Who needs the best room freshener? Everyone! Even if you love to cook or entertain, you should use room freshening products to give your home a fresh look. Maybe it’s time to do something about that stale smell or that rainy day mood. When you’re ready to take control of your home’s look, read on to learn a bit more about what’s out there and which ones might work best for you. You’ve got nothing to lose!
Essential Oils. Most of us love the smell of food cooking. Whether you love to cook or you’re just in it for the good food and ambiance, adding some fresh aromas to your home can be very inviting. Use essential oils for room freshening throughout the home to give it a subtle hint of food. Some of the best room freshener essential oils include:
Bathroom Odors. One of the best things about the bathroom is that it’s personal. If you have one, chances are you have a few personal touches as well. This includes things like your preferred scents and perhaps a scent from when you were a child (if you still have any, that is). Room freshening products can add a hint of that scent so you won’t have to worry about overpowering any existing scents. These items include: deodorant sprays, freshening candles, bath salts, bubble baths and bath teas.
Natural Fragrances. If you don’t have a bathroom to freshen up in or if your current room freshener just isn’t doing the trick, you might want to consider some natural fragrances. These include scented candles, potpourri, incense, lavender and even certain types of incense stick. The great thing about using natural fragrances as room fresheners is that not only do they mask the bad smells, but they also make you think that there’s something else in the room that isn’t so bad.
Plug-ins. Many people like plug-ins for their room freshener simply because it allows them to freshen up on their own. Plug-ins can add an extra level of freshness to a room by masking bad odors. Plug-ins can be found as simple as: spray on candles (these are long lasting but not very hot) or can be built into the floor, wall or window so that you can have a constant source of fragrance and long lasting freshness.
Dehumidifiers. Most air fresheners come with a built in humidifier. A dehumidifier works by picking up all of the moisture that comes through the vents and then dumps it back into the air. This can work well for different types of rooms, but if you have a lot of moisture in your air, you may want to consider a portable dehumidifier instead.
Fragrance Purchasing Guide. Once you’ve found the best room freshener for your particular needs, you’ll also need to figure out what kind of fragrances you should go with. Before buying any room freshener, check out a fragrance buying guide to find out what kinds of fragrances work best in your particular situation. For example, spicy fragrances like Cayenne and hot pepper are best used in rooms where you may have guests or people who are less accustomed to strong smells.
Essential Oils. Essential oils are much better than perfume for scented air freshening because they have a stronger aroma and last longer. Check out a fragrance buying guide for the best choices in essential oils for use in room fresheners.
Other Ingredients. There are a few other things you can buy to get the same effect as other brands of air fresheners. Consider buying pheromones, which are essential oils mixed with saliva that repel insects; lemon drops, which replace a strong odor with a more subtle one; and cedar chips, which add an aromatic scent.
Charcoal. The best thing about using charcoal in the home is that it replaces organic compounds in air with natural plant-scented aromas. The trick is to make sure that you use low-grade charcoal that has been treated so that it won’t stain fabric or burn furniture when it dries. Some good choices of charcoal include coals from certain parts of Africa and a type called green charcoal, which are harvested from the bark of a tree.
Warm it up. Room fresheners will work better if you leave them in the refrigerator for a few hours, rather than overnight, and turn them on low. While overnight pasteurized brands tend to retain their potency, if you leave them in the refrigerator for a few hours, they will restore their freshness to the essential oils within a few days.
