The Impact of Scent in the Home & the Proven Scents That Sell
I recently did a post on 10 Turn Offs to Potential Buyers that is a good handy guide for selling your home, especially if you are finding your home struggling to sell. And while they are ALL equally important points, one point in particular that is easy to ignore is the scent found in one’s home, or rather the odors that can permeate within a home and influence the overall experience people have. Because it such an important area of focus I wanted to highlight it further and share some great products for combating odors and creating pleasant scents in the home.
Does My Home Smell?
Whether or not you are not selling your home, this is obviously an important point for anyone to take notice of. Every home has a “smell”, that scent you get when you walk in for the first time. Most of the time we don’t even know what our home smells like because we just get used to it after time. But if you are looking to make the best first impression you can for buyers, you want to ensure the first thing that hits their noses when they walk through the door isn’t a pungent odor.
The Scent Experience
The impact of scents is so profound on peoples’ moods, with odors being responsible for bringing about negative moods among people. I don’t know about you, but I’m doubtful I can be sold on a home that puts me in a negative mood at the first moment I enter.
Common home odors that turn off buyers include:
smoke
mold
kitchen smells from cooking
pets
dusty air vents
Clean + Eliminate Odors
Odor eliminating candles, odor absorbers, or gels are the key to ridding a home of those long-standing odors, cleaning the air, and creating a positive atmosphere. This is one of my favorite Odor Eliminating Gel products. These Bamboo Charcoal Odor Absorbing Bags are also a great option that can be tucked away or hung for any hard to reach spots. And if you are looking to combat musty odors, DampRid Moisture Absorber is a no-fail product.
However, prior to that, it’s important to ensure you have deep cleaned the home. You shouldn’t be trying to mask odors. Once you have a fresh, clean home to start with, then you can address what long-standing odors may still exist within the home, and consider a subtle universal scent to carry throughout the house.
Universal Scents For The Home
When choosing what kind of scent to use for your home, the key should be to find a subtle, simple scent that is the perfect balance of enhancing a space,evoking a positive response, without being overpowering. You want to be able to smell the scent, but to the degree that it is not distracting from the home itself. Natural scents in the form of fragrances are the way to go and will undoubtedly create a positive experience for buyers.
There are a lot of natural scents that are proven to work for to sell a home. Here are some of my favorite scents to use:
Vanilla is great for creating a calm, happy mood is universally liked by both men and women. The comfort you get from it can make a house feel like a home, which is just the vibe you want potential buyers to have. You can find subtle vanilla scent combinations without it being intoxicating like vanilla sandalwood.
Citrus is a no-fail scent for creating a positive environment and reducing stress. Just make sure it is a natural citrus scent and not an artificial citrus scent (think citrus cleaner scent). One scent combination that I love in particular is citrus cilantro — it combines two natural scents but is still simple enough to work for selling a home, with the overall scent still being citrus. I like to find products that feature a main scent but also have undernotes of another scent or two that works well for bringing a balanced scent throughout the home.
Jasmine is great for a simple inviting scent. It is relaxing and smoothing, making it perfect for areas like bedrooms and bathrooms where you could make use of a diffuser or aromatic candle. It’s a great clean scent when you want a subtle aroma throughout the home.
Green Tea is a lively, energizing scent that can really work to brighten up a home and invite people into a room.
Pine & Cedar along with Cinnamon are particularly great if you are selling your home in the fall and winter months. Forest tree scents like pine and cedar are fresh, natural, and can add a down to earth vibe to the home and cinnamon creates the warm vibe you want your home to have during those cozy months. Tree scents are also great for highlighting rustic home styles. You could still go with candles or diffusers, but also consider cinnamon sticks, scented pinecones, pine wreaths, or garland as alternative ways to bring out the scents for these, as well.
Basil is great for creating a homey feel that is equally relaxing. It’s also great for enhancing a kitchen, as it welcomes buyers into the space. You can find basil scented candles with undertones of thyme or rosemary that smell equally great.
Whichever route you choose, if you want to utilize different scent enhancers like candles, diffusers, or air fresheners, focus on just one type of scent (warm, clean, OR citrus for example) for a home.
Subtlety Is Key
Using too many scents will backfire, and cause the smells to overpower the home. If there is a particular area where you have some of the aforementioned common home odors, that would be a good spot to utilize an odor eliminating candle or purifiers as they can be found unscented and will clean the air from the odors instead of just masking them with the scents. Then you can focus on using great smelling candles or diffusers where you want to enhance the home. For candles, opt for clean, soy-based candles that are better for the environment. For a subtle scent that you want to hide, diffusers are the perfect solution.
Check out some of my favorite finds below for creating the perfect scent for your home…
SHOP ODOR REMOVER PRODUCTS:
SHOP SCENTED PRODUCTS FOR THE HOME:
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