For home-scenting purposes, I like incense–the tame, pretty scents like lavender and jasmine, not the serious ones like patchouli and sandalwood. The other day I was noticing that incense is, you know, SMOKE, and I wondered idly if it might be bad for the lungs. I Googled it, expecting to be told to not be so silly. Instead I found that I might as well have been scenting my home with a busy traffic intersection, or by lighting up a pack of Marlboros: cancer-causing chemicals, asthma-causing particles, AND pregnant women have a greater risk of having a child with leukemia. EXCELLENT. I have like $40 worth of incense, and it’s all in the trash. I have a favorite lavender kind that I’ve been deliberately breathing in when I felt tense or anxious, because it’s supposed to be calming. I’M NOT SO CALM NOW.
To distract me from thinking about the leukemia thing, I’m looking for other, preferably NON-LIFE-THREATENING ways to make my house smell nicer. We have a cat litter box and a diaper pail, and so we need a nice, regular de-smellifying routine. I like scented candles, but I worry about the flames: not only are there cats and children running around, but I’m a little absent-minded these days and can picture myself forgetting about the candle altogether until I smell something smoky and notice that the room where I left the candle is now a pleasantly-scented pile of ash.
Sometimes I use a carpet powder before I vacuum. It comes in nice scents, like lavender, and supposedly loosens cat hair from the carpet so it’s easier to vacuum up. You just sprinkle it on a few minutes before you vacuum. I don’t know, I think it smells nice and fresh, and is non-smokey.
Diffusing essential oils is a great way to make your home smell good most of them are beneficial in that they get rid of bacteria and other icky things. Lavender and lemon are my two favorites to diffuse. I like Young Living’s essential oils and their diffuser is great also.
I have to disagree with the previous posters. Carpet powder and essential oils are about on par with incense as far as the allergen/chemical aspect goes.
Try simmering the following in a 2-quart pot once in a while if you’ve really had it with the smell:
4 cups water
5 cinnamon sticks
1 orange, sliced
1 small lemon, sliced
10 whole cloves
Is it weird to jump in and comment on an old post?
I dunno – I guess if you have MIL coming soon, this might be a helpful thing to think about.
For a quick fix of clearing the air (or distracting visitors) I always pop some air-pop popcorn. I do this especially when I have a kid coming over for a playdate or if I’m babysitting someone else’s kids.
Good healthy snack, too.
Other than that, I love penny’s suggestion about simmering cinnamon, etc. That is a lovely way to make your home smell fabulous.
The other great odor helper is baking soda. I sprinkle it under the stinky couch cushions.
Pann- Not weird at all! It = awesome! You know what would also smell nice, I’d think? A slice of toast in the toaster. I always love the breakfasty smell of that.
I’m tellning you: Glad Plug-ins. They work!
How’s this for old and weird? I’m in the wayback machine.
For some reason, when I subscribed to your feed the other day, my feed reader gave me the last 200 posts. And I have to tell you, I am having the best day at work – work a little, read a post…work a little, read another post.
How have I not known about your blog before? Anyway, love it. (Don’t tell me how Baby#5 comes out! I’m not to that part yet!)
brzeski- TOO FUN! Okay, I won’t spoil the ending for you!