My favourite scent used to be the smell of laundry detergent. I loved when I walked down the street and my nose hit the warm smell of dryer sheets from a building’s vents. It was clean. It was cozy.

When I got pregnant with my second baby, Bellamy, we were using Gain laundry detergent. I developed a sharp and deep aversion to the smell. To this day, I still can’t stand it. You’d be surprised how many times a week I pick up the smell of someone using it! Every time I smell it on someone it makes me want to gag.

Switching to Lemon Fragrance

Scent is such a powerful sense. My love for the smell of other laundry detergents is now gone too which, oddly enough, makes me quite sad.

Something that has helped me mourn the loss of my former scent obsession recently is lemon. Lemon has the same “clean” smell appeal. Certain blends can make it smell cozy too. I diffuse lemon in my essential oils diffuser.

I came to find out that fragrance chemicals are largely unregulated and their makeup is thus largely unknown.

I used to sell Scentsy products. I loved scented candles and Scentsy is a company that makes a wickless fragranced wax melting product. We had so many different fragranced wax melts in our home because of the samples I needed to carry for the job.

My husband started to get headaches from them. I came to find out that fragrance chemicals are largely unregulated and their makeup is thus largely unknown. I stopped using Scentsy fragrances and now I exclusively use essential oils or real natural products like lemon juice and zest for my home fragrance.

The Debate around Essential Oils

Essential oils have become popular because they are advertised as natural. But natural doesn’t always mean safe. Essential oils are made from highly concentrated plant substances. The chemicals in essential oils are rapidly absorbed into the system when they come into contact with the skin.

They can lead to adverse central nervous system effects and respiratory problems.

Citrus oils (amongst other oils) have been found to be toxic to dogs. So I try to keep it safe and diffuse my lemon oil, high up on a counter away from my pup, for only a limited period of time each day.

lemon zest on table

My Solution

A little bit of fresh lemon juice & zest grated into a freshly-cleaned sink at the end of the night is my idea of the perfect home fragrance and the best way to cap off the day. I’d love to know what your best tips of keeping your house smelling fresh naturally are.

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