How To Make Your House Smell Good Without Candles

Even with the most clean-ingredient candle, there are times when you want to make your house smell good without candles. There are many options floating around out there but I’ve pulled together some of the most practical, yet powerful, ways to put a pleasant smell in any space in your home.

The Truth About Candles

There is a lot of information, truths, and myths about the side effects of using candles. The truth of the matter is most modern candles are made of much cleaner ingredients such as beeswax, soy wax, or palm wax.

This typically allows for a much cleaner burn from the beginning. In further efforts to make candles more health-friendly, the CPSC (Consumer Product Safety Commission) banned the selling of candles with wicks that contain lead.

After 1970, it became almost impossible to find candles that contained lead wicked candles. On the side, studies still show that some candles burn toxins, although the levels are not enough to cause health problems.

Hacks To Make Your House Smell Good

By now you might be wondering so what can I use instead of candles?

For the health-conscious person, however, any amount of toxins is a no-no. If you want to dodge the possibility of candles putting even the slightest bit of toxins in your home’s environment, here are a few ways to make your house smell good without them.

These are practical, inexpensive ways to make sure that your house or room smells good all the time.

7 Ways to Make Your House Smell Good Naturally

1 Simmer fresh foods and/or spices.

Think twice before throwing those lemon or orange peels away. And the next time you’re at the store, pick up a few cinnamon sticks. Have a pine tree in (or near) your home? Snag a few pine sprigs too.

All of these, and many others, are perfect for simmering in a pot of water. It doesn’t take much investment and it’s a smell that lingers for quite some time. For larger homes, walk the simmered pot around your home to get the smell all throughout.

2 Use a good smelling cleaner.

This is another area that people usually make a much cleaner switch to. A spray bottle filled with water, white vinegar and fresh lemon (or orange) will have your home smelling citrusy fresh in no time.

Using citrus fruit while you clean also does a better (and cleaner) job on cleaning up grease, grime, and scum. It’s a win-win!

3 Make a natural room spray.

Along the same lines of making your own household cleaner, you can also make a room spray. Instead of using vinegar, opt in for witch hazel or a 100 proof vodka for shelf life purposes.

Add the juice of a real fruit or use an essential oil (or two) of your choice. Lavender, lemon, and frankincense are some of the most go-to scents.

4 Make herb sachets.

All you need for this DIY project are linen, cotton, or muslin bags and your favorite herbs, spices, or flowers. Fill the bags and then place them in different areas around your home.

These bags also tuck nicely inside closets, drawers of dressers, or behind (or under) furniture. These can last weeks at a time. Smell them every so often and if they’re not smelling as strongly, then it’s time to replace them (in other words, just exchange what’s inside for a new stash).

5 Use an essential oil diffuser.

Diffusers work double as in providing a nice smell and adding moisture in the air. Depending on the essential oil you choose to use, you can add even more health benefits to the air you’re breathing in. Another perk to using essential oils is the almost limitless possibilities of scents.

6 Cook more often.

Although these smells may linger the least amount of time, there’s nothing compared to the yummy smell of a home cooked meal. Add in a dessert like cookies or brownies and your home is sure to smell like a delightful treat. 

7 Make your own reed diffuser and/or candles.

Sometimes the best products to make your house smell good are the ones you make on your own! This will take purchasing a few ingredients but a little bit can go a long way. For the reed diffuser, all you will need are your reeds, your choice of oil (almond, coconut, etc.) and essential oils.

Fill a glass jar about ¾ of the way full and add 10-20 drops of your favorite essential oil. Then add the reeds. You can get pretty fashionable with this choice.

For making your own candles, purchase wax, essential oils, wicks, and containers. You can also decorate your wax with rose petals, pine sprigs, and the like. Melt the wax, add your fragrance and the wick and let it dry.

Creating a fragrant smell in your home without candles is easier than ever. Use the ideas mentioned above to change the scent of your home today. I’d like to hear from you! Which idea is your favorite? Have you tried any of them before? Let me know in the comments below!

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