Okay, it’s your first month in a new home: you’ve unpacked the boxes, arranged the furniture, and correspondence is collecting in your new mailbox. Even so, you find yourself struggling to settle in. Sure, it’s great to have a new house, but that new house smell? Not exactly comforting.
The fact is, scent plays a powerful role in how we connect to our environment. It can evoke memories, calm your nerves, and make a space feel cozy and lived in. If your new place still feels a little unfamiliar, we suggest the following five simple steps to infuse it with the smell of home. Your home.
1. Deep Clean …even if it looks clean
New homes, whether a palatial, brand new construction, a downsized smaller space, or a gem found on the local historic registry, all “new” homes feature a unique scent cocktail of paint, drywall dust, lingering cleaning products, even traces of past owner activity from stubborn cooking or pet odors. A thorough deep clean with unscented or naturally-scented products can wipe the slate clean. Focus on baseboards, vents, and especially any soft surfaces that absorb odors like carpets and curtains.
We suggest adding a few drops of essential oil (eucalyptus or lavender are our personal faves) to your mop water or cleaning spray for a subtle, spa-like finish.
2. Simmer Pots: Effective and Evocative
In our opinion, nothing cozies up a home (and quickly!) like a simmering pot of citrus and spices on the stove. This is a foolproof strategy. Simply toss a sliced orange, a cinnamon stick, a few cloves, and some rosemary into a pot of water and let it gently simmer. Your entire home will smell like a warm hug.
Match your simmer pot to the season by selecting ingredients like vanilla extract, star anise, or fresh cranberries.
3. Bake Something Simple — and Delicious
As if you needed an excuse to whip up something indulgent! A batch of chocolate chip cookies (even the ready made break and bake style counts!) or banana bread does double duty by filling your home with inviting, nostalgic aromas. Score extra brownie points — pun intended! — by sharing your baked goods with neighbors to introduce yourself.
No time to bake? No problem! Pop a little vanilla extract in a dish and warm it in the oven at low heat (250°F) for 30 minutes. It’s the bakery smell without the calories.
4. Set the Mood with Candles or Diffusers
Candles are a classic for a reason. Select signature scents by room. Think woodsy sandalwood for the living room, a crisp citrus for the kitchen, and a lavender or linen scent for bedrooms. Now, if you’re moving with kids or packed up with pets that might knock over a flame, reed diffusers or essential oil diffusers are great, flame-free alternatives.
We suggest that you commit to one or two consistent scents throughout common areas to create a cohesive atmosphere. Competing scents can be overwhelming and undermine the calm, homey atmosphere you’re trying to create.
5. Rely on Personal Effects
Just as your new home has a signature scent of its own, so too your belongings carry with them the aroma of your previous residence. Unpacking your favorite throw blankets, opening your usual laundry detergent, or even lighting your go-to candle from your last place can instantly reconnect you to a familiar sensory experience.
As perfumer David Seth Moltz says, “A great scent is a world you can return to over and over – a keyhole into another realm.
Follow a few of our suggestions above and you’ll have no problem ensuring your new realm feels — and smells — like home. To explore our moving services, from residential to commercial, along with our packing, labor, and specialty moving expertise, contact the CLR team today!
