A beautifully smelling aroma can seriously transform any home and should be an integral part of your daily routine.
Home fragrances have become increasingly popular over recent years. But finding the perfect type of home fragrance for you takes time, patience, and generally a bit of trial and error.
What type of home fragrance works for one home and for one room, doesn’t always work for the next.
So below we’ve rounded up some of the most popular types of home fragrances, with details of how they differ from one another and the benefits of each.
Room Sprays
As the name suggests, room sprays come as bottled liquids that you can simply spray into the air.
They are similar to air fresheners, but whereas air fresheners use mist and generally work to eradicate odours and leave a mild scent – room sprays offer a much more potent fragrance. Don’t be fooled into thinking that The Perfume Shop only do perfume, they also have a great selection of Room Sprays!
Because of this, room sprays generally last longer in the air than a typical air freshener. They also don’t need to be sprayed as vigorously, so you shouldn’t have to replace them quite as often. A good room spray only requires 1 or 2 spritz and the fragrance can last for hours!
A lot of them can also be used on fabrics such as on sofas, beds, or curtains. This helps the fragrance last much longer and so is perfect for a bedroom or living room where you want a constant, relaxing aroma to fill the room. Take a look at The Fragrance Shop who have a selection of relaxing and luxury scented room sprays.
Room sprays should be used once a day in each room you desire, or perhaps twice if you’re having guests over at some point and want to create a fragrant aroma and atmosphere.
How Much Do Room Sprays Cost?
Room sprays can be one of the most expensive types of home fragrances. So if your favourite costs you quite a bit, then you may want to just save it for when you have guests!
You can pick up the cheapest room sprays in supermarkets or department stores, or buy them from high-street and designer brands.
Reed Diffusers
A reed diffuser is a fuss-free way of perfuming your home, with almost zero effort needed. The only thing you should be careful of is to not to let it spill onto any surfaces in your home as it could cause damage.
A reed diffuser from an online store like Fragrance Direct can be an amazing long-lasting addition to any home! They work by inserting reeds into a glass bottle or jar that contains scented oil. The reeds then soak up the scent and voila!
Reed diffusers don’t require any heat and don’t need any manual operation once they have been setup. They can therefore be great for a home where you want it to constantly smell nice or if you have small children that you don’t want to light candles nearby.
The only downside to this is that if you’re out of the house for long hours or going away for a weekend, then a reed diffuser can’t be turned off so the scent can ultimately be wasted. For long-lasting quality reed diffusers, we recommend taking a look at The Essence Vault. They have an array of strong and familiar scents available.
How long reed diffusers last depends on the quality of the one you buy, as well as how much air is around it or sunlight on it . If you feel that the scent is fading but there is still plenty of oil left, then you can simply switch the reeds upside down to saturate the other end.
How Much Do Reed Diffusers Cost?
Reed diffusers vary massively in price. You can pick up one from your local supermarket for around £5, or splash out on a designer one for anything in the region of £50-£500!
It’s important to do your research first, as the cheapest option may not always be the best, and one slightly more expensive could end up lasting you much longer. Likewise, an expensive one might not last as long as a cheaper alternative.
Electric Diffusers
Similar to reed diffusers, electric diffusers give off a beautiful perfume aroma into your home from a scented oil.
The main difference is that electric diffusers can be turned on and off as you please, and many of them have different functions so that you’re able to control how much scent you want to be diffused and you can set timers. This makes them arguably the most practical of all home fragrances and perfect to move around the home. We recommend taking a look at Aromatherapy Associates which has a stunning collection of diffuser oil blends to suit every room.
Electric diffusers can generally give off more fragrance than reed diffusers will in a short amount of time, so they are a good option if you like a heavily scented aroma at certain times throughout the day.
How Much Do Electric Diffusers Cost?
An electric diffuser is generally the most expensive to buy up front, but once you have the machine itself, the oils you need to buy to refill it are generally quite inexpensive.
Some of the most popular electric diffusers are by NEOM and The White Company, where you could expect to pay anything from £50 for the machine itself, depending which size and style you decide to buy. The refillable oils then vary massively in price.
Candles
Last but certainly not least, candles are probably the most popular and traditional of all home fragrances.
Unlike the others we’ve mentioned, candles give off a lovely warm glow when lit. This light along with the flicker of the flame makes them the perfect choice if you’re looking for a bit of mood lighting and a relaxing or romantic ambiance. Check out Perfume Click, which have some enchanting candles for your home.
The issue with candles is that it’s a completely open flame, so they can create a hazard if you have any young children or pets at home. If you don’t trust yourself to remember to blow your candle out before leaving the house or going to bed, too, then candles won’t be the best choice for you.
The amount of scent that a candle gives off depends entirely on the candle itself and the type of fragrance that you choose. Check out Penhaligons which has some interesting scented candles available. You have complete control over when you want to light a candle, so how long they last depends entirely on how much you use it and how well you look after the wick.
How Much Do Candles Cost?
Out of all the above home fragrances, candles probably vary in price the most.
You can buy small candles or tealights for less than £1. Or you can buy well-known high-street and designer brands such as Yankee Candle from £20+.