I wanted my bathroom to smell like a luxury spa and this simple cotton ball hack made it happen – I can't believe how easy it is

What is it that makes spas smell so delicious? Sumptuous, clean and luxurious, it seems just the whiff of a spa alone is enough to shift you into relax mode.

That’s why I wanted to find a quick and easy way to make my bathroom smell like a luxury spa, and I was surprised that all it took was a cotton ball and a few drops of my favorite essential oil.

This home fragrance hack has definitely gone onto my list of things people with nice-smelling bathrooms always do and I reckon you’ll like it too.

Making your bathrooms smell like a luxury spa

What you'll need

Just two things are needed to get this fragrance hack off the ground in your home today:

• Cotton wool balls, pads or in a pinch, toilet tissue
• Essential oil of your choice. Geranium, bergamot, and citrus-y notes work well and ooze that luxury spa smell. I use a 100% pure one like the Handcraft Blends Geranium Oil available on Amazon.

What I did

I wanted my spa-smell to reflect my tastes so I chose geranium. I have a 10 ml bottle of geranium 100% essential oil, which I have used all over my home, from making a DIY cleaning solution, to a 1 cent essential oil dryer hack and more.

I love that using essential oil is a potent and natural way to add fragrance or clean where my home needs it, or simply, where I can enjoy the smell the most.

I saw this cotton ball fragrance hack on a TikTok video and was amazed at how simple it was, so I decided to give it a go.

Cleaning expert and operations manager at Spekless, Karina Toner says, 'The cotton ball is really the perfect vessel for this because it’s super absorbent, which means it holds the oils well and can slowly release the scent over time. The air easily flows through its fibers, so the scent naturally diffuses throughout the room all day.'

Taking my cotton ball, I added around 3-5 drops of geranium essential oil, and placed it in my small bathroom. It’s quite small so I thought I’d try it there first. I popped it in a storage basket so it was out of sight but still open up top to be able to permeate the room’s air.

I shut the bathroom door for an hour then returned. At that point, I’d forgotten I’d done this so I was shocked at how strong and lovely the smell of geranium was in the bathroom. When the door was left ajar, I could smell it up to 10 feet away, though I do have a nose like a hound. My husband, who doesn't have a strong sense of smell could smell it when the door was open or he was in the bathroom.

Over the course of a week, I paid particular attention to this bathroom's fragrance to see how long the geranium scent would linger before the cotton ball needed a top up. I noted the fragrance most strongly up to day two, then detectable and still enjoyable till around day five.

To make the your bathroom spa-smell last, cleaning pro Karina advises:

• Add a drop or two of essential oil every couple of days to maintain the intensity.
• Make sure to use pure, high-quality essential oils as they have a stronger, longer-lasting scent than diluted or synthetic versions.
• Find a balance in ventilation for the room you’re using. To get the most out of your essential oil and cotton ball setup, you’ll want to aim for a space with moderate airflow. Good air circulation can help spread the scent, but if it’s too drafty, the scent might evaporate too quickly. On the flip side, a poorly ventilated room might trap the scent but also make it fade faster due to humidity.
• Feel free to use more cotton balls! Placing them in multiple areas of the bathroom helps spreads the scent evenly.
• A few drops of a carrier oil, like jojoba or almond, can slow down the evaporation process, keeping the scent going longer. Cliganic Organic Jojoba Oil from Amazon is 100% pure and has been reordered by more than 90,000 customers. You can use it as a carrier oil, as well as on your hair and skin.

My verdict

It's a 10/10 for me! I love this cheap, simply and natural way to make my bathroom smell nice and will definitely be doing it again. I like it so much in fact, that I have added a cotton ball of essential-oiled tissue to my en suite bathroom, and hidden another behind my shoe rack in my entryway, and now it smells like a spa as you step into my home.

It’s so effective and easy, it feels like a cheat, but one I will happily admit to.

Next, learn how to use essential oils in laundry, and how to make DIY fall room spray recipes that last.