Yvonne Glasgow
House not smelling so fresh but your company is already on the way over? Some things you can do to fix that work better than lighting a candle or spraying air freshener.
Take a cue from the professionals and enlist a few tricks realtors use to make homes smell fresh and inviting during open house events.
Bake Cookies
You don’t have to make them from scratch unless you want to. Ready-to-bake cookies will work just as well (and make less of a mess). The smell of fresh-baked cookies makes any house feel like a home. Your guests will feel like they’re getting special treatment, too.
Use an Aroma Diffuser
Instead of burning candles, which are not only a fire risk, but don’t always have a scent that can fill a room, try a diffuser. Diffusers often come with a small fan in them, so the scent of your chosen essential oils gets blown through more of your home. You can put one in each room your guests might enter and pick different scents for each one!
Simmer Autumn Scents
It doesn’t matter what time of year it is, simmering orange peels and spices on the stovetop will create a scent that fills your home and has you thinking of crisp autumn evenings. Stock up on cinnamon sticks and cloves. If you don’t have oranges to peel, buy some orange essential oils to dribble in the pot of water on your stove. As an alternative, you can always mull some wine too—then all the spices aren’t expended just on fragrance but making something delicious.
Use Baking Soda in Stinky Areas
Sprinkle baking soda on carpeted floors and then vacuum it up after about five minutes. Baking soda neutralizes stinky odors, so use it on bathroom rugs and in the coat closet. You may also want to put a box of baking soda in the refrigerator if you’ll be serving drinks and snacks.
