Making your home smell nice

The airwick reed diffusers are nice. The cheap ones lose their smell too quickly in my experience.

I'll often have a Yankee candle on the go. I also quite like those ones with batteries in that spray every 30 minutes or whatever you set it to (although I accidentally had it set so it used the motion sensor and it squirted a visitor right in the eye).

I have a Jo Malone reed diffuser which smells lush. It's not cheap but it's much nicer than some of the "chemically" smelling cheaper ones and it has lasted for over a year.

Ones by Arran Aromatics are lovely too.

Yankee candle reed diffusers are lovely and last a good few months. I have 2 dogs and I don't like walking into the bungalow and smelling them first. The diffusers seem to work.

I have an airwick reed diffuser in a cold room which has lasted for over 18 months now.

I'd also suggest, if possible, getting rid of the carpet and curtains. Or, get a carpet cleaner round to give it a good scrub. Bicarb or soda should also help eliminate the orders.

Once you've got rid of the things that the smell may have clung to, then you'll be able to make it smell nice with fragrance.

We have dogs. We also have laminate floor. The previous owners had dogs so we had to pull up all the carpets before we could rid the house of the smell. Good luck!

I can't use any commercial air freshening products at all as the chemical scents set off my allergies so badly. I'm okay with pure fragrance oils, but I usually just clean everything thoroughly and air dry things if possible. Neither H2B nor I feel the cold badly so we open windows a lot too. I also did a smudging ritual when I moved in here - that's more for dispersing negative energy, but I think the smoking herbs do help with smells too!

I agree the reed diffusers (or a candle) are a lot nicer than the chemically smelling plug in or spray doodahs. I just pick up the air wick ones or supermarkets own brand and they seem to do OK. Well hopefully, so far nobody had told me my house smells of cat. Unfortunately they don't work in my classroom after set 4 year 10 (all boys) after PE!

Failing that, borrow someone's carpet shampooer, steam mop type thingy and see if it helps?

I'm also a Yankee candle / reed diffuser fan, I don't like artificial smelling plug in air fresheners.

I've bought some diffusers from dunelm , wax lyrical company called Rejuvinate, it's orange in packaging and smells really nice they were £8.99 for a pack of 2.

As others have said cleaning carpets when you move in will help, airing the house when you first go in will help too. After that, I don't really like anything apart from candles. I love any candles, especially hazelnut or vanilla, I always think they make a room smell nice without being overpowering.

Another nice smelling candle is 'white lilly' a big jar candle in home bargains for £2.99 and it really makes a nice clean smell in the room

As a side note, I wouldn't use primark candles, I bought one and fell asleep for less than half an hour with it on (big room, one candles, vents on my window open) and i woke up in a room full of smoke with black marks on my nose and mouth, the wall was all marked, so was the ceiling!!

I've had a Wax Lyrical reed diffuser in our downstairs loo since January (Christmas present) and it's still going strong, catch a lovely whiff off it even just opening the door. I think they also look pretty too compared to plug ins.

I use neutradol pots, they are really good, don't smell but absorb smells - they are 79p from home bargains. I then burn Yankee candles for nice smell.

I've started recently using a wax burner with different scents, they smell lovely and the smell lingers for quite a while. Could try spritzing the place with oust or something similar? I know this helped stop my car from smelling so strongly of cigarettes when I gave up. It might also help when you move in (if I've read right and you're not it already?) smells seem to linger more when a house is empty.

We use wax burners from kringle company, they smell upstairs in the room even when burning in downstairs living room, I find them stronger, nicer smells & to last longer than the yankee candles. Also used to love the air wick mulled wine reed diffuser, used that in our old house n was a lovely smell...and also got rid of the foosty smell when we moved in

Agree with jojo on the primark reed diffuser. Smells lovely.

Also love the next ones although they are expensive.

My friend swears by the aldi ones too although I've never tried them personally.

Flora you will probably find once you move in properly and windows and doors are being opened and shut the smell will probably disappear anyway

This. Our house smelt odd when we moved in but airing it helped as did the reed diffuser things but it does take a while.

I've heard Kringle is the run by the people who used to work for Yankee, and the quality is excellent, like Yankee used to be. I think once my current ones are done, I'll try Kringle. I bought the Yankee Wedding Day and it doesn't smell of anything, not a thing!

We have two dogs and I'm always worried that the house smells, although people who visit assure me it doesn't.

I regularly burn candles (got some massive Yankee Candles in the sale near Christmas) and on bright days fling all the windows open to help. Daft question, but I presume wallpaper can absorb smells?

I'll ask MF about the wallpaper, it could be that I suppose.

Depends on the wall paper I guess? We had really thick textured paper on our bedroom and it smelled really musty when we took it off. But we changed the carpets to wood floor so that helped too.

I have smelly cats and a candle burner thing. And I dont use oils in it, I use wax based things that melt and last ages because they harden again when they cool.

Homebase do Yankee candle style candles that smell lush and are about £4 for a large jar. As I am currently a pauper these have been a godsend as I am constantly paranoid my house may smell of cat.

Yeah it is run by the same people, I love them! My faves are Welcome home, Coconut & pineapple, Ruby red punch, Cranberry & Autumn Winds. Also loads of foodie ones like doughnuts and apple spice etc which sound nice but I haven't tried cause i'd probably want to eat them ?

I have two cats and as they are indoor I have litter tray smells which I hate...I clean the tray out completely every other day as I am so paranoid. I have candles all over the house and also use febreze set and refresh which are really good. I know some people don't like artificial smells around the house but I would rather that than cat wee!!!

Do you buy the Kringle candles locally? I've looked and I can buy them online, but do we have any shops near us I can go for a sniff!?

I spoke to MF regarding smelly wallpaper, he says only really if there is problems with walls (damp etc.) and thick paper would smell, not really normal wallpaper.

I hope once you move in, every where has a good airing and your can give it a good clean, your own smells will start to take over from the old smells!

The Molton Brown ones are gorgeous. I always like the smell of the ones in Next too but i've never bought one for the house.

ATB & RR - I buy them in Paisley in a little shop on the high street but they're sold in a little stall in silverburn too. I think somewhere in Argyll street up town stocks them too, maybe a card shop or something?

Silverburn don't have as big a variety as paisley does but surely city centre would

Lovely I'll look in Silverburn!

Coool, if you don't find any you're after let me know i'd be happy to send you some on