The Clever Rice Hack That'll Leave Your Home Smelling Better Than Ever

Normally, using several reliable home maintenance tactics is necessary to retain high levels of hygiene and keep our homes smelling great. We take out the trash, clean our curtains, open up doors and windows for cross ventilation, and hopefully, smoke our cigarettes outside. But a little-known, great — and elegant looking — hack is to combine uncooked rice with essential oils.

Sometimes the weather or safety concerns prevent us from flinging our doors and windows wide open. And if we've just cooked a delicious but rather smelly dinner that's stubbornly clinging to the upholstery, we may need a quick solution to remove odors before we can start deep cleaning. This rice hack is perfect for when you need a quick technique using a household staple but don't happen to own an essential oil diffuser or want to purchase one. The best part: because the rice is uncooked and hard, the essential oils simply coat the grains, which allows the scents to evaporate into the air and spread the fragrance for about four to six months.

First, gather your supplies, starting with ½ a cup of rice. You can use whatever brand of rice you have off the shelf; no need to buy a special type. You'll also need two bowls; a mixing bowl and a smaller, more decorative bowl, and essential oils. Then, after putting rice into the mixing bowl and choosing a scent, add 20 total drops of essential oil. If it's holiday time, cinnamon oil is considered homey and warm. You could also mix two scents together: pine and lemon oil make for a clean scent, cedar wood and rose oil are calming and gentle, and bergamot and lavender create the feeling of joy. After mixing the rice and oils together, transfer it to your decorative bowl and place it in your room. 

A few cautions — it's a good idea to place this non-edible rice out of the reach of curious, crawling babies or small children as well as pets. Also, dogs have a tremendously heightened sense of smell, and many essential oils are actually toxic to them. If you have a dog, limit your use to 10 drops of oil and only stick to lavender, which they can tolerate well.