Along with the decorating and other care of your home, do you cultivate some good home smells? This can make a difference in many areas, from influencing your mood to embarrassing you when your neighbors come to call.
Most of the time, we usually don’t think too much about home smells until, well, our homes smell. This morning after church when we entered our home, we were hit with an awful stinky smell. My husband had left some wet cat food out on the counter for a few hours. Ugh. Quick, get the air freshener!
Another time we think about home smells is when we are selling a home. Then, as part of the staging, we might light some candles or stick some ready prepared cookie dough in the oven before a showing. We want to invoke a homey smell.
But what about the rest of the time? Captivating good home smells can ease tension, lift the spirits and even invoke good memories. Smell has a special place in memory, and infants are said to even be able to identify their own mother’s breast by smell.
Tonight, while the kids were starting to get ready for bed, I put a homemade pie in the oven. Tomorrow starts the first day or school, and the wonderful aroma of the pie baking calms them immediately. They can snuggle down to sleep. The next day, when they get a small piece of this pie in their lunch or snack, the smell will remind them of home, where they are loved and protected, no matter unsure the first day may seem.
My husband, who earlier was complaining about being tired, is now zipping around the house getting things done and then coming back close to the kitchen each time. Perhaps he anticipates a slice when the pie cools.
Good home smells don’t have to include pie, of course. Freshly laundered sheets can be a good home smell that reminds us of spring (or so the commercials will tell us), a freshly cut lemon on the counter can feel like a clean, carefree summer. Pine and cinnamon bring back the excitement of the holidays for me.
What are your favorite good home smells and do you make an effort to cultivate them?