The Fragrant Home
Nothing pleased me more than when my young niece opened her gift from me, inhaled deeply and proclaimed, “Auntie, it smells like your house”! I was almost as delighted when a visiting friend begged me to tell her how I get my bath towels to smell like a newly-opened bottle of Clairol’s Herbal Essence Shampoo (the 1970’s version, she was quick to say).
A long time ago, I noticed houses have scent imprints. My grandmother’s city apartment smelled of lemons and Pacquins Hand Cream. In winter, the house I grew up in was scented with comforting cooking smells that mingled with wood fires from two working fireplaces. In summer, hot breezes from the porch flooded our dining room with the piney scent of citronella candles and the laundry room where we changed out of wet swimsuits, was filled with the scent of clean-smelling chlorine from the pool. Combined, all these aromas formed a unique ambrosia of fragrance and a hallmark scent all its own.
Of course, everyone knows a bad-smelling house and not meaning to malign but my former mother-in-law’s had a sickening sweet smell. I never found the reason for the strong fruity scent but I was sure I didn’t want my house to have it. And sometimes, the problem with a house’s olfactory imprint is that the resident inmates can get so used to it that they never really know when it does go bad. It takes a good friend to alert you as a pal of mine did when she visited one afternoon and noticed a very dank smell. She thought it might have been from a long-dead mouse and she was right – the little interloper drowned in the water pan underneath the refrigerator. I am shuddering still. I had no idea.
The homes in Grace Livingston Hill novels are always redolent with bayberry and lavender. And in a novel I just finished, the house was fragranced with Houbigant Quelques Fleurs bubble bath because the residing teen bathed in it religiously every morning morning before school, it’s scent wafting throughout the house until the dinner hour. It was then that savory roast chicken and cherry pie took over. Again, the house had an imprint.
Visiting Orchard House as a young woman, I first noticed the structure’s floral scent which mingled with equal parts old wood and paper. It permeated every room including the stairway. Thinking about it later, I found a perfume that reminded me of the house’s scent – a playful bouquet of roses with a touch of musk in its brew. My imagination ran wild with possibilities for fragrancing the home. And I knew when I had a house of my own, I would try hard to keep it perfumed.
Now I want my house to smell of good comforting food cooking in the oven too but also of twigs of spiney lavender tucked away in linen closets and the lush fragrant greenness of fresh-cut flowers. And while that is not always possible, over the years, I have been able to craft some tried and true methods for scenting my home:
Linens
~Towels absorb scent easily and I use floral powders on mine. Sprinkle when the towels are fresh from the laundry and almost dry. Fold and sprinkle a bit more.
~Sheets love lavender. Make your own spray lavender with essential oil and water in a small spray bottle. Spray after putting them on the bed.
Closets
~Save small vials of perfume samples from department store giveaways. Without spraying directly on clothing, use them inside closets and then keep the doors closed. When you go to grab that coat, you’ll have a nice mild scent imprint on your garment and a fragranced hall.
Kitchen
~Lemons rule the kitchen. Keep a small fragrant bowl of them on the counter, especially in summer. Slice one and squeeze it into the sink or drop a slice into the garbage disposer. Freshening the drains was an important task in yesterday’s households and lemons were part of the method for keeping them odor-free. Limes work well too.
Naturally, baking frequently especially with vanilla, fragrances the house beautifully and recalls long-ago grandmothers and cookies and pies.
Laundry
I use unscented laundry detergent because I find the scented ones too chemical and too “loud”. I don’t use dryer sheets for the same reason. Instead, I prefer lemon to brighten whites and pre-made dried lavender sachets for the dryer. A basket of ironing can be sprinkled with a mixture of water and essential oil (mixed well). I love the citrus smell of grapefruit oil for this.
General
~A tricky one, but I sometimes rub a bit of essential oil on the wood trim around the windowsill in the bathroom and kitchen. Pre-test this first so as not to damage new trim or new wood.
~An inexpensive diffuser with water and a few drops of an essential oil works wonders to perfume the air in a small space. And in winter, a humidifier seems to freshen the air on its own.
~Candles are great but many scents can be headache-inducing. I like the very mild single-floral ones such as Lily or Rose. I prefer soy candles when I find them and they are not too sickly sweet. I use candles sparingly but when I am in the house for the entire day, a lit candle with a soft soothing scent is reassuring and distills a nice fragrance.
~Flowers. I love lilies in winter and hyacinths in spring. Both are earth-green fresh-smelling and it doesn’t take a lot of them. Lilacs by the bedside are lovely too.
~Potpourri. By far, my favorite potpourri is Bitter Orange. It’s a timeless scent that lasts a long time. I don’t buy vulgar multi-colored, not-seen-in-nature hued “potpourri” bags found in discount stores. And good potpourri should be used lightly – it’s costly and dries out quickly. A pretty crystal bowl sitting on a side table is all you need at one time. Someday I may make my own.
The thing to remember about the fragrant home is that all these good things combined create a stamp unique to your home. Find the things you love and be creative in ways that make your house smell good. You don’t have to be militant about it – sometimes all it takes is just opening a window to a fresh breeze on a gorgeous billowing day.
Special note: My blog will be migrating to a new location very soon and there may be some upgrades (changes) over the next few months. I hope it will still be a lovely inconsequence to read.
22 Comments
Warmmist@airhumidifiespot
Nothing is better than running a warm humidifier in the winter or fall time. I crank up mine 24hrs weekly and i am protected against cold weather
A Lovely Inconsequence
I agree with this!
Zummi
This is a worth reading article and your insights are impressive.
Heather
Another wonderful post. xoxo always.
Debra
Oh thank-you! I'll be bookmarking this post for its wonderfully simple ideas all in one place. Loved the ease of each one and enjoyed your memories of scents, as well. Blessings, Debra
Karen
I learned the scented towel trick from Donna during one of my visits and my bathroom has never been the same! I love that whisper of scent when I unfurl it from the linen closet and the bonus is that my bed smells delightful, too, from being my working area as I powder (and scent) the heck out of my well-loved towels (which, BTW, were a gift from Donna!). My house has a much nicer fragrance, thanks to my friend–whose motto might be "No smell, no sale"!
galant
I use a lemon wardrobe spray, just lightly now and again in our wardrobes (closets to those in the USA) and this is lovely. Roger & Gallet soaps in the shower room also work their magic. And Wood Silk polish for the furniture and also I put some essential lavender oil on a cotton wool pad and pop that into the vacuum dust box and that makes vacuuming much nicer. I also wash out the kitchen waste food caddy (which has a bidegradable bag in it, of course) often and then put some Zoflora disinfectant on a pad in the bottom. We have our dustbins and re-cycling boxes (that's garbage cans in the USA, I think) professionally washed once a month, so even though they have liners, they never have a nasty smell. Just being clean, washing down the sink regularly, cleaning the loos and basins, you actually prevent nasty smells rather than having to mask them. Oh, and I used to use Quelques Fleurs for my summer-time fragrance, I still love it!
Margaret P
http://www.margaretpowling.com
Donna
Wonderful ideas Margaret. I just implemented your vacuum trick! Thank you.
Karen
I would RUN to purchase a book of essays by your phenomenal sister. This post is so evocative – so many people allude to places "smelling like Grandma's house" and now that I'm a Grammy I have no idea what my house might smell like. I'm not much of a baker so that's out. Thank you for all the great ideas. XO .
Donna
Thank you and you are welcome Karen!
Unknown
By the way, which of your readers would love it if you publish a book of essays? Let's start a ground swell of encouragement – I have been yearning to see my sister become an authoress, book in hand, holding court somewhere.
Unknown
Synchronicity abounds, Sister. I just purchased a new home scent from one of our favorite shops in town. It's called Ponte Vecchio by Bougies La Francais and the packaging is lovely which sparked the purchase. It's a beachy scent, so fresh. I love it! They had soy candles too, but I refrained since I have my favorite Diptyques to burn. Yes, your house smells lovely – exactly like Nana Mac's!
lucy
Love your blog. Wishing you a smooth transition. Thanks for all the hits. We also dab a cotton ball with essential oils. I also put one o the a/c register.
Donna
You're welcome Lucy!
Dewena
This is such a lovely post with lots of good helping hints. And now I wish so much that I hadn't gotten rid of all my Grace Livingston books in two downsizing moves.
Donna
Thank you yet again Dewena!
Amy
I've noticed a distressing trend amongst the "neo-Stoic" crowd that demonizes scents (I think there's even a new documentary out about it). They'd prefer the world to be a scent-free sterile bubble!
I love perfumes and home fragrances – from elegant and sophisticated to "loud" candles from B&BW that smell like lime margaritas. I figure at my age I can be as tacky as I like.
Donna
I love EVERYTHING you wrote here Amy! I'll be looking for the docu. There's a reason behind it – some have allergies, headaches, etc. from scents – I get that. But a life without fragrance? I think not!
Dana
This post is so wonderful and informative. Thanks for all the fabulous tips- so many ideas to try. One thing I always do is bake cookies right before guests arrive- love that comforting scent. I did chuckle when I read the part about the dead mouse. I live in a very old house and occasionally encounter that dreaded odor- would never think though to look in the pan under the fridge!
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Ann
What a wonderful post! It made me think of my Aunt Mamie's home…always smelled of Dove soap and Chanel No. 5 Thanks for the tips on making our homes smell great. I love to put a small piece of cotton with essential oil ( orange or any other) in the vacuum bag or container so each time I vacuum the house smells clean. Will try the powder on the towels…good idea. I take all the scent inserts that come in magazines or flyers ( or bills !) and tuck them in around the sheets in the linen chest. Thanks again for your wonderfully written posts !
Donna
As always, thank you Ann!