Sometimes we don’t even know our house has a less than pleasant odor coming from it because we are there all the time. Maybe when you leave the house and return, it may hit you like a wave and you begin to search for it’s culprit. Here are six things I have found that can leave your house smelling less like delicious baked goods or sweet smelling flowers and more like getting a whiff from a garbage truck–along with 6 tips on how to keep it that way.

Dirty Laundry.

Laundry that sits and sits can leave a room smelling awful, especially if there are wet items left in the pile. Wet clothes start off with a mildew smell that is hard to remove once it forms. If it continues to sit much longer, that mildew turns to mold. You don’t want moldy laundry stinking up your laundry room, or any other room in the house.

Tip: Lay wet clothes, towels, and wash clothes over the bathtub or laundry tub to dry before tossing them in the dirty laundry.

Dirty Carpets.

The dirt that accumulates in the carpet and put off a dull, stale smell in the home. It won’t be a strong, in-your-face-smell like mildew, but it certainly isn’t pleasant. This happens when we fail to vacuum on a regular basis and/or we don’t wash our carpets with a carpet cleaner, once or twice a year.

Tip: Dust a sprinkling of baking soda on your carpet after you vacuum up the dirt. Let it sit for about 2 hours, and then vacuum. This is something you can do if you’re on your way out to run errands.  The baking soda will help absorb the smell without adding chemicals into the air or your carpet. Once you vacuum up the baking powder, your’re left with cleaner smelling carpets and fresher smelling air.

Dirty Dishes.

Dishes left in the sink day after day (even if you’re filling the dishwasher, but leaving certain ones behind), can smell up your kitchen. Food gets old and smelly very quickly. Sometimes we forget about cups with a little milk left in the bottom. We’ll leave the house and notice when we come home when a wave of rotten milk hits our nose. That’s like the worst thing to walk into (except maybe rotten baby formula!)

Tip: Gather all dirty dishes from around the house every evening. If something doesn’t fit in the dishwasher and it has food stuck on it, scrub it off while it’s still easy. At that point, you may as well just hand wash it and put it away.

Dirty Bathroom.

Can someone say gross? I don’t think I need to go into much detail here. A bathroom not cleaned regularly (read: daily) will quickly begin to smell all kinds of disgusting.

Tip: Wipe down surfaces and toilets daily. It only takes a few minutes. Then you don’t need to worry about buying those smelly plugins to cover up the smelly bathroom.

Dirty Stove.

Leaving your stove to clean another day, especially if you have a gas stove, can reek up the house. Gas stoves always have the pilot lit, thus baking on whatever food is left behind. The smell can be an awful, burning stench. Then it’s a pain to scrub off.

Tip: Wipe things as they spill whenever possible. At the very latest, wipe the stove down right after dinner. Keep the kitchen smelling fresh by eliminating the odors, rather than covering them up.

Un-emptied Garbage Cans.

Forgetting to empty the garbage cans, even the little ones in bedrooms or bathrooms, can result in unpleasant smells. We don’t always remember what we throw into these cans, nor we do know what our children throw in them!

Tip: Empty garbage cans daily. Take them straight outside.

A Few Finishing Touches

A delicious smelling candle.

I love food scents, such as hazelnut cream, and I enjoy candles more in the fall and winter months.

Fresh cut flowers.

Lilies are my absolute favorite and I love having them mixed in with a spring or summer bouquet on my kitchen table.

Baked Goods and The Crockpot

Chocolate chip cookies. Fresh baked bread. A winter roast. Mmmm mmmm mm! Need I say more?

What other tips can you offer to keep our homes smelling fresh and clean?

Before I say anything, I have to thank my sweet friend Lauren because she gave me the idea to do this. When I sat down to think of  enough meals for a week rather than a month, my stress levels minimized 50%–no joke! Dinner always had me on edge because I rarely had a plan.

I couldn’t find time every month to sit down and write out (or even think up!) enough meals for an entire month. It was just too much overload on my brain. But one week? I could do that.

I use this same menu every week.

What I love about this menu is I can still be very flexible. The meals are already laid out in front of me. Some times I switch the days based on our schedule. But seriously, knowing what I am making everyday helps me know what to thaw out in the morning, helps me plan ahead so I can begin prepping the meal earlier in the day, and makes grocery list making a cinch!

Speaking of groceries–knowing what I’m making each week actually helps me create a solid grocery list rather than a choppy one. I will list only the ingredients I know I need rather than throwing a few things on there in fleeting thought and then realizing mid-week I need another ingredient or two in order to complete a meal.

Less food is wasted because it’s getting eaten, not just sitting on a shelf in the fridge waiting.

I have tried different menu making tools and they are all neat tools. I just couldn’t find one that really worked for me in this particular season.

Once spring/summer hit, I can change the menu to more seasonal meals. It will give us a break from this menu and allow us to try something fresh.

My menu carries a lot of chicken options because my husband is sensitive to too many saucy or greasy foods. I used to have Tilapia on our menu but one night my 4-year old daughter had a reaction and I am not certain if it was from the fish or something else. She has eaten fish before without any issues and has since had another reaction from something completely unrelated. By reaction, I mean she broke out in hives.

So, in the future that will hopefully end up on our menu again. In the mean time, I am thoroughly enjoying this simple menu plan where I don’t have to worry about coming up with new meals every week. My children are still young and many of their taste buds aren’t allowing me to make too many dishes, let alone try anything new. I’ve finally accepted that and worked with it.

What do you find most frustrating or challenging about menu planning?

OK, so I actually got some good spaces purged last week. And I learned something in the process! Just because there is room in a space, doesn’t mean I need to fill it with stuff. Good advice, huh?

Here are my accomplishments in pictures:

Homeschool Cupboard (in kitchen)

Junk Drawer

Hall Closet

Have you done any purging?

I’m getting ready for the coming new year by doing a house purge! Join me by linking up your post any time this week!

I would love to begin the year fresh and be a little more organized while managing less stuff. So I’ve challenged myself to purge and organize for at least 15 minutes per day, everyday, until the end of the year.

My living room has been already done (see above pic) due to decorating and there’s no reason this goal cannot be accomplished. It simply takes intentional, set aside time.

I’m talking closets, drawers, cupboards…in order for everything I want to keep to have a home, I need to purge out the things I no longer want or need. I’m lightening our load and my overall cleaning time!

So each Monday, I will post my accomplishments here–complete with before and after photos.

I’m keepin’ it simple and keepin’ it real. Join me? Begin today. Fifteen minutes.

I’ll have a link up here just in case you’re interested in sharing your before and after photos–it’s a great way to stay motivated and accountable.

Happy purging!

P.S. Today’s is the last day to take advantage of DaySprings HUGE sale of the year! Don’t miss out! {This is my affiliate link. Thanks for your support!}

Fall is my absolute favorite season. I adore the color change that comes with the season of crisp air. I love the smell of change in the air.

I love the hearty food that comes with cooler weather. Sometimes, though, I can get stuck in a rut of the same menu cycle and never try anything new.

And maybe some of you would like to try something new but don’t know where to find a good recipe?

This is the place to share the recipes you do have and find some new ones!!

I’ve been trying to eat healthier food choices. Let me tell you, this is no easy feat. So, I’m hoping some of you have some healthy recipes to share!! {Please say it’s so}

So let’s get sharing!

You can write up a new post and share the link or you can link up a past post (or a few)!

All I ask is that the posts have a recipe within them and it be YOUR post. Not from another site.

Let’s get to sharing! {For more fun and more recipes, share this post on Pinterest, Facebook, and Twitter! Use buttons belows.}

If you’re reading in your email or through a reader, click here to add your recipe!

I am not a fan of menu planning. Although the concept is brilliant, the actual sit down time to plan and the brain power to produce a bunch of meals at once is really daunting.

Then you need to take into consideration the needs of your family and it’s schedule.

“What days do you need to have a ‘quick’ meal so you don’t find yourself in the local fast-food drive thru?”

“What special food needs do you need  to consider when creating your menu?”

“What days do you need to prepare ahead so you’re not spending hours in the kitchen at the end of the day?”

I am so thankful I came across Simplified Dinners. This eBook took a lot of guess work and list making out of my hands.

It offers a grocery list and different meal plan combinations that make it a cinch to plan.

It’s organized so you can plan at a glance and build your grocery list accordingly.

You can easily check your local grocery store ads to see what meat is on sale and build your meals accordingly. Genius!

My goal right now is to build a monthly menu that I can use over and over again and not have to keep recreating. My family doesn’t need 40 different meals to eat. We’re OK with 14 meals and rotating them, while maybe throwing in a new meal every now and then.

Don’t fall for the myth that you have to have 30 different meals; one for each day of the month. Back in the day, many families had the same meals every week! Keep it simple.

Plus, Simplified Dinners comes in a gluten-free and dairy-free option!!

If you need some help with meal planning and are just frustrated at how large and time consuming the task is (because it is), I recommend trying Simplified Dinners. You are no less of a person if you utilize other resources. On the contrary, you are a very wise and resourceful woman who spends her time wisely when you seek outside help.

Right now, Simplified Dinners is offering an exclusive discount for Joyful Mothering readers. Simply use code: JOYFULMOTHERING at checkout to receive $3 off. This is good through the end of September.

Giveaway {Giveaway Closed}

Winner has been chosen and notified! Thank you everyone!

I’m giving away one copy of Simplified Dinners. All you need to do is leave a comment answering the following question:

What has been your most challenging thing about meal planning?