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The Sniff Test
Posted By Homekeeping Moderator
Whenever I smell fried chicken, I think of my grandparent’s farmhouse back in Texas. That was always the aroma that would greet my nose whenever I walked in their front door. It was delightful. And I cannot pass by a bottle of “White Shoulders” perfume and not think of my Nanny.
How does your house smell? Too often, mine stinks of Early Toddler. In the last seven plus years, my home has been diaper free only about two months. It has become a mission to make my house smell as pleasant as possible. I’ve learned a few tricks I’d like to share.
I’ve found that I cannot use commercial air fresheners. You know, the kind that you plug in, spray, or sit out like it is in keeping with your decorating scheme. (As if Early Toddler were a decorating scheme.) The smell is just too perfumy and overpowering for my delicate sensibilities. Somewhere during my first pregnancy, I developed an extreme reaction to strong perfumy smells. If you are ever sitting next to me in a closed room, and I turn green and run away from you, it’s not anything you said. It would be your perfume.
My best home scent find has been dryer sheets. I buy the generic brand at Wal•Mart and a box lasts me quite a while. I tear them in two, so they last twice as long! I place dryer sheets in the diaper pail, in the canister of my bagless vacuum cleaner, and in shoes that cannot be laundered.
While I love potpourri, I have found that I can no longer leave bowls of it scattered about my house. My intrepid son will climb the furniture and eat it like potato chips. However, I have taken ratty, but clean, panty hose and cut them into 1 foot lengths. I tie one end, fill with my favorite potpourri, and tie the other end. Then I can place them in inconspicuous spots around the house. Out of Junior’s reach.
I’ve also developed a fondness for Yankee Candle Company candles. Especially around the holidays. There are some wonderful scents that smell of gingerbread, cinnamon, and other wonderful Christmas like smells. But again, Junior needs special watching around fire.
I think my favorite discovery has been auromatherapeutic oils. I found one called “clove oil” at the health food store. I put a few drops on a cotton ball and hide them throughout my house. I then replace the cotton ball every two to three weeks. The smell is wonderful.
How your home smells says I lot about you I think. While mine doesn’t indicate that I ever fry chicken, it does, for the most part, smell inviting. They say that if you are expecting a realtor with a prospective buyer, bake cookies beforehand. By “they” I don’t mean the voices in your head (or maybe that’s just me), but the experts who know important factoids about making your home more desirable.
I suppose I could break down and just clean the house. But where’s the sport in that?
If you have any tricks for making your home smell nice, please share them in the comments section!
Written by DeeDee at It Coulda’ Been Worse.
May 6th, 2007
These are GREAT! (((((HUGS))))) sandi
Great ideas! I will have to check the health store for the clove oil. My suggestion is a tiny crockpot (also called a dipping pot) I put the liquid potpurri from walmart in there. I too do not like over perfumy smells so there is two that I do like. One is called “white linen” and it smells nice and clean not perfumy, and the other is morning dew which is a tad more flowery but still not overkill. One trick I do to take some of the podency out and becasue I am cheap and don’t want to use it all too fast is I fill the dipping crock halfway with the liquid potpurri and the rest of the way with water. it makes the house smell really nice. oh and I like the scent “island colada” too it makes it easier to pretend I am in Hawaii without being an obnoxious smell lol. I do know they make simmering popturri pots but for some reason those don’t get warm enough to heat the potpurri to where you can smell it beyond the room it is in.
love the post!
Jenna (aka.. the cheerio queen)
I realize this involves work, but IMHO, nothing smells as good as food. Nothing.
So whenever we are selling a house (which seems to be about every 18 months, on average), I try to bake cookies or bread or put a stew in the oven before an open house. After all, it’s the way to a potential buyer’s heart. Right?
And if I can’t cook, I throw on this simmering potpourri. It’s the perfect mix of warm, spicy but not too sweet.
SIMMERING POTPOURRI
1/2 orange, sliced
1/2 lemon, sliced
10 whole cloves
3 cinnamon sticks
1 bay leaf
Put ingredients in 6 cups of water and simmper on stovetop. Add water as needed.
When selling a house, I buy the cheapest frozen apple pie I can find and bake it just before someone comes over to see the house.
I’ve also used the things from Bath and Body Works …I think they are called Wallflowers. They are basically overpriced airwick plug-ins. But they have several scents that aren’t too purfumey…like crisp linen and some others that I can’t think of right now!
Kelly - that’s the kind of thing I was going to suggest! Years ago, before there were so many varieties of air freshener options, that’s what I used to do. I’d put some cinnamon sticks, cloves, maybe a little vanilla, whatever sweet spices I had in my baking cupboard, in a few cups of water, simmer it on the stove for a while, and it really makes the house smell wonderful! Out of the way of little fingers (on the back burner) and it also adds humidity to your home, which is good if anyone has a cold or if you live in an area like I do, up HIGH in the Rocky Mountains, where it is really dry. Also, if you want to smell good yourself, instead of perfume :o) my grandma always would dab just a little bit of vanilla behind her ears just before grandpa came home! :o) Nina
Satzuma oil from Body Shop…heavenly and not overpowering. I love it!!
Those are all great ideas. I keep a dryer sheet or two in my car and it keeps it smelling somewhat better, if the combo of ocean breeze and former puke can be classified as better. I loved seeing your picture because in my mind you had short blonde Twiggy hair and an Alabama accent. Maybe because I have a friend named Dee who has short blonde Twiggy hair and an Alabama accent.