Good Scents for your New Home

By Karen Koedding, A Little Elf

Have you ever noticed how everyone's home smells different?  I believe that your home scent is a comfort to you, and one of your basic instincts that let’s you know that you are safe and where you belong.  When you move into a new place, you really won't feel comfortable until you rid your home of the previous occupant's scent. I've lived in quite a few places and like to make it smell like my home as quick as possible.  I had a friend of mine visiting me in Sydney and one of the first things he said was that my Australian home smelled just like my American home which was a compliment.  I kept my tricks to myself at the time but I'd like to share them with you now.  I have a few hints on how to make your new home smell like Your Home Sweet Home.

1.    Clean

Clean your home to rid it of stale smells, pet smells, and cigarette/cigar/pipe smells.  Remove old carpets as they absorb odors the most.  Wash the curtains and dry-clean the drapes.  Paint the walls especially in a smoker’s home.  Open the windows every chance you get and let fresh air in!

2.   Cozy home scents

Candles, candles, candles.  Get your favorite scented candles and light them each day for a couple of hours.  Make sure you blow them out before bed and keep them away from children, pets, curtains, and mini-blinds.  Candles come in all kinds of scents; my favorite is vanilla, and most men and women like vanilla.  However, the possibilities are endless; I have a candle that smells like home baked cookies.  Lavender is a comforting scent.  Candles are great accessory items for your rooms as well.

Another hint, if you've got a fireplace, light it up (after having a chimney sweep inspect it)!

3.   Home cooking scents

We moved a few times during my childhood and my mother had a favorite trick that she did every time before the arrival of a potential buyer for our home.  Put a small pot on the stove, fill it up about 1/4 of the way with water, then put in a liberal amount of powdered cinnamon, and add nutmeg and/or cloves if available.  Simmer the mixture for about a half hour.  Be careful that the water does not completely burn off or you will have a very messy pot on your hands.  Feel free to add more water.

Another hint is to bake some cookies; they always create a feeling of comfort, and taste good too!

4.     Personal scents

This is my favorite trick, the one that will make it smell most like Your home, take some of your favorite perfume or cologne and spray it onto the lightbulbs inside your home.  Make sure to do this while the lightbulbs are turned off and a cool temperature; if you do it when they are very hot they may burst!  Each time you switch the light on it will heat up and the perfume or cologne will disperse throughout the room.  (Also good when you have a date coming over!)

My advice is to avoid standard air fresheners as they won't do the trick; they tend to smell like someone else's home or worse, like a public restroom.  Try one or all of my tricks and you'll start feeling like this is the home you belong in.  Happy nesting!

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