5 things that make your home smell good all the time
These 5 additions will transform your home into a permanent sensory haven
A nice-smelling home automatically transforms your mood and makes guests feel more welcome. As well as knowing the things people with nice-smelling homes never do, there are a number of ways to make your home smell nice.
When dealing with an entire home, you have the challenge of tackling bad smells and odors in every room as well as in your entryway. Smells and fragrances are incredibly evocative and can completely change how you are feeling. As a result, you should take care and consideration to make your home smell good all of the time, at least ensuring that any less pleasant smells are removed.
By embracing diverse scenting techniques and curated fragrances, you can craft a home that not only looks appealing but also resonates with delightful, lingering scents, creating an immersive sensory experience for you and guests.
5 things that make your home smell good all the time
Try these expert tips to keep your home smelling good at all times.
1. Houseplants
According to Muffetta Krueger, founder of Muffetta’s Domestic Assistants, indoor house plants are known for their air-purifying qualities and pleasant scents.
Flowers are a classic and elegant way to add a touch of fragrance to any room. Choose blooms with a scent that appeals to you, such as roses, jasmine, freesia, lavender, lilacs, peonies, or sweet peas.
Place bouquets in strategic locations throughout your home, such as on entryways, coffee tables, or bedside tables. House plants such as aloe vera, lavender, and mint can all be grown inside and contribute to a nice-smelling home and have a fresh culinary touch.
The Click & Grow Indoor Herb Garden Kit available at Amazon, is also a great way to grow outdoor plants inside your home too. By placing seed pods over a water tank with its own energy-efficient lamp, you can grow all of the herbs and vegetables you’d like, throughout the entire year.
Muffetta Krueger is a cleaning expert and founder of Muffetta’s Domestic with over 16 years of operational management experience in the service industry. Muffetta’s Domestic Assistants provides housekeepers, house cleaners and maids, and is based in New York.
2. Pot pourri
One great way to make your home smell nice is to create festive pots of pot pourri. Create your own signature scent by simmering a pot of water with citrus slices, cinnamon sticks, and herbs like rosemary.
These not only add a delightful aroma but also infuse your home with a touch of natural elegance that can be positioned throughout the home. For a full explanation, we’ve created a how to make pot pourri guide here.
3. Essential oils
‘Essential oils offer a concentrated and customizable way to fragrance your home, says cleaning expert Prerna Jain. To create a diffuser blend, add a few drops of your chosen essential oil to a carrier oil like water or jojoba oil.
Place the diffuser in a central location, such as the living room or hallway, to allow the scent to permeate the air. We like the Jack & Rose room diffuser from Amazon, which has adopted noise reduction technology, ensuring that it operates quietly with no water dripping sounds, which creates a relaxing and soothing environment.
You can also adapt your essential oil fragrances depending on the seasons and time of year. Embrace fresh, citrusy scents in summer, transitioning to warm, cozy aromas like cinnamon or vanilla during colder months.
Prerna Jain is the founder of Ministry Of Cleaning, a top-rated cleaning service with years of industry experience.
Elegant and floral
Jo Malone's Wild Bluebell is an H&G favorite because it is delicate and light, but still distinctive in a room. Its earthy notes prevent the scent from being too sweet.
Green and fresh
Skog, Norwegian for forest, has a soothing and earthy scent that feels wintry, with notes of pine, fir, birch, and lily. It's really strong and lasts longer than the promised three months.
Strong and soft
Cotton Blossom by Riturals works well in large rooms, blending notes of mandarin, jasmine, tuberose and violet with sandalwood and balsamic so that it's velvety, fresh, and soft.
4. Linen and room sprays
Parveen Garg, manager at Ola Clean, suggests investing in quality linen and room sprays that resonate with you, to make your home smell nice all the time. ‘Give your upholstery, curtains, and even bed linens a light spritz for an instant boost of freshness,’ Parveen says. ‘Opt for calming scents like chamomile for bedrooms and invigorating ones like citrus for living areas.’
The Cythera Aromatique Room Spray from Aesop blends Geranium and Incense, as well as Patchouli and Myrrh to create a sensory fragrance that would enhance any home. You can also make your own room spray at home. Combine distilled water, essential oils, and a touch of witch hazel in a spray bottle. Shake well before each use, and mist the air as needed.
Another hidden trick people with nice-smelling homes use is to keep your linens, towels, and clothing smelling fresh by adding dryer sheets or scented sachets to drawers or closets. Choose scents that complement your overall home fragrance scheme.
Parveen Garg is a dedicated and experienced Manager in the cleaning business, specializing in leveraging my extensive knowledge of cleaning practices and products to ensure exceptional cleanliness solutions. With 4 years of experience, he possesses a deep understanding of the industry and excels at leading teams to deliver outstanding results.
5. Baking soda
Baking soda works wonders as a natural deodorizer. This cleaning staple is completely natural and can help combat lingering smells, especially in areas like the kitchen or bathroom. There are various ways to clean with baking soda, but to make a home smell great, you can place small bowls of baking soda in areas prone to bad smells, such as in your refrigerator, and use it to refresh fabrics. Other places may include where shoes are kept or a pet’s bed.
‘Sprinkle baking soda onto carpets, mattresses, or upholstery, let it sit for a few hours, and then vacuum thoroughly,’ says interior designer Elizabeth Grace. ‘You can also place some baking soda at the bottom of your trash can. Whenever you replace the bin liner, put some baking soda beneath it as it will disinfect and neutralize all the smells.’
Elizabeth Grace is an interior designer and furniture expert. She received her degree in Interior Design from the University of Notre Dame. Elizabeth landed her first job as an intern with a leading firm in New York City, learning from some of the city’s top designers. She currently works as an interior designer for both residential and commercial clients.
FAQ
What is the most welcoming scent?
If you want to create a welcoming scent for your home, try using aromatic herbs. Aromatic herbs such as rosemary, sage, and thyme, give off a welcoming yet familiar aroma to your home. These scents work especially well in the kitchen.
Combining a few of these methods can help maintain a consistently pleasant aroma in your home, and remember to experiment with different techniques to find what works best for you.
Sign up to the Homes & Gardens newsletter
Design expertise in your inbox – from inspiring decorating ideas and beautiful celebrity homes to practical gardening advice and shopping round-ups.
Seraphina is a contributing editor at Homes & Gardens, writing Solved features on organizing and storage. She loves to decorate and also grow her own produce from her home in London. Her previous experience includes working at Women's Health and Fabulous Magazine.
-
7 different interior designers on ingenious ways they use paint to easily elevate a room
Paint can be the easiest way to transform a room, here 7 designers talk us through how they use it to the best effect
By Arabella Youens Published
-
How to take mulberry tree cuttings – expert tips for successful plant propagation
Learning how to take mulberry tree cuttings is a cost-effective way to grow your tree collection
By Thomas Rutter Published