While you might think that these two facts are unrelated, you may be surprised to realize just how closely linked our emotions are to our sense of smell. A nice bouquet of flowers, a warm apple pie, or the scent of an ocean breeze can lift your spirits instantly.Therefore, the scents you have in your home can make just as big of an impression on you, your family, and your guests as the perfect accent piece or a new furniture set.
Out With The Old
Before you hit up the nearest Yankee Candle, remember that adding new scents without cleaning out the stale odors will just result in a masking effect that will have little impact in the long run. Instead, start with some basic cleaning. Vacuum the carpet, wipe down all the wooden surfaces, shake the dust out of all your rugs (note: make sure you do this outside), and really get into all the nooks and crannies. You’ll probably enlist your kids’ help to tackle the heavy duty messes, including the pile of gym clothes in your son’s room.
Once all the bad smells have been removed, then it’s time to bring in the scents you love.
Commercial Products
The option that may come to mind first is to purchase commercial scent products. These mainly include a variety of air fresheners. Many of these are designed to be long-lasting and include ingredients that work to eliminate any lingering odors that may have stuck around after your thorough summer cleaning.
However, there are those who forgo this option in favor of a more natural approach.
Candles, Waxes, & Oils
The variety of candles, melting waxes, reed diffusers, and essential oils that are out there can seem daunting to say the least, and while each has their own benefits, it ultimately comes down to your style, your home decor, and of course, the scent that makes you feel happiest or captures the mood that you want to create. Keep in mind, our sense of smell is also closely linked to our memories, so when making your decision, you may find a scent to evokes memories of a loved one, of a childhood memory, or even of a specific place and time.
Do-It-Yourself
Finally, after looking through all your options, you may decide to go completely natural and create your own solutions. This process could include making your own candles (for which there are an abundance of blogs, recipes, and guides from which to choose) or you could find simpler method for bringing the scents you love to your home.
Fresh cut flowers add a natural and bright feel to your home and can bring the scent of relaxing summer to any room. Additionally, you may decide to hit the kitchen, where you can either bake fresh cookies 24 hours a day (a little difficult, but if you decide to do this, then please invite us over) or you can make your favorite simmering pot. To do so, just warm a pot of water on the stove or in a crockpot and add your favorite ingredients (apples, cinnamon sticks, orange peels, nutmeg, rosemary, and so on).
No matter how you choose to freshen up your home, just remember that the right combination of furniture, decor, fresh scents, and family can transform any house, apartment, or condo into an instant home.
