While it’s important to make a home look neat, stylish, and inviting to a potential home buyer from a visual point of view, sometimes we forget to make sure that the home smells great before a showing. Smells triggers memory, which triggers emotion and the wrong emotion can quickly turn off a potential buyer.

A problem with smells is that when you get used to them, you do not register them. Yet others arriving in the house will definitely detect them. A good example of smells are pets and cigarette smoke. If you have pets, remove the cat litter, dog bedding and other things that may have smells soaked into them. Make sure the bathrooms are particularly clean. Also remove the garbage from the kitchen and make sure that there are no old-food smells (check the refrigerator too).

If everything is clean, then the home will smell clean. However, some people like to add fragrance and this is fine as long as it’s not overdone. Remember that what’s pleasant to you may not be unpleasant to others. Another factor to consider is that many air fresheners contain harmful ingredients that can be harsh on people with allergies and asthma.

I would like to share with you some recipes that I found on TheYummyLife. This website shows you how to make Natural Room Scents. Please visit their website for the complete article with pictures. These recipes are easy to make and can be made ahead and frozen for future use.

The following combinations seem to work well, however they can be altered to your liking. Use heat resistant glass jars such as mason jars. Fill with the ingredients and add water before heating.

  •  Oranges, cinnamon & cloves (allspice and anise are optional). This combination has a wonderful lasting aroma and it carries into multiple rooms. It can be reheated to scent your rooms for several days.
  • Lemon, rosemary, & vanilla. A similar scented water is often simmering in Williams-Sonoma stores.
  • Lime, thyme, mint & vanilla extract. This combination has a fresh, pleasant scent.
  • Orange, ginger (fresh or powdered), and almond extract. This is a sweet, delicious scent.
  • Pine or cedar twigs (or other fragrant twigs), bay leaves, and nutmeg. These scents combine for a complex aroma. If you have whole nutmeg, grate off the outer surface--this will release the scent. Add the whole nutmeg piece along with the gratings.

There are different ways to activate the scents. You can simmer them on the stove, using a slow cooker, a fondue pot, a mug warmer or a candle warmer.

A hint of fragrance may be welcoming, but keep in mind that even if it’s a pleasant scent, it can be a distraction because some people subconsciously dedicate time and energy to figuring out what the aroma is instead of focusing in the home.

If you have tried some of these before or if you know of additional combinations, please share with us what has worked for you so that we can give it a try.