Holiday Favorites: Home Scents

It’s time for another round of Holiday Favorites.  This time it’s all about making your home smell festive and fun!

I have an array of candles, sprays, and gel air fresheners that I alternate among to keep my home smelling pleasant.  I’m anxious to try a simmering water technique with fresh cranberries, orange and lemon slices, cloves, and cinnamon sticks, but I haven’t gotten around to that quite yet.  For now, here are my top choices for home scents around the holidays.  These scents work well in both the autumn and winter seasons.

 

Candles:

 

I have a love/hate relationship with candles.  I love to peruse the selection of candles in various stores.  However, I’m not a fan of the price tags!  The other day, Michael and I were shopping in Target and I found a candle that smelled amazing.  However, it was way too pricy for the size of the candle itself.  So, Michael and I went on the hunt to find a cheaper candle.  It doesn’t smell nearly as good, but it was one-third the price. J  The candles I am willing to splurge on are as follows:

Yankee Candle— Kitchen Spice:

http://www.yankeecandle.com/detail/kitchen-spice/1218401

 

http://www.amazon.com/Yankee-Candle-Kitchen-Spice-Large/dp/B0057I5TIS/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1386781427&sr=8-1&keywords=kitchen+spice+candle

 

Yankee Candle— Apple Cider:

http://www.yankeecandle.com/detail/apple-cider/1187880

http://www.amazon.com/Apple-Cider-Yankee-Candle%C2%AE-22/dp/B003U1Q4F6/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1386781465&sr=8-1&keywords=apple+cider+candle

 

These two scents are marvelous.  I know you might be thinking “Spend over $20 on a candle?!? No thank-you.”  And I was the same way—until I bought one.  The thing about Yankee Candles is that the scent fills the room where the candle is, and it meanders into nearby rooms.  Every time I light a Yankee Candle at my home, I receive compliments on it from any guest that drops in.  These candles also last a long time.  I have a Medium Size jar of both of the above-mentioned scents.  They have both lasted over 2 years.  It’s a worthwhile investment. 

You can find these candles at a Yankee Candle store, or on the Yankee Candle website.  I have also discovered that these candles are available on amazon.com (my favorite website).  Sometimes, you can even find them at Cracker Barrel in the Old Country Store. 

  

Air Fresheners:

Usually, I am not such a huge fan of air fresheners because they can come across too strong and present a chemically smell.  In addition, they can also be pricy.  However, recently I found a “Fall Collection” set at Costco for a fabulous price and I scooped it up.  It included three Febreze air fresheners.  I’m only discussing two here because I haven’t tried out the third scent, and I don’t want to write about something I do not know.  The two scents I have tried out are Apple Spice and Fluffy Vanilla. 

The first time I ever smelled the Febreze Apple Spice scent was in college.  My friends had this scent to spray in their dorm room.  I remember how wonderful it smelled and how it filled the space with its scent.  I really enjoy using this one. 

The Fluffy Vanilla is a good holiday scent.  It leaves a nice light fragrance in the air—almost a cross between freshly warmed towels from the dryer and cookies baking in the oven.   It’s a pleasant scent that I have used in my kitchen and in my living room. 

The smell of the Febreze air fresheners linger and they don’t overpower the room with the chemically smell left by some other brands of air fresheners. 

Apple Spice Febreze:

http://www.febreze.com/en-US/en-US/Product.aspx?id=3356

 

Fluffy Vanilla Febreze:

http://www.febreze.com/en-US/en-US/Product.aspx?id=3358

Gel Air Fresheners:

I like to use the gel air fresheners on shelves throughout my home to provide a light scent.  These scents don’t fill a whole room, but they are nice for areas that could use a little perfume-y bounce.  I am a fan of the Renuzit brand of gel air fresheners.  I mainly stick a little canister on the backs of the toilets, or on shelves in the living room, or on the kitchen counter near the garbage can.  I have tried several fragrances including Lavender Vanilla, and Apple Cinnamon.  My most recent favorite is Amber Vanilla.  At first, I wasn’t so sure I’d like it just because I don’t gravitate towards amber-scented items.  However, these smell fantastic!  I got a three-pack at Target and have placed them around the house.  When I load and unload my dishwasher, I smell the one sitting on the counter near the garbage can.  I’ve caught myself a few times wondering what smelled like a baking cake.  This scent is very nice and very appealing in a variety of settings.  I have one on the shelf in the guest bathroom, on a shelf in the living room, and on a counter in the kitchen. 

 

Renuzit Amber Vanilla:

http://www.target.com/p/renuzit-amber-vanilla-gel-air-freshener-7-oz/-/A-14695578#prodSlot=medium_1_1&term=amber+vanilla

I hope you’ve enjoyed my fragrance suggestions to get your home smelling festive this holiday season!

 

Much love, Reba