Light-hearted! Anyone noticed how posh people's homes smell really nice inside? Not perfume, just generally. What is it?

[localnotail]

This, basically! Something I've been wondering idly for a long time, since I was a kid. I remember going to my wealthy middle class friend's houses and wondering how they smell so nice - I cant explain it, general very nice, clean, warm smell, like maybe so many nice new thing? Like maybe you get inside an expensive furniture store, plus something else I cant quite explain. But its definitely there! I can always tell if someone "posh" or not (in my head) depending on how their house smells. I never mentioned this to anyone up until now as I think its a bit weird, sniffing around people's homes ))

I would add that I have been to posh homes - mainly big old houses - that totally stank of cat wee, mouldy dust and boiled veg, but its still different somehow, still mixed up with that nice affluent smell. The smell is also there even if the house is filled with old tat or ordinary IKEA furniture. Also, when I say "posh" - I mean middle class, kind of very comfortable wealthy lifestyle but not aristocracy, obv.

So would like to know if I'm a bit mental or is there anyone else who noticed that? What is it? Your thoughts ))

Money.

I am far from being posh but get yourself the home sprays for white company… wild rhubarb is my fave

You just never hear the term pongy anymore

even the AutoCorrect thinks it’s pony

it’s very expressive

Zoflora is about as far away from posh as anyone can get.

I also liked Method floor cleaner, really nice.

It's the washing detergent I think. We stayed at an air BnB recently and as soon as I walked in, I thought this smells like rich people.

I had a good sniff of their cleaning products and it was the washing detergent that was producing the scent, it smelled significantly better than the cheap Tesco stuff I always use. Came home, splashed out on the same detergent and fabric conditioner and now my house also smells like rich people- although I am now even less rich because it's pricey 😫

People need to give specifics. What is this rich person washing powder for example?

The houses I went into that smelled like that, there were high end toiletries in the bathroom… specially shampoos and body oils… that scented steam enveloping and escaping will soak into the surrounding areas as well and linger.

The bedsheets were high thread count cotton or linen and thick, whilst also being very soft, this helped them retain the fresh scent of washing powder and detergent for for far longer. Detergents were usually Ariel or Persil and comfort intense fabric softer which lasts for several.

They we’re not home many hours in the week, working, out, or weekends away, so house wasn’t as exposed to the lived in scents.

Bedsheets and towels and rugs were collected and returned by professional cleaning services sometimes, so they never developed a musty scent.

Lady of the house used light dab of expensive perfume in the morning and before bed. Might have lingered on coats and scarves in hallway.

Essential oil sprays for bedsheets were common.

You couldn’t put your finger on the smell, it was airy and homely.

People mentioning the natural home scents of leather and wood etc might be interested to know Tom Ford does an aspirational line in exactly this in ornament fat Reed diffusers. They smell rather masculine to my nose. And you would need to sell a first born child for that price tag.

https://www.thehut.com/home-accessories/tom-dixon-element-scent-diffuser-0.2l-water/11576644.html?affil=thggpsad&switchcurrency=GBP&shippingcountry=GB&gad_source=1&gclid=CjwKCAiA98WrBhAYEiwA2WvhOkZqG3FJkGC5x1BME1T8cCAFQD1JWgDX6BwXT4DjXRRPi7SMSSwekRoCyTwQAvD_BwE&gclsrc=aw.ds

What detergent smells like rich people?

My friend uses a scented spray when ironing. She also uses a lavender spray on the pillows every night. Both smell lovely.

What is this mythical washing detergent of which you speak?

I'm not aware of posh people having especially nice smelling homes, my theory would be that they may have bigger rooms with high ceilings so the smells all drift upwards and are more diffuse so you don't notice them as much.

Having said that I know plenty of posh peoples who homes are not all that clean or fresh smelling and working class people with spotless and nice smelling homes. It seems kind of bizarre to me that this is a class thing, but of course everything on mumsnet comes down to class.

Good ventilation. Regular cleaning & new items comming & going

Sorry @localnotail I haven't read much of the thread as it is late (3.63am), and I am late to the thread. So I'm sorry if someone else has already said this:

Hormones. I think the smell is of hormones.

I think that these days most of us lead such stressful and busy lives that we exude a lot of stress hormones. I think that all of our sensory hormones probably give off a smell, the ones most of us have heard of are Pheromones, to do with sexual desire and maybe love as well. We don't, or can't usually, consciously, detect them, but they do apparently give of certain smells.

I can't believe that there are many people who however busy, complicated, or just exhausting their lives are, still manage to drench the air that they breathe and move through, with the smell of relaxing and soothing hormones. So I think that those stress hormones are what we smell most of the time, and like any repetitive smell or sound (like a ticking clock), we just stop consciously noticing it.

Then very occassionally we may go into a home whose occupants are mainly very content with their daily lives (I am not talking about the people who are overly energetic and extremely happy, as I think that their hormones would not be particularly relaxing and welcoming). I think it is the very fact that the emotions of those who do not stress easily, who are not up and down all over the place, but instead are usually calm and pleasant, and who often live in very comfortable homes, that have enough space to move about in, and enough clean air to breathe, and who have plenty of soft furnishings to absorb the scent of their placid and pleasant hormones into the deepest fibres of the furnishings, which makes their homes feel and smell so warm and welcoming. 💐🥰

interesting theory. I wonder.

i think its the wooden furniture

On a related note, I’ve been researching heat pumps and one of the things that puts me off is the focus on insulation and ventilation rather than fresh air. Like a PP I was raised to throw open all the windows during the day to air the house, and I still do that now, regardless of the weather. I think it’s the single thing that most improves the smell and air quality in a house. Can anyone who has a heat pump and highly insulated comment? Are you still ok to open all the windows daily?

This post is hilarious

I recall my mother talking to a neighbour who had come from a grand family but 'married beneath herself ', hence she was our neighbour, and my mother referred to someone of their acquaintance as 'posh', the neighbour said They're not posh, they just have a lot of money!

Good point. Opening windows and having functional chimneys thus decent air circulation.

Poshest people we know smell like wet dogs as does their pile.

Like maybe you get inside an expensive furniture store

Pledge?

I lived in an old rental property for years and it had a terrible smell. No amount of cleaning, leaving windows open, expensive reed diffusers and everything else on this thread made it smell decent. I then moved to a new build house with much newer carpets. I hardly ever open the windows, and it always smells good. Even if I've cooked fished or anything else with a foul smell it doesn't linger in the way it did in the previous house.

Same here.