Many people use scents to make their living or working space more inviting, both to themselves and to visitors. Long-term additions, such as flowers or pot pourri, are always worth considering, while oil burners and room sprays can provide handy short-term fixes if you are entertaining or need to banish a bad smell.
Incense and joss sticks
Making your own room fresheners is an easy and inexpensive creative process that allows you to blend colours, aromas and even textures from your favourite seeds, flowers, leaves and essential oils into a fragrance that will last for months.
More intense room fragrances can be provided by incense and joss sticks, which have been used for centuries in churches and temples as well as in homes. Burning these can stimulate the senses in many ways. The delicate smoke rising up from them and the sweet aromas they release can create an instant mood, as well as disinfect living spaces and mask unpleasant smells.
Using your oils in different ways and combinations creates very different room fragrancing effects, so experiment to find the best ones for you.
Tools to Freshen your Room
Here are some ideas for refreshing your home or office.
Candles
Scented candles provide a subtle room fragrance and a relaxing atmosphere.
Fresh Flowers
Fragrant plants will enhance any room if they are getting the sunlight and attention they require. Gardenia, Easter lily, heliotrope and jasmine provide colour and aroma.
Incense and joss
Incense provides a more intense aroma ideal for preparing your mind for meditation or romance.
Pot Pourri
A bowl of dried flowers makes a great natural pot pourri. You can try adding dried herbs, pieces of aromatic wood, cloves and pine cones too.
Room sprays
Room sprays are a quick fix for lingering odours, such as cigarette smoke.
Vaporisers
Most essential oils can be evaporated with a ceramic burner. To freshen a room quickly, go for top notes.
Making Pot Pourri
Place a bowl of pot pourri on your window sill, so breezes can waft the scents around.
- Gather the ingredients for your blend. Include a fixative, such as orris root powder for preservation.
- Mix the dry ingredients in the bowl, breaking up any larger ingredients into smaller pieces.
- Now add some fragrant oils and stir vigorously.
- Place all the ingredients in a glass container and seal tightly.
- Leave the pot pourri for two weeks in a cool dark place, stirring it daily for the first three days.
After a few months your pot pourri may need a boost, simply add more oils and repeat the last 3 steps above.
Making your Room Spray
A small bottle with a pump spray nozzle allows you to fragrance a room in moments when you do not want to use a vaporiser or oil burner.
Spray bottles are portable and immediate, enabling you to spray the room at any time.
Relaxing Scent
10 drops rose
10 drops sandalwood
10 drops ylang ylang
100ml distilled water
Romantic Scent
10 drops sandalwood
10 drops rosemary
10 drops petitgrain
100ml distilled water
Uplifting Scent
10 drops grapefruit
10 drops mandarin
10 drops cedarwood
100ml distilled water
Antiseptic Blend
20 drops orange
10 drops eucalyptus
100ml distilled water
Refreshing Scent
10 drops bergamot
10 drops chamomile
10 drops neroli
100ml distilled water
Best Oils to Use
To invigorate
Cheery and citrus fragrances help to keep rooms fresh and positive.
- Bergamot
- Ginger
- Grapefruit
- Lemon
- Lime
- Mandarin
- Orange
To cleanse and purify
fresh scents can be antiseptic and stimulating
- Cedarwood
- Eucalyptus
- Lemongrass
- Myrrh
- Pine
To seduce
These intoxicating, seductive scents will help relax the atmosphere of any room, and are especially good for parties.
- Patchouli
- Ylang ylang
- Vetivert
To relax
Floral fragrances are all good to reduce stress.
- Frankincense
- Geranium
- Juniper
- Lavender
- Petitgrain
- Rose