How to Naturally Scent Your Home
It’s a real estate agent mantra that the right scent can sell a home. Even if you’re not selling, scenting your space can set a mood, banish staleness, and generally brighten things up. Before you reach for a conventional air freshener, consider the fact that there’s really no telling what’s lurking in any given room spray or flowery candle. Glade recently announced its intention to disclose the chemicals that make up its scents. This is voluntary; currently fragrance formulas are government protected as trade secrets. Some typically used synthetic chemicals in fragrance have been linked to allergies, asthma, and even cancer. Consumers are increasingly interested in transparency in all of their products—from lipstick to sandwich bread to perfume—so companies are slowly responding. In the meantime, if you’re interested in scenting your living room, give nature a try. Bonus: most natural scents tend to have a softer vibe than comparatively stronger smelling chemical sprays. While everything from pine branches to essential oils to vanilla beans will produce a desired effect, so will just opening your windows.
When you fry an onion, its homey scent flits through the entire house. Use your range and oven to project other aromas, too. Boil oranges, lemons, apple peels, cinnamon, cloves, rosemary, or really anything you like to smell. Want ideas? Google “simmer pot recipes.” Or stick a few tablespoons of a favorite essential oil in a dish in the oven for a while. It will permeate.
Take your favorite essential oil and dot it on light bulbs throughout your home. When you turn them on and the bulbs heat up, they will diffuse the scent. A little goes a long way.
If you love scented candles, try lighting a beeswax one. They have a warm honey scent and no noxious fumes. If you prefer something stronger, try a beeswax candle with an added essential oil of your liking.
If you’re relying on detergent and dryer sheets to scent your sheets, try ditching those fragranced products and bypassing the dryer entirely. Line drying sheets leaves them sweet smelling and crisp—the essence of the outdoors. No line available? Try laundry products scented with natural essential oils rather than synthetic ones.
It’s beyond easy to create your own room sprays with essential oils and water. Choose a certified organic or third party certified natural essential oil; both of these certifications will ensure your product is truly plant-derived. Then it’s just about what you like to smell and where—are you a mint in the kitchen and lavender in the TV room kind of person? Or do you prefer exotic blends, ylang ylang, cedar, or gardenia? Up to you.
According to various studies (including a NASA one), plants are natural air purifiers that filter indoor air, absorbing common pollutants found in homes. They also make things smell fresh. To be truly effective, you need a lot of plants. The ones said to do the most filtering include: Boston fern, areca palm, aloe vera, ficus, spider plant, English ivy, and peace lily, among others. If you have pets, make sure these are safe for them. And don’t forget to water!
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