The biggest compliment anyone can give me is telling me how great my home smells. I put a lot of time and effort into scenting my home, I have diffusers dotted around strategically and a candle burning in the hallway to deliver that initial burst of welcoming scent. But it’s one thing to create a first impression; it’s another thing to keep a guest room smelling incredible for a couple of nights.
This Christmas and New Year, I have my in-laws coming to stay n my guest room, so I’ve been refining my methods to identify the four things that will ensure their room space smells amazing over the festive period.
1. Scent booster beads
(Image credit: Future PLC / Dan Duchars)
Before actively adding scent into the guest room, I always start by making sure the key element of the room – the bedding – smells great. This is something people with great-smelling guest rooms always do; they start by airing out the room and ensuring the bedding smells clean and fresh.
‘Creating a beautifully scented guest room begins with subtlety. The goal is a delicate, welcoming background note, not an overwhelming aroma,’ says Jane Helliwell, founder of the Scent Styling Co.
While clean bedding alone will do the trick, I like to introduce a touch of scent by throwing some Lenor unstoppable scent boosters (available on Amazon) into the wash. The Fresh scent unstoppables are my favourites with their light citrusy scent, which is perfect for layering with other festive scents.
I also try to dry the sheets quickly on the best heated clothes airer to avoid any damp, musty smells.
2. A reed diffuser
When it comes to injecting a base scent into the room, I always turn to a reed diffuser over a scented candle. While the idea of welcoming guests with a warm, flickering, festive candle might sound dreamy, in reality, it just isn’t practical.
You can still introduce candles into a guest room for ambience, just ensure they’re never left unattended when lit.
(Image credit: Future / Katie Lee)
‘While festive candles are beautiful, for a guest room, we often recommend opting for a reed diffuser,’ Jane Helliwell agrees. ‘A reed diffuser offers a continuous, low-maintenance scent throw without the worry of an open flame.’
When choosing a scent, opt for something festive but calming, like The White Company’s Fir tree diffuser. You can pick up the whole home scenting set for £65. ‘For the festive season, guests appreciate scents that evoke warmth, comfort, and nostalgia, but try to move beyond the ubiquitous cinnamon and gingerbread,’ recommends Jane.
‘We love using sophisticated blends such as Fir Needle, Cedarwood, and Mandarin, which offer the traditional feeling of a Christmas tree and winter citrus without being overly sweet.’
3. Room spray
Right before guests arrive, I always dial up the scent wow-factor with a few spritzes of room spray. I then leave the room spray in the guest room so that whoever is staying can spritz away to adjust the level of fragrance to their preference.
I usually try to match my room spray to the diffuser, so I opt for The White Company Fir Tree room spray. However, you can try a mix-and-match approach and layer a different festive room spray over your base diffuser scent to create your own unique fragrance.
4. Pillow mist
(Image credit: Future PLC/Carolyn Barber)
The final element of my guest room scenting process is leaving a pillow mist on the bedside table for guests to use. I use the This Works deep sleep pillow spray (available on Amazon) on my own bed, and always keep a second bottle on hand for guests.
It is a calming blend of lavender, chamomile and vetiver, and claims to have been proven to help you fall asleep faster and wake feeling more refreshed. This is my small gesture to allow guests to transform the feel of their room as night approaches, and help them get as good a night’s sleep as possible.
The scenting kit
The White Company UK
Sea Salt Diffuser Set
While I like to go festive with my diffuser, you can stick to a year-round like this Sea Salt diffuser from The White Company. It is the perfect base fragrance with notes of vetiver and cedarwood, which can be layered with a festive fir tree room spray.
This Works
Sleep Club Gift Set – Deep Sleep Pillow Spray
While I opt for the full size spray, I’m planning to pick up this gift set for next year so I can gift each of my guests a mini sleep spray to take home with them.
The White Company UK
Fir Tree Home Spray
The notes of eucalyptus, pine and cedar make this one of my favourite scents to spritz around the house, not just in the guest bedroom.
I’ve found the mix of nailing the perfect background scent, and then providing my guests with the ability to dial the fragrance up or down never fails to illicit complements.
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