Creating a scented Oasis in your home

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Having the right scent in your home can be tricky. There are so many different options out there, and believe me I have tried them all.

The first thing you want to remember is that home scents, like personal scents should change with the seasons. They should also change for the room or general area. The reason being that when you walk from room to room you want to perceive a different scent or your nose will get used to it. But you don’t want to have too many things going on, subtle changes are best. I have different scent for my entry, another for my great room, another for each bedroom and for each bathroom.  But the trick is to be cohesive. You don’t want too many competing scents, like apple cinnamon in the living room and lavender in the dining room.  Great combinations are lavender and vanilla, vanilla and apples, pumpkin spice and apple spice, cookies and vanilla, do you see the trend? Many of the store options already have this layering in effect, so just follow that lead.

Candles, and candle warmers

I have a favorite candle that I use, it’s better than any other candle, and its cost effective. Its Walgreen’s Patriot Brand Candle in Linen. It’s a fresh crisp scent, never offensive, and somehow I find that it calms me. They are $9.00 or 3 for $21, and many time Walgreen’s has a special bogo offer, so when ever they are on sale I buy a bunch and stock up. One candle is enough to scent up your entire living room, and they last forever.

I recently got turned on to candle warmers. With a candle warmer, you can leave the house for a few hours and not worry about a fire. What I like to do is turn them on at night, and in the morning wake up to a fresh smelling home, or sometimes i turn them on before I go to work, and when I come home my house is fresh. The longer you allow your candle to melt the deeper the scent gets, so leave it for a few hours. You can find candle warmers at big lots, Walgreen’s, Wal-mart, just about any where. A friend of mine whose home always smells great uses the candle warmers to heat up the scented oils. Scented oil warmers are available at Wal-Mart, but I think it’s a better buy to get the candle warmers. You can use them to warm candles, or you can put a glass container I use a candle holder, fill it with your oil of choice and leave it on. The longer you do this the deeper the smell, I usually leave mine on for the whole night or day, turn it off for a few hours, then turn it back on.

Now my Dad had turned me onto to these little lamp things you get from Kirkland, I’m not sure what they are called but the have glass bottle with a wick you light, and then you turn of the wick and this clay warmer wicks up the scented oil. DONT BUY THOSE. They are pretty, and they scent up, but they are very expensive, and hard to refill. The wick is $9, the oil another $9, who wants to spend that much money on perfuming the house? Plus the oils are not available everywhere, pretty much only at Kirkland, which can be a pain in butt.

Another trick of mine is incense. Now you have to get some quality incense or your home won’t smell right, but if you know what you’re buying you can get some a great scent. I use a brand from Whole Foods called Triloka. They are the best, their scents are warming, not overly smoky and use all natural ingredients. My favorite is Lavender Fields. Additionally, incense also has some other wonderful properties. It promotes calm and well-being, and many people believe that incense smoke chases away the bad spirits. I will usually light one up at night, and from time to time I will light a few and walk around the house making sure to get the smoke in the corners, where the bad spirits like to hide…lol, i know, i know. but it does make me feel peaceful when doing it.

Last but not least are the tried and tried plug-in warmers. I love them, I hate them. Personally, I like to use items like candles and incense and my own oils more, because I try to be as natural as possible when I can. The plug-ins always make me feel like I am using too much perfume chemicals, and since there are no listed ingredients, I always feel weird about that. Also, I wonder how much electricity your wasting with all these plug-ins around the home.

Remember, one of the most important factors of having a welcoming home is the scent that it carries. You want it to be inviting, but not over powering. It also helps you to transition your day, when you come home to your uniquely smelling house, you know your home and can leave all the stresses of the day behind.

I would love to hear your tips and how you keep your home smelling fresh!

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