The best kitchen scents

The kitchen is the ideal place to gather with friends and family while enjoying the most wonderful smells!

“Your food is full of its own aromas,” says herb and essential oils expert Lisa Dolloff. “The best kitchen scents are light, natural, complementary scents.” Dolloff recommends creating your own natural scents to create a kitchen that “smells fresh, clean and ready for your cooking creation.”

We’ve lined up the best kitchen scent tips from Dolloff and other experts. Try them all!

Tip #1

Simmer a handful of hard spices and roots on the stove in a small saucepan. “The low heat slowly releases the aromas from the spices, and the steam helps carry them into the air,” explains Dolloff.

Tip #2

Simmer one or two chai tea bags per pan of water. Refill as water evaporates.

Tip #3

Make a water-based air freshener using essential oils and a 2 ounce travel-size spray bottle. Add up to 10 drops of essential oils, fill with water and spray as desired. Dolloff recommends bergamot, peppermint, lemon, basil, rosemary and lavender.

Mums love: Gingerbread and cinnamon, says Donna. If she’s not in the mood to bake, Donna uses a wax melting pot and candles.

Surprising ways to add scent to your home >>

Tip #4

Hang dried sprigs of lavender or lemongrass braids near an open window, or place them in decorative vases or bowls.

Tip #5

Never throw away your lemon, lime or orange peels! Add them to your garbage disposal to clear away bad aromas while releasing a fresh citrus scent into the air.

Tip #6

Fill a decorative vase or bowl with a mix of 1 cup of baking soda and 1/8 cup of dried lavender, rosemary or peppermint. The baking soda absorbs bad smells and the herbs release good ones! Every once in a while give the vase a little shake to clear the air.

Mums love: When Tammy is in the mood to clean, there’s nothing better than “candles, hand soap and good old Mr. Clean!”

Give your home a scent makeover >>

Tip #7

Boil a pot of cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves and orange peels on the stove, says lifestyle expert and blogger Kris Schoels. “It’s an inexpensive and easy way to add to the delicious dessert I’ve got going on in the oven.”

Tip #8

Want to give the impression that you’ve been baking all day (even when you haven’t)? Just light a warm food-fragrance candle, such as Yankee Candle’s Crème Brulee or Cinnamon Scone.

Tip #9

Consider a neutralizing kitchen candle to let the delicious aromas of the food come forth. Snooty Roots candles were designed by chef Meg Hall, and they neutralize strong kitchen odours like fish, garlic and oil. The eco-friendly coconut wax blend even eliminates odours on the hands!

Mums love: “The smell of spaghetti, meatballs and sauce reminds me of home and my mother,” says Rosalyn. “I will never forget it. Nothing better.”

Small luxuries that make your home cozy >>

Tip #10

Trying to avoid temptation in the kitchen? Smell some apples! “The aroma of green apples can help control appetite,” say the experts at AirCraft Infused ScentStick. ScentSticks are a clean, green, true-to-nature way to personalize your kitchen with one of over 1,000 customizable fragrance combinations.

Tip #11

“Choose fresh, bright scents like citrus fragrances — try lime or Meyer lemon — to give the illusion that the kitchen has just been cleaned,” say the aroma experts at Yankee Candle.

Tip #12

“Right before turning off the lights in my kitchen, I light a lavender candle,” says Schoels. “It’s the perfect smell to close down the evening as you prepare some bedtime tea.”

Mums love: “Turkey roasting in the oven and cookies baking,” says Noell. “And the smell of the fire in the fireplace.”

How to grow a sensual herb garden >>

More ways to improve your lovely home

Travel-inspired home decor
Freshen up your home for spring
How colour affects your mood