To wonder why I'm no good with fragrances?

[Lililly]

I'm not a glade plugin type of girl - at least their adverts manage to repel me, but when I am in the artificial stinks isle in wilkinson, I am somehow fascinated. Could my house smell of lovely sophistication?
I brought some 'clean linen' stinky bamboo sticks from aldi recently and put them in the bedroom having given it a bit of a blitz. I hid them a bit, imagining Dh finding the room unusually clean and inviting, but instead he said "it smells weird over here" . The stink just lingers in the corner smelling too strong, and that's it.

I have occasionally been to people's houses that smell gorgeous, Though I can't think who, or I would ask.

I find the same with body fragrance, sometimes you walk past someone and they smell amazing, not of perfume, just of loveliness , what is their secret?

Sometimes dh days I smell lovely but it is just my dry shampoo...

[Sparklingbrook]

I am a bit the same Lililly. I sometime have candles and they make the house smell nice, i can't do Glade plug ins or anything like that. Too artificial smelling.

Someone recommended in the winter months wiping the radiators over with fabric conditioner, but I am yet to try it.

[Lj8893]

Diffuser sticks are really nice, and they look pretty.

[YoungBritishPissArtist]

I find all air fresheners, plug-ins, etc utterly toxic.

[Loonytoonie]

My house is the same, where I have pockets of nice smelliness, then last nights bolognaise/bacon/chilli lingering heavily everywhere else.

And those stick things, as gorgoues as they are, are darned expensive! Even in TKMax they're pricey.

Cannot bear supermarket smellies. I agree that they are toxic and cloystering.

[fluffyraggies]

Soak a tissue in (a nice) pot-pourri (sp?) oil and put it behind a radiator in winter. The smell drifts all around the room because of the convection.

If you can afford them Yanky Candles are divine. If i was wealthy i'd have a Yanky Candle burning upstairs and down year round :)

[Lj8893]

Primark sell diffuser sticks!! And Laura Ashley have sales on their home fragrance bits all the time, I get mine cheaply from there.

[Lililly]

Loonytune Oh good, glad not to be the only one! I too have the lovely cooking smells which I like, and really don't like anything artificial.

[Sparklingbrook]

Car Air fresheners baffle me. Why do people have those? They make me feel carsick.

[pianodoodle]

I have a bit of an obsession with Yankee Candles.

They are expensive though so I have to wait 'til Christmas to get one as a present!

Their wax tarts are great though they last ages and actually smell like the real thing not synthetic.

The baby powder one is lush :)

[pianodoodle]

Oops x-post with fluffy

[JamNan]

A few drops of lavender oil in the filter of your vacuum cleaner has the same effect.

AromaWorks has nice scented candles that don't smell overpowering or synthetic.

[fluffyraggies]

yep, Yanky Baby Powder - LOVELY!

and the Clean Linen, and the Cinnamon, and the ...... and ......

[DrCoconut]

Make a small volume of quite concentrated fabric softener solution. Soak a flannel or small hand towel. Dry on radiator. The smell gets everywhere.

[Fairylea]

I think smell is so personal. What one person loves another loathes!

For me keeping everything clean and fresh is the majority of the smell battle... I love the smell of clean washing (aldi washing powder is amazing) and I frequently clean the windowsills and surrounds as the air blows through when the windows are open and I think keeping them fresh really helps. I also wash curtains regularly etc etc.

I'm not a bleach fan but I love the smell of the blue cotton fresh flash liquid so use that a lot and also flash bathroom spray upstairs.

Occasionally I will squirt febreeze about but generally I'd hope my house just smelt fresh rather than of a particular scent.

[SugarHut]

I've got about 5 Scentsy thing-a-ma-doo-dahs dotted around the place. I only got introduced to them last month. Sort of like a candle fondue set up. You buy these wax blocks in like an ice cube tray (the scents are fabulous, much better than Yankee Candles) snap off a couple of cubes and drop one in the "heater" and off you go. Plus the little holders are very cute. Some are a bit Cath Kidston naff, but the plain white ones that light up a little are soooo pretty on in the evening.

I have a DS and a little pooch. Both stink :) And yet the house smells of peach :)

[WaitingForMe]

My house smells lovely. I open the windows every day and keep it clean (using a Bissell on the carpets makes a big difference IMO). Then I layer Yankee candle scents - I buy mine at an outlet in their sale and they aren't expensive (and last ages).

[HeadsDownThumbsUp]

I agree that plug-in things are vile (smell of chemicals) and that the adverts are intensely irritating. I don't really like diffusers either.

I do like a nice smelling house though. The most important thing is to keep the place well ventilated to let any mustiness out. Putting fragrance in a musty, poorly aired room won't smell that great.

If you want to get rid of cooking/living smells then Price's candles are the best. They don't perfume the house too much, but they get rid of odours and leave a good smell in place.

I agree that Yankee candles are brilliant. Hard to say they are good value, but they last for ages and the smell spreads out well.

Have you thought about burning incense? Some people love it, others hate it. I really like it. You can get lots of different types of smells and it's really cheap. Wafts about the house nicely.

As for body fragrance/perfume...it's all about finding the perfumes that work with you - not necessarily the smell you like best. I absolutely love Stella McCartney perfume on other women. Love it. On me - I can't smell a thing. Not a thing. Spend some time in a good perfume hall and experiment. If you can, get an assistant to help you identify a couple of notes you really like (ie. rose, sandalwood) and go for there.

I'm not a huge fan myself, but I find that Jo Malone perfumes smell distinctive on most people.

[HeadsDownThumbsUp]

From another perspective, it's worth bearing in mind that there may be health risks associated with using many scented candles etc. The scents can be irritants, some of the chemicals released are dubious, and burning or melting paraffin wax introduces carcinogens into the atmosphere. Beeswax candles are thought to be a safer alternative.

Burning incense also introduces smoke (though nicely fragranced!) into the house.

Don't know if that will bother you, but it's worth bearing in mind.

[IsaacCox]

I have Yankee Candle diffuser sticks and they smell lovely.

[Lj8893]

I remember reading somewhere that mixing up some fabric conditioner with water and dipping a cloth in it and then wipe it around doors, radiators, windows etc can make the house smell lovely.

[filee777]

We have a wood burner, house smells amazing even if we've left the dishes a bit too long!

[Crowler]

I wish I could speak scents. I can never explain why I like a particular smell, it's a bit like wine it seems.

The M&S vanilla one is great, I have them in my house and they work beautifully. I have tried the super-cheap ones before and they do not work.

[FortyFacedFuckers]

I always use candles

[TheGirlOnTheLanding]

Unfortunately I think you get what you pay for with diffuser sticks. Have tried cheap ones (supermarket, Primark etc) and they do smell weird and chemically. Was given expensive ones as gifts and they were more subtle and lasted far longer. I can't afford really dear ones usually but have found the M&S ones are good, as are Body Shop. I also have the windows open as often as possible and have essential oil in a non-lit burner in the bathroom so I can top it up every day.

[Loonytoonie]

Intrigued. What's s non-lit burner and where can I buy one.

One of my fav aromatherapy blends are used in a burner but a non-fire one means I could have it on constantly?