What is that smell?! There are only two times when people ask that question. When you come home you want to notice the smell because it’s good, not because it’s bad. In the summer it’s easy to air out the house and keep things smelling fresh and clean. In the winter every smell in the house is trapped there and each time you come home you may be reminded of last night’s dinner or that the dog needs a bath. I have always had a keen sense of smell and with each pregnancy it sharpened more. I really notice smells and they influence my mood quite a bit. Combine the lack of sun, constant presence of rain and coming home to the smelly house and you get a recipe for a bad attitude. It’s a fact that our brains are wired so that memories and emotions are readily summoned by smell. Another interesting fact: smell is one of the factors considered during a Feng Shui consultation.

What really holds the bad smells the most are the soft surfaces such as furniture, curtains and carpets. Usually the carpets are the worst culprits when it comes to stink, especially if you have indoor pets. I’m not talking about odors from “accidents”, I’m talking about damp dog lounging on the floor type of essence. It really gets to me.

Recently in a fit of desperation I went down to the basement and found an old canister of “Pet Fresh”. I sprinkled it on the carpet and waited the requisite 15 minutes before vacuuming. This resulted in a cloud of scented exhaust from the vacuum that filled the house and everyone in my family agreed that it was actually worse than the original dog aroma. I resolved to never use Pet Fresh again, but I knew it wouldn’t be long before I needed to clean and deodorize the carpet once more.

This got me to thinking about scents that I would want to have in my house, scents that I know and love from being outdoors. And then it hit me – I already have essential oils that capture the smells I love and I use them all the time. Why not use them to make my own carpet deodorizer? I use my Cascade Glacier room spray from Juniper Ridge year round, as well as their Big Sur essential oil.

What I like about the Juniper Ridge products is that they are wonderful, fresh scents that naturally occur in beautiful outdoor locations. Have you ever been walking outdoors and thought to yourself “Wow, it smells so good here I wish I could bottle it and save it”? Well, bottling it and saving it is what they do at Juniper Ridge. I highly recommend every single thing they make but my absolute favorite has to be the Cascade Glacier Room Spray that makes your house smell like a fresh, crisp forest. I can’t wait to try their new scent Steep Ravine. There are actually many more things I like about Juniper Ridge, but I digress – back to deodorizing!

You can make your own carpet cleaner and deodorizer with a box of baking soda and your favorite essential oils. All essential oils have antibacterial, antifungal, antimicrobial and antiseptic properties to varying degrees. To make the deodorizer you will need one sixteen ounce box of baking soda and 40 drops of the essential oil of your choice. You can use one type of oil or mix your own blend. I like to use at least 10 drops of Tea Tree oil for it’s antiseptic effect and 30 drops of either Cascade Glacier or Big Sur. Big Sur has a sage-like clean smell that you would experience if you were actually in Big Sur. Lovely! Just mix the baking soda and the oils together in a plastic container that you can seal up, sprinkle the necessary amount on the carpet, wait 15 minutes and then vacuum. Instant mood boost and a cleaner house.

If you have shag or pile carpets don’t use this method for cleaning. You can use the baking soda deodorizer on your acrylic or wool rugs. If you’re not sure what your carpet is made of try a small test patch before sprinkling the entire carpet.