The Christmas Scenting Trick Fragrance Pros Use to Hide Cooking Smells – It's Quick, Easy, and Makes Homes Cozy, Too

Holiday cooking can make a house smell wonderful, but not all odors are quite as charming as freshly baked cookies. Oven grease, simmering sauces, and winter slow cooker recipes can bring lingering smells that clash with the cozy vibe you want to create.

Rather than try to eliminate them and cover them up, one fragrance pro reveals that picking a home fragrance that complements the natural aromas of your dinner will prevent unseemly clashes and make your home smell like a luxury hotel this Christmas.

It is an effortless way to make a house smell nice – here’s what the experts recommend this winter.

The Scenting Trick That Compliments Your Cooking

Your home’s scent is one of the things guests notice instantly in your home at Christmas, but removing cooking odors can be time-consuming, and when you are in the throes of preparing and plating, there is little time to start deep cleaning your kitchen.

When the weather outside makes it hard to throw open windows, the best solution is to find home fragrances that complement the food you are cooking, says Caitlyn Grubb, a fragrance evaluation specialist at ScentAir.

‘When it comes to holiday scenting, there are so many fun ways to enhance the festive mood while also keeping lingering cooking smells in check. One of my go-to tricks is choosing scents that won’t clash with whatever’s happening in the kitchen. The easiest way to do that is to lean into fragrances that naturally complement food, think of warm savory spices,’ she shares.

‘These types of scents don’t just help mask cooking odors; they blend seamlessly with them so the atmosphere still feels intentional and not overwhelming or mismatched.’ It is the simplest way to make your home smell good this Christmas.

When freshening up Christmas Day house odors, Caitlyn continues, ‘Some of my favorite notes to reach for include cinnamon, clove, and other classic cooking spices. They feel homey and festive, and because they have a subtle savory edge, they pair beautifully with both sweet and savory dishes.’

To keep your home safe at Christmas, we suggest using an essential oil diffuser from Walmart, with cinnamon essential oil from Amazon. This eliminates naked flames in your home (especially important if your home is very busy, or you have children and pets around), and keeps your air cleaner. It is one of the best customizable, non-toxic ways to make a home smell nice.

Fahim Ibrahimi, CEO of Wizard Wellness, follows a similar approach; however, they use both neutralizing and complementary scents together to create the luxury hotel effect.

For example, he starts with clean, bright notes like eucalyptus, citrus, or fresh herbs, focusing their efforts in the kitchen itself. ‘These cut through heavy smells and instantly create a fresher, hotel-like environment,’ he explains. ‘Once the air is more neutralized, you can layer in warm, festive fragrances such as cinnamon, clove, or amber in guest spaces to bring in that cozy holiday mood everyone loves.’

The Scent Fill 100% natural eucalyptus plug-in, from Amazon, helps to create a non-toxic home while offering great odor coverage. As it is a plug-in, you can simply plug it on and forget about it, so you don’t have to worry about open flames or someone knocking over incense.

This is an especially useful trick in larger spaces or open-concept homes, Fahim adds, ‘It’s a simple technique that makes the entire experience feel more elevated, intentional and luxurious.’

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Meet the Experts

Caitlyn Grubb

Caitlyn is a fragrance evaluation specialist with over four years of experience at ScentAir and specialized education in consumer studies. Caitlyn expertly identifies emerging trends and translates them into innovative fragrance concepts. Whether crafting bespoke scents for niche markets or refining existing formulations for optimal performance, Caitlyn thrives on the creative challenge of bringing scents to life.

Of course, it helps to combat the things that make your kitchen smell bad by limiting bad odors at the source. Taking the trash out regularly, avoiding piling plates with food scraps on them, and using an air purifier to improve indoor air quality can all help with keeping your home fresh when hosting.