Homes will smell amazing if you ditch air fresheners and wipe 1 item on skirting boards

There's nothing worse than walking into your home and being hit by unpleasant smells. Pets, cooking, damp, mould and bad pipe work can all cause unpleasant smells to linger in homes. Getting rid of bad smells can be difficult, especially if you've got a small space and you don't want to open the windows when it's cold.

Air fresheners are often the solution that people turn to, but these can be expensive and headache-inducing. If you're fed up of scented candles, potpourri and pungent air fresheners, fans of cleaning sensation Mrs Hinch have shared their go-to method-and it involves a common household item.

The nifty method involves wiping your skirting boards with a mixture of fabric conditioner and water.

The hack was shared on a Facebook group called 'Mrs Hinch Cleaning Tips' after Judith Grenville-Roberts asked: "What's best to wipe down your skirting boards please?"

Fabric conditioner mixed with water and wiped across skirting boards was suggested by multiple users.

Teresa Bickley said: "Get an empty spray bottle. Fill [it with] 50% fabric conditioner [and 50% water. Brilliant."

Jackie Pilkington responded: "Mix fabric softener in a spray bottle with water. Microfibre cloth and it gives fab results!"

Another user also suggested wiping fabric conditioner on your radiators as well as your skirting boards.

Siobhan Osullivan-major suggested: "Get one [of] those washing up sponges with the liquid in the handle and put in fabric softener.

"Makes your boards and radiators smell amazing! And you get the smell when you put your heating on again!"

If you have a Dishmatic, a refillable, hand-held tool that dispenses washing-up liquid through its sponge head, this can also be used to complete the hack.

In fact, TikTok user Charlene, who goes by @mumscleaninglockdownlife, suggests using a Dishmatic.

She said: "Fill your Dishmatic with your fave fabric conditioner. The fabric conditioner smells amazing and repels dust."

She described the method as the "best way to clean your skirting boards".

However, some experts warn against using this method. Emily Barron, cleaning professional at Property Rescue, told Ideal Home: "This method isn't a fool-proof approach.

"Not only will it fail to remove all dust, but it can also introduce a whole host of other and more serious issues into the home."