I’m moving into a new place soon, and thought this would be the perfect opportunity to do something I ought to have done ages ago, and that is to have it smell less like a single guy’s grotto, or be blandly sterile, and instead smell pleasant and welcoming. I don’t want it to overwhelm, or be so strong you can taste it, just be a subtle-yet-pervasive presence.
I’ll choose the aroma (vanilla, I think), but I have no idea on the best method to achieve this effect. What suggestions do you have?
Binturongs smell of popcorn.
I like the smell of old paper. Rooms with lots of books, or old wallpaper, or, oddly, cellulose insulation smell that way.
You could use a stick diffuser. Basically wicking sticks in a small jar of scented mineral oil.
Scent sticks which are rolled up wads of paper infused with scent
Potpourri in a pot on your stove or in a small crock.
There are diffusers that squirt a pop of diffused scented extract but I find they can be a bit overwhelming.
I don’t care for the plug ins. Glade? I think they’re wasteful.
A just cleaned house often smells good.
I agree to, first of all, make sure the place is clean. Beyond that, there is regular incense or you can use an essential oil diffuser. Based on your preferences, maybe vanilla + styrax benzoin? eg
My wife has something called a Scentsy lamp. It has a base with a small light bulb, and on top is a dish where you put scented wax, which melts from the heat of the bulb and provides a scent.
The smell of books/libraries is from decomposing paper (and probably mold on some of the older books). Your brain is associating it with something you like. I’m assuming you enjoy reading enough that the smell of books would catch your attention (as opposed to you just happening to like the smell).
In either case, it makes sense that you would add cellulose insulation to that list.
Yes, this. I’m not sure how easy it would be to find vanilla-scented cleaning products, but orange and lemon are pretty common. I’ve got some orange-scented wood conditioner I use on the furniture and the house smells great for quite some time afterward.
As a guy, the Step One I finally learned:
Do the wash.
Wash sheets and your clothes long before you think they need it. Clean any rugs regularly. No dirty clothes where anyone could (even subconsciously) smell them. I keep mine in the basement next to the washer.
And get fresh air circulating as often as possible. Even in a small one-bedroom, we had a fan pointing in, and a fan pointing out on the opposite end of the apartment.
Now we’re in a house with windows and I put in ceiling fans… ahhh…
Going to be a hot day? Open all the windows for an hour while having breakfast.
Lack of bad smells is the first step to good smells.
Orange and lemon are too sharp for me. I don’t know if I’ll definitely go for vanilla, but fruit or floral scents are definitely not my thing.
As for just keeping the place clean, it’s a nice dream, but I won’t fool myself I can manage it as thoroughly as I’d like.
Anyway, these are all great suggestions and I’ll check as many of them out as I can find locally.
This is the most critical component. There is no diffuser or air freshener that does an actual job of masking the main culprit - dirty laundry, dirty carpet, and dirty floors. Keep the house clean, and you give your vanilla delivery system a fighting chance of being effective.
I like a neutral smell. And I have found that “no smoking/no pets” is the best way to achieve it.
I have my windows open nearly all the time which I think is the main thing. But I use incense rather than air freshener. I have a few varieties that I like (mostly Californian white sage and other woody scents) and have sticks sitting in a glass in the bathroom. Next to it is a shot glass full of salt that I use to extinguish the incense. I burn a little while I use the bathroom and sometimes grab the burning stick, wander around the place and then stick it in the salt for further use. One stick lasts for days or weeks. I find it overpowering just left to burn out as most people do.
Try Lampe Berger. Many different diffusers to choose from and many different scents to use in them.
While spraying Axe liberally is appropriate for males under 21, if noxious for everyone else, including pets and farting uncles, Old Spice is loved by all and cannot be overused. I believe Nilodor works by suppressing the sense of smell, so spraying it outside your place will ensure no complaints of any odor in your place.
I just wanna’ say two words: baking soda.
Get after it !
You can also sprinkle it on your carpet and let it sit (~30 - 60min) before vacuuming.
This.
Honestly, nothing smells worse than a place that’s overloaded with scents, and smells both of stale people and of some heavy cloying covering odor.
Fabuloso liquid cleaners smell very nice. The blue one smells especially fresh and clean. The purple lavender one smells very nice and clean, too. They leave a lingering clean fragrance. The cleaners are all purpose - counters, sink, floors, pour a little in the toilet.
As far as vanilla, Yankee Candle and Bath and Body Works both have nice vanilla candles.
I agree with the veto on Glade plug-ins. They’re overpowering, and they never stop. However, Glade makes a timed spray unit that puffs out just a little scent every now and then. You can choose the interval (9, 18, or 36 minutes) according to the need. As a farty old codger, I can tell you it’s effective.
Old Spice is not loved by all.