Saying goodbye to unwanted smells when vacuuming is sometimes easier said than done. From essential oils to carpet deodorizers, there are countless hacks that claim to leave a fresh smell after vacuuming. But they don't always work.
So, when I saw that simply putting ground cinnamon in a vacuum's dustbin can banish nasty odors, I was intrigued. Most of us have ground cinnamon in our homes, and it's much cheaper than many of the branded products that aim to do the same.
Here's how to do the vacuum cinnamon hack and make the most out of your best vacuum cleaner.
Why you should put ground cinnamon in your vacuum
I've spent more than 200 hours testing vacuum cleaners, and I've delved into whether carpet deodorizers are safe to use (spoiler alert: they're not). I've even used a teabag hack to banish vacuum smells, all in the name of finding the absolute most effective ways to remove messy smells.
However, the cinnamon technique is safer than other methods I've seen, as it uses such a small volume of ground cinnamon (not powdered), which mimics dust.
Karina Toner, professional cleaner and operations manager at Speckless, says, 'A small sprinkle – about ½ to 1 teaspoon – is more than enough.' Karina shares. 'You don’t need much to freshen the air as you vacuum, and using too much can overwhelm the vacuum’s filters or motor.'
I've learned the same thing from my four years of vacuum testing: don't vacuum fine powders. It's one of the things you should never vacuum, as a high volume of fine powder can clog your filters and damage your motor, which is why you shouldn't vacuum baking soda or used powdered carpet deodorizers.
How to do it
This cinnamon vacuum hack is simple. Sprinkle ground cinnamon into your vacuum's dustbin, or if yours is a bagged one like the best Miele vacuums, pop it on the floor and vacuum it up.
As for how often, that really depends on how often you're vacuuming and how much of a fresher smell you want.
If you're often vacuuming pet hair or cleaning up smelly food crumbs, you might want to do it before each clean. If not, stick to whenever it's really necessary to avoid overfilling your vacuum.
When doing the cinnamon hack, make sure to always use ground cinnamon, not cinnamon powder. It's a small but important distinction as cinnamon powder is much finer, and could potentially cause damage.
'Some vacuums aren’t designed to handle anything other than dust and debris, so always check your model’s manual,' Karina advises. And remember, make sure that nobody in your household – including guests – is allergic to cinnamon.
What to shop
Now that you're equipped with a new vacuuming hack, it might be a good time to stock up on ground cinnamon so that you're ready for your next clean.
Stock up on some ground cinnamon with this tub from Walmart that costs under $4 for 4.2oz. You'll be ready for the next vacuuming – or baking – session.
If your home has unwanted odors too often, chances are your floors could do with a deeper clean. We absolutely love this steam mop from Black+Decker – the non-toxic steam cleaner can cut chore time in half and can clean everything from floors to furniture, your oven to bathroom tiles and more.
Not only is the Shark POWERDETECT the best upright vacuum we've tested, it also has an odor-neutralizing cartridge that leaves a fresh scent as you clean, without having to rely on cinnamon, tea bags, or any other deodorizing products.
Read more in our full Shark POWERDETECT review.
Next, browse our tested picks of the best robot vacuums for cleaner floors and minimal effort.
