedroom. Folky artworks, patchwork textiles and classic checked quilts are welcome as well.

If you’re trying to decorate your bedroom in vintage style, but you're not doing a very good job, stop and think how your grandma's room used to look. Throw in several items that you've gotten or inherited from the grandparents, add floral wallpapers and make sure there are dark wood tones across the room. With antique furniture and old-fashioned accessories such as lamps, picture frames and tea sets, your bedroom will look perfect and radiate vintage vibes all over.

How to Value Your Home Prior to Contacting an Agent

If you are planning to sell your home, you may want to ask an agent how much it will sell for. Before you do, there are a few things you can try to estimate the value of your home on your own. This way, you'll have a good idea of what the market will offer your home before hiring an agent to help with negotiations. Here are four steps to estimating the value of your home:

Perform Local Comparisons

Even if you live in a small community, there are likely dozens of homes just like yours. Look at what similar homes have sold for and listed over the past few months. This should give you an idea of what your home is worth in today’s market.

Compare Your Home Improvements

Knowing how much your home is worth is key to getting a fair price when you decide to sell. Before you put your house on the market, it’s a good idea to make a list of any renovations or improvements you've made, regardless of whether they were expensive or not. If buyers are looking at similar houses in your area that have been renovated, those improvements can increase your home's value. Additionally, keep records for things like appliances and floors. These upgrades aren't as visible as rooms remodeled from top to bottom but can still be part of what sets one house apart from another.

Look at Recent Sales History

The sales history of your home is an important metric, especially if you plan to sell your home as-is. Most real estate agents would advise you to choose a price range that allows for 7-15% annual appreciation, since most neighborhoods trend in that direction over time. To figure out what is possible, start by looking at the sales history of homes that are comparable to yours. You can search online with sites like Redfin or Trulia and find that data.

Perform a DIY Appraisal

The DIY route is a good way to appraise your home before an agent comes to do it. If you’re going with this approach, understand that the number won’t always be accurate but you’ll be able to get a better idea of how an agent will price your home. Go through your home and take note of the condition, amenities, number of rooms, and bathrooms, as well as any problems. Input this information on instant home valuation sites to get a general idea of how much your home is worth.

Selling your home can be stressful, but it’s important to understand the process so you know what to expect and when. These five methods will help you estimate your home’s value and determine the best strategy for selling it quickly and for maximum profit.