SIGNATURE SCENTS FOR YOUR COTTAGE
Create an aromatic and welcoming scent profile for your home.
Create an aromatic and welcoming scent profile for your home.
Every house develops a unique scent profile.
Some smells are pleasant—think lilac blossoms, lemon oil furniture polish or spiced gingerbread. Other smells are less pleasant. But all scents can exert a powerful emotional effect because our brain’s olfactory bulb, where smells are processed, is located close to our brain’s emotion-processing and memory storage areas.
GETTING TO NEUTRAL
Crafting your home’s signature aroma can be a fun challenge. Begin by eliminating bad odors. Pet smells, mustiness caused by excess moisture and pungent cooking smells are responsible for most odor problems in houses. A regular cleaning routine, including periodic deep cleans that cover vents and ductwork as well as ventilation for all textiles, helps maintain freshness. Keep an eye open for leaks and mold formation, especially in basements. Baking soda, vinegar and activated charcoal have proven their effectiveness at neutralizing objectionable odors. Even a fishnet bag filled with white volcanic rock is known to absorb odors very effectively. And when you are combatting mustiness and moisture, sunshine and ventilation are your biggest allies.
BUILDING A BASE
Once you have a neutral baseline, you can get creative with the scents you add. Convenient and relatively inexpensive, air fresheners can be handy when you’re in a hurry, but it doesn’t take much more time to choose a selection of essential oils that you can use in your own combinations, adjusted according to season, mood or the activities in your home.
Start with a base that is woodsy (like sandalwood, cedarwood or juniper), resinous (like frankincense or myrrh) or earthy (like patchouli or vetiver). Then add a few drops of a scent that is citrusy (bergamot or lemon oil) or minty (eucalyptus or spearmint) or floral (lavender, rose or geranium).
You can focus on a signature scent for your whole house, like lemon and cloves, or jasmine and lavender. Or you can use different combinations in different areas. Mixtures that feature eucalyptus or lavender make your bathroom smell like a spa. Combinations with a strong element of rosemary, sage or clove work well in the kitchen.
EASY ADDITIONS
Essential oil diffusers are widely available at a range of price points, but there are many more ways to incorporate essential oils into your home routine. A cup of water, a half cup of white vinegar and 10 to 20 drops of scented oil in a spray bottle makes an effective homemade air freshener. A few drops of any essential oil on a cotton ball work well inside a linen closet, suitcase, drawer or pillowcase. Add a few drops to a handful or two of baking soda, sprinkle onto a rug or carpet and wait 30 minutes before vacuuming. Place a few drops on a new furnace filter or the inside of a new toilet paper roll.
Extend the reach of your home’s smell profile by adding scented candles or bowls of dried potpourri. The kitchen, with its garbage disposal and trash can, can be the most challenging room to keep smelling good. The stovetop is a natural place to simmer some potpourri in a saucepan, and hot potpourri mixtures are another place to experiment. Start with citrus peels and maybe a few apple peelings, and add a variety of spices (cloves, cinnamon or vanilla) and a few drops of essential oil. Keep enough water in the pan to prevent your mixture from sticking to the bottom. And when you’re done simmering the potpourri, it can help freshen your garbage disposal.
More than an afterthought, experimenting with your home’s aroma can help you put the finishing touch on a home that will be warm and welcoming to everyone who steps through your door, including you!