13 Home Scents That'll Instantly Elevate Your Ambiance

You know how some spaces just have certain smells? Like how your childhood home always smells the same, or how that boutique hotel you stayed at seems like it has its own scent coming out of the walls? This isn't superfluous—appealing to the senses in this way actually changes the way in which you experience a place and remember it (and the scent) later.

If you don't have a signature home scent, it is high time you've found one. The good news is that there is a ton of scent exploring to do, and just as many contraptions you can use in which to test those out. Maybe you clean with lemon-scented products and sometimes light a candle. Good start. But starting to get strategic about what kind of scents you actually like in your home (do you like the lemon, or is it just habit?) and leaning into them elevates the entire vibe of a house.

Ahead, there are 13 ways to find that signature scent. There are classics, like candles and incense, which are great except for the fire. There are also lighter room sprays for the strong-smell averse, and Bluetooth-connected diffusers that work at the time and intensity you want them to. Go ahead, activate that sensory powered memory.