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 ))

You may be right! But part of the smell is definitely similar to, for example, John Lewis furniture and fabrics floor )) hence my assumption.

I actually have an old rug I inherited but I cant use it because its stinks of dust. I think I posted on here before - need to wash it properly...

The only posh people I've ever known have been right old scruffs who had a foisty Tory whiff about them.

Admittedly, I don't know many!

In my house it's expensive candles, ventilation, frequently washed dog, throws and cushions etc regularly washed.
I also vac then wipe the sofas weekly with a slightly damp cloth with a dot or two of scented oil on it.

Why are Diptyqye candles not "fake scents?" I just checked their website, they cost over 50 quid and they are made of paraffin wax...?
I buy good quality quite subtle 100% beeswax/Coconut wax/ soy wax candles from TK Maxx for about 8 quid! I would have thought natural wax would be better for you anyway, maybe I'm wrong?

Shame that you don't have a job inspecting home smells. I am imagining something like the energy performance reports, the Localnotail Smell Scale.....

Haha me too!
I'm sitting at work thinking about it

It's those really big strong smelling lilies.

I actually have an old rug I inherited but I cant use it because its stinks of dust. I think I posted on here before - need to wash it properly...
Wait until spring and give it a good wash outside with non strong smelling carpet cleaner then hang it there. Beautifully fresh.
You can also now put on baking soda, give it bit of rub, let it sit, then shake outside as much as you can, hoover and it should refresh it a bit. Soda is magic on smells. I keep bit in a fridge at all times as well.

My old neighbours had a lovely smelling house and it was just one of those plug in air fresheners which alternated between 3 fragrances

I did not like them at all, but I know they are designed liked this - looking like a bland but very expensive hotel to appeal to different tastes and to present a "blank canvas", so to speak: pretty everyone who buys them pays a lot of money for the interior to be redone to suit their personal taste before moving in - I know as I worked for a "high end developer" for a bit.

Mine smells of cat, horse, incense, candles, oil paint with a touch of damp

Not sure what that makes me, maybe 'scruffy arty'...

I suppose if you have a cleaner and money to spend on lots of scented candles and oils, flowers and so on then that would make a home smell nice.

Those “smelly rocks” are frankincense. I studied in Yemen and there they chew it like gum. It does smell nice.

I think it boils down to space. In a small terraced house, a family of 4 might store all their shoes by the front door. And they might have fewer shoes overall so they smell stronger, quicker. In a large house, people probably store their shoes in a dedicated cupboards and have more shoes so that they can air out in between wears.

That’s just one example, multiply that small thing by hundred little things like having a large laundry room to dry things instead of using radiators, having 2 or 3 reception rooms so that the wear and tear of furniture is spread out vs one sofa that everyone sits on constantly, etc.

I'm obsessed with nice smells but I don't actually know what you're talking about...

I don't know how the clean smell is different from the Posh smell 🤣

I haven’t been inside many ‘posh’ houses tbh.

I do remember my best friends house growing up though. They were pretty wealthy and had lots of wooden furniture. Despite the carpets and sofas looking quite old, the house always smelt like a new car and leather mixed with a slight washing powder scent. It was very distinctive and I don’t think I’ve smelt it since.

I can’t smell my own house, we are neither middle class nor wealthy, but family/friends who visit say it always smells nice.
My brother says it smells like washing powder and pine trees, my mum says it smells of lemon and lime🤣

I used to clean and iron for a living and most of my clients were posh but not many houses smelled that nice. There were only a couple: one house that used lots of plug in scents, and another which was so minimalist there was zero clutter. Neither home had pets.

I think I can blow the lid on this, it's a combination of things - I think the biggest ones are good quality furniture, cleanliness, fresh cooking, ventilation and heating, good quality materials, and the lack of artificial scents and chemicals. Unfortunately lots of "cheaper' products (both furniture, paint and products) contain unnecessary toxic additives and volatile organic compounds which permeate into the air and affect the air quality - 'a posh person's house' usually has a lot less of the present - and this makes the house smell nice.

This also works in combination with:

• Nice house with good air flow, combined with good heating that is used regularly.
• No artificial fragrances - I have a few small candles dotted about the house that I do not burn very often. They are beeswax/ candles made with organic wax and essential oils.
• Good quality furniture - made of good woods/ marbles etc. coupled with hard wood floors and wool rugs.
• Natural materials - cottons, silks, wool, cashmere etc. coupled with a nice laundry detergent. I only use more expensive laundry detergent such as the laundress as I don't like artificial scents.
• Good quality toiletries - nothing artificial, never use hair spray or spray on deodorants, fake tan etc. All toiletries use natural scents and ingredients.
• Freshly brewed coffee from a fresh press - would never use instant coffee.
• No wet dogs/ cats - any animals are also regularly groomed with a groomer and their living area is cleaned out twice daily. Also any animals are usually small/ medium in size.
• Cooking fresh good quality food twice a day using lots of fresh herbs and spices and premium produce.
• Never cooking greasy food or food out of a can/ processed foods like microwave meals. Also do a lot of fresh homemade bread and baking with fresh ingredients.
• Good quality cooking apparatus - cast-iron/ stainless steel and glass, rather than plastic - as plastic holds smell.
• Never ordering greasy takeaways
• Only eating in the kitchen/ dining room at the table (no smells in the other rooms)
• Don't use cheaper cleaning chemicals such as bleach or zoflora (unless absolutely needed) - tend to use things like soap and water to clean, or cleaning products from places like the laundress.
• Plants - I have plants that help to purify my air.
• Expensive appliances - air purifiers, vacuum cleaners with purifiers etc.
• No smoking
• Bigger rooms - means air is less stuffy

We have a cleaner 10 hours a week, no one smokes, don’t have a deep fat fryer, the kitchen is miles away from the living rooms so even if we do cook something smelly it doesn’t permeate the house and have about £1000 of Diptyque and soho house candles about the place. We have a separate utility and separate drying/laundry room and the heating is on a lot.

Is it their cleaning firms spray? I used to clean for a firm that had very posh clients. We had what they called a signature spray that we had to spray when we left the house. It was an expensive kind of perfume room spray and was designed to make people stepping into their newly cleaned house like the smell of their house.

😂 I've never heard a posh person actually call themselves posh

A lot of people suggest candles, air diffusers, etc - what I'm describing is not a nice smell like, for example, smell of flowers or even scented rocks is "nice" - its more sophisticatedly pleasant smell, like, for example, smell of leather, or a new car - you would not put it into an air freshener, but its lovely.

talking about smell - another smell I absolutely love can be described as "concrete multistorey car park in a hot country" - always makes me happy as it means holiday

Yep my Granny was posh and her house had a kind of combo of expensive furniture polish mingled with bowls of pot pourri she had everywhere…was a nice smell!

You are right posh people don't say posh, they say high net worth individual or household.

Because they all probably use the same overpriced interior designer!!! 😂

@localnotail my cleaner uses beeswax polish for leather couches, wood silk for wood furniture and special silver polish for the family silver collection (! Sounds ridiculous in writing!) : all of this layers to give a lovely smell

Daily (or more than once weekly, at least) cleaning (likely cleaners), polishing, sanitising, scenting, airing, all with the same products all the time so that it's your homes's 'signature scent'.