I Want My House to Smell Nice -- The I Adopted a Dog Version

[FaithHopeLove]

So we adopted a border collie/golden retriever mix and she's smelly. :hunh (But we LOOOOOVE her and she's fabulous.) We've had her just over a month and she's been bathed twice and is regularly brushed. She was fed low quality food for her first two years, but is on the good stuff now. She gets fish oil, and a raw egg every week too.

But she's still smelly. :doh

It's not her breath or anything like that, it's just doggy smell and I am very sensitive to smells and embarrassed for my house to stink.

I moved into an older house with hardwood floors late last summer and it has some smell issues on its own, doggie not considered.

I don't like to use things such as Febreze, or Scentsy. Nothing synthetic or too strong, but I do like for my house to smell nice.

Any tips on how to keep the house smelling good even with our new, sweet doggy?

And bonus question -- anyone know of some nice coat conditioning/deodorizing sprays for grooming pup with? I'd love an essential oils based one, or better yet, a recipe for making one of my own! :help

[rjy9343]

Salt lamps are the best. I use them in the summer since I don't have a/c and my neighbors smoke. I cannot smell the even the cigars. They get rid of the smell of paint and dog smells at my mother's house.

[Ajani]

Subbing because I'd like to find something that actually works. I've tried the open jars of baking soda with and without essential oils. Didn't do anything at all. I've tried rice in a sock, sprinkled with essential oil, but it only works in front of a moving air source. So if the furnace or AC isn't running, the scent stays in the sock. I even tried making my own scented reed air freshener, but it didn't work either.

[FaithHopeLove]

Salt lamps are the best. I use them in the summer since I don't have a/c and my neighbors smoke. I cannot smell the even the cigars. They get rid of the smell of paint and dog smells at my mother's house.

Wow! We've got one of those. It's about six inches tall and sits on dc's desk in the livingroom. I haven't noticed much air quality help from it, but I haven't been turning it on much since we got the dog. Does mine sound like the same thing you have?

I have Mosu bags (bamboo charcoal) in the house and that has helped with the stinky closets. I think I'd need a lot more of them though to impact the doggie smell. I also have a lot of dried lavender sachets around.

We wash her bedding regularly, sweep and mop the floors. She's not allowed on the furniture, but has a doggie bed in the livingroom and dc's bedroom.

So far, the only thing that really helps is keeping the doors and windows open, but I can't do that all of the time.

[rjy9343]

I have tea lights, but my mother has the electric ones. So I would think it would work. You may need to order more, but I am thinking that they are fairly inexpensive on ebay. I ordered several from Groupon goods Thanksgiving for something like $25.00

[2TMama]

My hairstylist cuts hair right from her home (1 room coverted to a "salon"). When I first started going to her, she had two big retrievers & a few cats. She uses a plug in with these ?felt or cardboard "pads" which she puts drops of cinnamon oil on. It smells fantastic. I will see if I can find a link to the plug in I am referring to :)

[lucie]

Subbing... There must have been a dog in this apartment before us.


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[2TMama]

http://www.abundanthealth4u.com/ScentBall_Plug_in_Diffuser_p/9395.htm

Here's the one I was talking about!

[gentlemommy]

http://www.abundanthealth4u.com/ScentBall_Plug_in_Diffuser_p/9395.htm

Here's the one I was talking about!

Thank you for this! This is exactly what I've been looking for! :tu :heart

[FaithHopeLove]

http://www.abundanthealth4u.com/ScentBall_Plug_in_Diffuser_p/9395.htm

Here's the one I was talking about!

I have this one: http://www.vitaminshoppe.com/store/en/browse/sku_detail.jsp?id=IF-7989&sourceType=sc&source=FG&adGroup=40-60&keyword=IF-7989&cm_mmc=Google+Shopping-_-Product+Listing+Ads-_-40-60-_-IF-7989&gclid=CIbO6YLVurcCFQSCQgodbBoAWA , but it's not powerful enough to deal with the doggie smell. And it "whirs". Whirrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr . . . :giggle Maybe I could just point it between me and her, LOL.

Did the one above you posted actually de-odorize the house? Or do you think it covered over the doggie smells?

I love the idea of using essential oils from my home collection. :rockon Thanks so much!

---------- Post added at 11:21 PM ---------- Previous post was at 11:19 PM ----------

Oooh, your site has one for the car too! I so want that!

---------- Post added at 11:26 PM ---------- Previous post was at 11:21 PM ----------

I have tea lights, but my mother has the electric ones. So I would think it would work. You may need to order more, but I am thinking that they are fairly inexpensive on ebay. I ordered several from Groupon goods Thanksgiving for something like $25.00

Rita, like these? http://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_sb_noss_2?url=search-alias%3Daps&field-keywords=himalayan+salt+tea+lights How many do you use to deodorize a room? TIA!

[Quiteria]

They make odor-sealing primer (for previous owner smells) and odor-absorbing wall paint (for neutralizing ongoing smells).

If your hardwood smells, I'd think it needs resealing, like a layer of polyurethane.

:bag bigger projects than buying a lamp...I'm just brainstorming. :bag

[FaithHopeLove]

I'm a renter though. My LL lets me paint, but the floors are in bad shape and other than cleaning and polishing, I can't do anything else. :-/

I'm in the process now of painting the closets. Many coats of primer, many coats of paint. Hoping it seals the wood well enough. I can't handle non-water based primer. Paint store recommended oil based for dealing with odors.

A friend told me to put something in my paint to make the house smell good, I think she said vanilla extract? But that sounded risky to me (AFA the paint composition) so I skipped it.

Have you ever tried the odor primers/paints you mentioned? How did they work?

And brainstorming is GOOD! Love it! :kiss

[rjy9343]

Not necessarily. The finish has worn off my mother's floors and she has dogs without the smell.

[2TMama]

I am guessing it just "masked" the smell....but it did a great job of it, we couldn't smell the dogs/cats at all!

[Quiteria]

I've used oil-based primer with great success, though it was a hassle and a half as far as clean up and airing out.

I haven't used the odor-absorbing paint since we don't have any pets, but I'll bet it would work. It's latex and zero voc, so probably a lot easier than the oil-based primer.

I know the floor odor faded in an apartment we rented like that...I think I just mostly mopped with vinegar water. I'm not sure how long it took, though. :hug2

eta: The odor absorbing seems to be two brands: Dutch Boy's Refresh paint, and Krylon's Atrium paint. Don't know if anyone else has copied.