It’s that time of year when we start to retreat indoors. More visitors, more nights in - and we love it. It does mean we want our home to smell fresh all the time, but it’s cold outside so leaving a window open all day is less of an option. So here are our tips to keep your home smelling lovely without the use of horrible air fresheners!

Activated Charcoal

There are a few problem areas that cause a house to get a bit whiffy. The bin, the fridge and by the door where everyone’s shoes are stuffed into a drawer.

For such situations, activated charcoal is your friend. It’s super porous and soaks up everything, including nasty smells. It’s best to use activated charcoal as it’s been treated with oxygen making it even more absorbent.

All you have to do is leave it near the nasty smells – in the shoe drawer, attached to the bin lid and on a shelf at the back of the fridge. You’ll be pleasantly surprised how quickly it works.

Essential oils

Most nasty whiffs are created by bacteria. Bacteria thrive in our warm homes and create all sorts of smells in all sorts of places. Bacteria can even survive in the air! Eww.

Essential oils can help here – they smell great and they have been used for years for their germ fighting properties. Try adding a few drops to an oil burner or humidifier to disperse their lovely scent and start their war against that smelly bacteria. Some oils are better than others, Eucalyptus for example – it has some really strong germ fighting properties.

Radiator tip - If you've got wide radiators, place a small dish (Nothing that can melt / burn) with a little water inside and some essential oils. The heat from the radiator will help the oils slowly evaporate into the air.

Wilton Eco Cleaning range

The best way (but probably not the easiest way) of keeping your home smelling great is to clean regularly. But most cleaning products are filled with all sorts of nasty things which you don’t want wafting around your home.

Our new Multi-Surface Cleaners and Washing-up Liquids use naturally derived ingredients and natural scents packed with essential oils to clean you home and leave it smelling lovely. We think it makes doing the housework less of a chore.

Check them out here >>

Baking Soda is like a natural odour hoover.

Sofas, carpets, curtains and rugs all soak up smells. Not only are they everywhere in our homes, they’re really hard to clean. But that’s where baking soda comes in, it’s cheap, natural and does wonders for soaking up smells from fabrics.

Shake a light covering of baking soda over the smelly culprit, leave for a few hours and vacuum up. It works a treat.

This tip is easy, but every fabric is different, so always test an inconspicuous spot first, and always follow the manufacturers guidelines if you’re unsure. It’s also not a great idea to subject your vacuum cleaner to this too often.­

Hang your laundry out to dry inside

If you’re already using our laundry care products, you’ll know they smell great. They’re nothing like the usual laundry fragrances, they leave your clothes with a botanical and indulgent scent.

Leave them to dry hanging up indoors and their lovely aroma will carry itself around your home.