Best (subtle) ways to make your home smell nice when expecting company?
Question:What are the best not-so-obvious ways of making your home smell nice? Candles, air freshner, etc?
Thanks!
Answers:
I actually prefer using a body spritz of some kind, and just spritz it on the little throw rugs or even your shower curtain or throw pillows! It's much less subtle than candles or air fresheners and smells great because you have a HUGE variety to choose from. Try bath and body works :)
eat lots of eggs and fart.
If you have a bread maker, make a loaf of bread. It makes the whole house smell inviting and cozy. This is a trick that many real estate agents suggest to home owners showing their homes to prospective buyers. :)
Turn a fan on and place a dryer sheet on the back before they get there. The house will smell fresh and clean and everyone will ask what you use. :)
I like to boil some whole cinnamon and cloves in some water on the stove. To me that smells wonderful.
Candles! Light them before your guests come over. Make sure you get candles that smell like home baked goods. I offer them on my website www.primitiveheartandhome.com. These candles you don't even have to light and they still give off a wonderful scent.
sprinkle Cinnamon into a small saucepan or fry pan and place pan on the lowest heat and leave it on for about 15 min.
Cinnamon is a natural deodorizer of smoke, pets, old food smells, mildew, etc.,.
My mom had done this while I grew up, and, I use it myself.
Otherwise, drop a few drops of vanilla extract in corners, by vents, by fans, etc..
Good luck! :)
Airing your house is the best solution! Open up all windows and turn on all fans. Aroma scents work fine, but what happen if your guest did not like the scents you are using? Instead of welcoming your guest it will become otherwise...
Put a little vanilla on your light bulbs. Use a Q-tip or cloth to spread it on. Make sure the light bulbs are cool when you put the vanilla on or they might break. When you turn on the lights and the bulbs start to heat up you'll have the smell of vanilla throughout your house.
For a homey smell, bake cookies or muffins - especially ones that have bananas or apples in them, they give off a great scent. Febreeze is also really great to spritz on fabrics to help make your house smell fresh and clean. You can also boil a little bit of water with cinnamon, cloves and apples. Be careful this doesn't burn, because the smell of the burnt cinnamon is horrible and sticks around for a while. If it's not too hot (or cold) outside, you can open all your windows and let some fresh air circulate through your home. This will help get rid of any stale smells that might be lingering.
After I clean I spray Lysol or a fragrant Renuzit spray onto the return air ducts, make sure the fan is on.
-Candles are nice & they smell yum!! Electric candle warmers work well with jar candles by melting the entire candle so more scent is released.
-Have you seen the warmer plate/dish (think by Glade)? These are inexpensive & decorative & you just buy lil refills. They totally dissolve & I'm impressed w/how well the scent travels!!
-Febreeze or similar is good b/c you can spray it on pillows, curtains, etc.
-Airfreshners/spray don't seem to last long. Oust has nice scents (love the Citrusy!). Kinda natural smelling & also added bonus: kills airborne germs!
-You could set out dishes w/potpourri but may want to add some scented oil as they usually don't have strong smell. Or get the Poutpourri pots... I use wax chips as they're stronger scented. You can get these cheap in electric or the tealite kinds (which are nice as you can but them anywhere!).
-They also make little 'air freshener patches' that actually attach to your A/C filter so blows the scent out of vents into each room. Don't know how well these work or .. but they're out there!
-Oh & a 'Natural' freshener is Tea Tree Oil. You can buy it concentrate & mix a tad w/water in a spray bottle. If you have time search this & find it's many other uses!
Mmmm!! Going to light up my candles NOW!!
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