You may have seen bottles of fragrances for the home at the store, in magazines, or even advertised online. They’re billed as the perfect way to make your home smell inviting and fresh without any effort, but what exactly are they? Do they work as well as people claim?
To understand these fragrances, we need to take a deeper look at when you would use them, and where. We also need to consider the different types of odors, such as those caused by cooking, pet smells, and soiled carpet and furniture. By understanding how these smells form, you will learn what tactics work best against them.
Understanding Household Odors
No home is safe from lingering or foul odors. They happen in apartments, condos, and even in mansions. Truth is, there’s no getting away from them, but there are always ways to get rid of them, or even prevent them from becoming a problem.
The most common source comes from the kitchen. Here you may experience both lingering aromas from cooking, as well as the smell of garbage and dirty dishes. How frequent these occur depends on what types of food are prepared, and how often the trash or dishes are taken care of.
The kitchen is an area that many are reluctant to use fragrance sprays because it might get into food or onto the dishes. One way to avoid this is to use house fragrance oils that are gently released into the air over a long period of time.
The best way to do this is to use a water based air purifier that you can add fragrances to. These machines are designed to gently cleanse the air while releasing subtle and pleasant aromas without the mess and fallout that harsh sprays can cause.
The advantage of a water based system is that they are unobtrusive. They can be placed on a counter, shelf, or even on a table and left alone to do their job. The only upkeep they require is topping them off with water, and adding the house fragrance oil of your choice.
But just which oil is the best choice for the kitchen? If you’re like most people, you will probably find that citrus or spice fragrances are the best. The reason for this is because they are strongly scented, and will easily overcome kitchen odors without being overpowering.
Areas that are frequented by pets are another ideal place to use house fragrance oils. As many pet owners know, their furry companions often come with frequent odors from dirty fur, or the occasional accident on the carpet.
To deal with these types of odors, you will need to not only use the oil in the air freshener, you will also need to keep the area clean with regular vacuuming. This may be only once per week, or several times, depending on how messy the pet is.
Those who have a water based cleaning system can make their sweeper pull double duty by using house fragrance oils in the water basin so that the air and carpet smells fresh and clean when they are finished.
Popular choices for controlling pet odors include fresh linen, spring air, or any of the fresh and light fragrances because they make the home smell more inviting. For truly stubborn smells though, some may want to look for something that can help neutralize the odors.
But How Much Do I Use?
Knowing how much to use is something that many who are getting started with house fragrance oils often wonder. Some may worry about not using enough to provide a long lasting scent while others may be concerned about using too much and creating an overwhelming aroma.
Many of the available options often come with a recommended amount. The systems that they are used in likewise typically come with a recommendation on how much of the oil should be used every time.
Even with these recommendations, some may find that they prefer a little more or less than that. That is the beauty of these products – it makes it easy to get exactly the perfect amount for your home just by adding a few extra or a few fewer drops!
If you’re not sure exactly how much to use, you can always start with just a drop or two and see if that offers enough of an aroma for the room. This is a good idea if you’re sensitive to fragrances, or if the room is small because there is less risk of it being too overwhelming.
No matter what level you start out with, you can always add more drops as needed. For example, if a pet makes a sudden mess and the smell is strong, you can add a few extra drops to the water and let it freshen the air while you clean up the mess.
Can I Customize The Blend?
Absolutely! One of the biggest advantages to using the oils with an air purification system is that there are nearly limitless aroma combinations! All you need is a few different fragrances and you can create a custom aroma for your home.
Winning combinations include cream fragrances mixed with fruit scents to create a sweet aroma that smells like fresh baked dessert. Try a few drops of vanilla mixed with orange for a sweet treat in a bedroom or bathroom, or mix up a few berry oils and a little cinnamon or vanilla for the aroma of fresh pie!
Customizing the blends also makes it easy to find the perfect aroma for every room in the home whether it’s something subtle and delicate, spicy, or even sweet. And since you control the intensity, you can add as much or as little of the oil as you want!
While this guide is only the beginning to getting started with house fragrance oils, you will discover that there are many options available to make your home smell incredible!
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