Air freshners/room fragrance

[HexBramble]

I'm a big fan of essential oils and burn a load usually in burners on the weekend. Mourning the week though, DH, DD's and I are out of the house by 7 am and not often home until 5 and the house smells stale and musty when we open the front door.

I want to buy something - I hate anything plug in and 'synthetic' but neither have I found anything nice in the oil diffuser range either. Yankee candle products are too clinical and overpowering too. Candles gather dust so I don't like them.

Fussy much?! What do you use?

What on earth is happening in your house that you need to disguise it with a fragrance? It matters not whether it's an artificial or a fresh scent. Fresh air is all you need.

I would say that if your house smells stale and musty when you get home that

a) you aren't opening your windows often enough
b) all you're smelling is the lingering after effects of the horrible stuff you're burning

I have the same dilemma.

I love my oils and incense, but you have to be there.

I try to air the place as much as possible.

BIWI - gee thanks.

ThatBloodyWoman - all doors and windows are flung open wherever and whenever possible but that's only when we are actually there.

The Sanctuary had lovely fragrance sticks years ago that left a subtle fragrance which I liked. Not sure they still do it though.

I always have the upstairs windows open but on the console table in the hallway I have a reed diffuser from sainsburys. I think it's pink grapefruit and citrus. Or something. It's really lovely to walk into the house and it wafts up to meet you. And doesn't smell to artificial like lots of air fresheners.

What about scented candles? I have a few over the years as gifts, I don't burn candles but I find that they emit a strong smell.

The only things I've really heard of are wiping doorframes with lavender oil so when you open the door the smell wafts and putting fabric conditioner sheets behind radiators so when it warms the smell releases.

Not tried either.

I do find that a particular room can smell better after I've used fhe dehumidifier -it cuts the damp, fusty smell you can get.

BIWI unfortunately some of us live in damp homes with mould and mildew problems.
Not ideal at all, but its how it is.

I've tried the conditioner sheets behind radiators and it works (though they run out of fragrance quite quickly). Otherwise I find a few drops of fragranced oil with boiling water poured on top in a cup is the quickest way to get things smelling nice.

If conditioner sheets behind a radiator work, would essential oils on a cloth do the same kind of thing? You can probably put something on curtains too. You can buy humidifiers (only small) which hook over radiators so a few drops of something you like with water in those would release gran frangrance while the heating is on.

I'm not a big fan of any constant source of smell myself and have the windows open a lot. Could your carpets benefit from cleaning btw?

oh...will be watching with interest as have same dilemma. I HATE all air fresheners Ive tried. I do like some of the yankee candles/wax tarts but again only good when Im here. I have tried a reed diffuser but seems not to smell of much
best thing I have found so far is fresh scented flowers. Stocks(white ones are more fragranced) especially or lillies. However that is not a long term solution as could become costly!!

Hyper,with the diffuser you have to turn the sticks quite often. And yes to fresh flowers -aldi is your friend there!

ThatBloodyWoman - but the OP didn't say that she had a problem with damp, mould or mildew, did she? If she had, then that would be entirely different.

A few drops of lemon & a tea tree oil on a tissue tucked behind a radiator can smell nice just refresh every few days. Or lemon & Lavender.

A bowl of warm water with a few drops in , swish around & use to wipe down surfaces, Boots Botanics have a good range of pure essential oils.

I have the doors and windows open as much as possible.

The back door is currently open, and I've got honeysuckle wafting in through it. Fab. This is only a seasonal solution, mind you.

And here comes the rain.

I find a quick wipe round the kitchen with zoflora, neat, either country garden or bouquet and the whole house smells lovely and fresh coming in 6 hours later, also I know you're not a major Yankee candle fan but I've just discovered their plug in range, currently I'm on vanilla lime, place smells amazing:)
I love finding new smells, also a spray of your fave perfume on a lightbulb when off creates a lovely smell when switched on.

Reed diffusers, next do really nice smelling ones, not cheap but last ages

And windows open as much as poss

Hahah I once sprayed perfume in a lamp... when on. Don't do that. Or at least make sure you're wearing shoes if you do took hours to pick the glass out of my feet