How to have a nice smelling house?????

[chakes]

Hi All

A quick question:

I have dogs & cats in my house and during this weather the smell can get quite doggy - anyone who has wet dogs in the house will know .

Does anyone know of a nice houseplant or chemical free way to have a nice smell in the house?

I am not fond of those smelly oils - they never work!!!

Thanks

[Tabitharose]

living with 2 dogs & 4 cats (and that's only when there aren't additional foster animals here) I know exactly what you mean.... I always use Yankee Candles either the candles or the wax tarts & wouldn't be without them :)

[amethyst]

Hi Chakes,
Use the real essential oils, not those cheap fragrance ones.
I have great success with Tea Tree , a powerful antiseptic and also Rosemary.
Bergamot or Lemon really freshens the room.
Give them a try.
Regards,
Amethyst.

[Fizzywitch]

I have 1 dog and 5 cats so I too know about trying to get rid of smells in the house.
I use a small tub of bicarbonate of soda (or bread soda) and about 20 drops of pure essential oils mix up and sprinkle on carpets and leave for 30 minutes then vacuum off.
The bread soda takes out the smell and the oil adds a nice fragrance.

Also I make up a spray bottle with clothes conditioner (I use ecover as it is environmentally friendly) just add about an egg cup full and then top up with water. Shake before each use and this can be used to spray on curtains, rugs, fabric settees etc.
Also it refreshes bedding with a quick spray!

Hope this is of some help

[Jayjay]

No pet smells here - I feed organic home cooked food, no grains or cheap petfood. For treats and as training aids I feed Orijen as I have got too lazy too bake pet biscuits.

My pets don't like fragrance oils etc..

[chakes]

Thanks so much for all your ideas.

Jayjay - how does the wet weather not make your dogs smell? Mine don't smell as a result of the food I feed them. Its just their natural dog smell which is really emphasised when their coat is wet.

My kittens litter tray is also in the house and although its changed frequently it still smells.

Whats difference between cheap oils and the pure oils? What do I do with the oils that will make their smell last longer?

Thanks

[Jayjay]

Hey Chakes,

I have a very hairy dog, he never has that particular dog smell. Occasionally after Dublin bay beach he smells and needs to be rinsed off. Other than that I rub him dry-ish with a towel.
I am convinced the smell, also mouth odour often found in dogs, is from foods.

Thank goodness the cat-loo does not smell. I buy cheap litter from Lidl and sometimes wash the whole thing out.

[Tabitharose]

I feed my pets a natural holistic pet food - but when labs have been swimming or have gotten wet in the rain they smell of wet dog....

I use bread soda when hoovering too - never thought of adding essential oils to it - must give it a go!!!

[amethyst]

Hi Chakes,
Real essential oils are extracted from their natural source.
For example, Tea Tree comes from the actual tree.
No bulking agents, chemicals, or artificial fragrance.
Use oil in an oil burner, about 10 drops depending on how strong a fragrance you want.
Regards,
Amethyst.

[chakes]

Thanks so much for all the helpful advise.

[citygirl]

Try using the "Crystals" cat litter. It looks like white crystals with blue bits through it. It turns yellow as the cat uses it. It absorbs the smell and does not clump, there is no smell at all from it. It is not easy to get but Petmania have it. There are a few different brands.
I also don't have any carpets or rugs and have throws on the furniture which I wash regularly.

[bings]

Hi my house smells of wet dog and I have used just about everything to get rid of the smell from fabric sprays, air freshners, candels, oils and notheing really works. I am now using avon air freshner spray. that seems to work.

[jumblecatlady]

An onion cut in 2 and left in a room absorbs smells well too. You need to change it every few days, but it is cheap and effective.

I have heard that frankensince (sp???) essential oil is great for animal smells but have yet to try it myself!

I also mop my floors with a vinegar solution regularly - its a great natural disinfectant, harmless to animals if they walk on it, and clears away any lingering smells really well.

Best of luck with it!

[bings]

I forgot to say that not only does my house smell of wet dog. But my dog at the moment has a problem with farting it is going on for days. I just had him with the vet and the receptionist was trying to not laugh when I was explaining the problem. But the smile was on the other side of her face and we nearly emptied the reception when he let rip. I am laughing but it is not really funny. The vet said that it will sort itself out. We have changed nothing in his diet. We are now waiting for test results.

[kezzad]

i have 3 rescue dogs and the latest edition is a total farter too!!!!! my god it is rancid, he would make a brilliant bouncer at the local at kicking out time!!!! i have after many months of trying found a food that has thankfully cut the farting down, and i find that if he only gets his set diet everyday with no tip bits or left overs it is quite minimal, this can be hard as my dogs live like part ofthe family and i feel guilty not sharing. but to save my nostrils and every1 around me thats the way it is and it works..... give it a go!!!! good luck :-)

[zuess]

I found this spray in Aldi and have found it quite good,they only get it in every once in a while though, so watch online, i throughly spray my dogs bed and hang on the line for a while, Oh and my dog never stops farting hes rancid we've never changed his food and if he gets left overs he dumps the veg onto the floor for me to pick up so its not the sprouts!
i think he just enjoys it lol

[TheAngler]

If you put a vanilla pod in your oven or roast some coffee beans, you'll get a nice chemical free, nice smelling room, they use this trick when selling houses to give a more welcoming scent, after all who can resist the smell of fresh roasted coffee or vanilla ?

[RockyD]

If you are going with essential oils you must buy the good ones. Forget about the €1 or €2 bottles. Go to a health shop and get the good ones put some water in a burner ie the thing you put a candle in the end, water in the top and add a few drops of oil it will heat water and oil will evaporate and leave a lovely fresh smell. A bottle of essential oil will last for ages. It must be in a brown glass bottle to keep it ok. If it is in a clear bottle it is cheap and no good.

You will pay anything from €6 - €10 for a bottle it will last for months.

[HappyHunter]

I have three dogs and two cats. The cats are trained to go out through a window when they need to go to the loo, so no smells from litter trays.

The dogs love cow-dung-a-la-perfume, especially the two long haired collie girls. When we bring them for walks they always find cow dung heaps and all you can see are 8 legs up in the air. On those days they have a shed to go to and once they have done their cleaning they are allowed indoors.

Letting off wind is not a major problem with any of the dogs as we feed them gluten free food.

Be careful with essential oils around cats because their livers are very sensitive and some oils can be toxic to them in high doses even though you are not applying it to the animal and it's been diffused into the atmosphere.

The cheap potpourri oils are synthetics and toxic even to humans.

The essential oils can be used on a damp cloth left hanging on a radiator, on an essential oil burner with a candle or what I have is an electric oil burner that can be plugged in and left plugged in, you then just have to put a few drops of whatever oil you are using onto it and the aroma is diffused through the room.

[mar754]

Hi All, have to agree about [bread soda} is great on rugs and is so cheap also use a lot of vinegar very effective,enjoying the thread is a great addition to jumbletown.

[Stuarty]

I wouldnt worry at all about him feeling left out, he probably just thinks he is bottom of the pack...to humans this sounds a dreadful fate but for dogs it is bliss, they dont have any worries about catching food, seeking shelter or protecting the pack. They think that the other pack members do all the important jobs and they just relax and make sure they are well liked...

[Clondorney]

If it is carpeting you have just fill a spray bottle with soda water and spray all carpet. Then place newspaper on top and stand on it so that the soda water is absorbed. It can then be vacuumed (carpet) and smell free.
Good Luck

[jao]

Just cut up some lemon. put it in an old lunchbox with some holes in the top and heave it on or beside a radiator. if you do it while you're out or in bed and leave the heating on for a bit, once a week and the smell will be gone.

[kilk]

my neighbour has a dog, half collie half hound, it can be regularly seen eating the tops off the cow pats in his field and also the onion tops (scallions) in his veg plot. it is very friendly and can't wait to jump up on a visitor to lick their face, phew! it's breath alone would turn a funeral down a side street!!
i wonder why it likes this unusual food?

[Fizzywitch]

my neighbour has a dog, half collie half hound, it can be regularly seen eating the tops off the cow pats in his field and also the onion tops (scallions) in his veg plot. it is very friendly and can't wait to jump up on a visitor to lick their face, phew! i wonder why it likes this unusual food?

Dogs, don't ya love 'em?! We have a German shepherd who goes out into the garden munching up the goat poo!!! and she adores carrots too!
So yep I think all dogs can be rather odd!! :-)
Needless to say I avoid being licked by her!

[bings]

Hi I have now put my mutt on a special diet from the vet at a cost of 21 euro small bag and we can now breath in the house. He was rancid would defnitely have cleared the local pub at closing time.

[Tootsie]

We don't have dogs, it's the husband with the farting problem!

What's the most powerful smelling essential oil?

[kilk]

petrol is powerful smelling, essential and oil!! anyone got a match??

[Tootsie]

That's a bit drastic!....