How to make a guest room smell nice without candles - 7 ways to scent a welcoming space

At this time of year, you might be wondering how to make a guest room smell nice without candles. You’ve made the bed, plumped the cushions and laid fresh towels out, but what about that all-important welcoming scent?

While candles are a great way to add a beautiful fragrance to any space, they’re not always ideal for guest room ideas. Whether you feel uneasy about leaving a candle burning in a room that you won’t be able to pop into to blow it out at the end of the night, or you’d prefer to create a more subtle scent, there are some great alternatives to candles.

Introducing a welcoming fragrance to your guest room is the perfect way to elevate your guests’ experience. At this time of year, try warming scents, or generally, anything fresh works well. Create a luxurious home away from home for your guests, with these alternative scenting ideas.

1. Add a subtle scent with diffusers

Diffusers are one of the easiest low-maintenance ways to create a nice smelling home. All you need to do is flip your reeds every now and then, or if you’re using an electric diffuser, refill it from time to time and just turn it on.

‘Diffusers are the perfect way to add a continuous scent to our homes,’ explains Chrissie Rucker OBE, founder of The White Company. ‘Have them dotted throughout rooms - it’s such a joy to enter a room and encounter a favourite scent - something that welcomes you home.’

‘Depending on the size of the room, one or perhaps two diffusers are usually perfect to provide the light scent a room requires for daytime. When evening comes and you have guests staying, boost the scent with a room spray. Layering different scents is a lovely way to personalise a room,’ suggests Chrissie.

‘Electronic diffusers have become very popular and are perfect for lovers of essential oils - delivering the ideal amount of uplifting or soothing scent in minutes – all at the touch of a button. When you have guests coming to stay, just pop your diffuser on.’

2. Carry out a quick refresh with room sprays

Room sprays are a great option when you have last minute guests coming to stay, or you’re limited on time to get your guest room ready. Simply spritz the air and fabrics moments before your guests are due to arrive.

If your fabrics are in need of a refresh, nothing beats that ‘fresh linen’ scent. A quick spray will leave them smelling freshly washed and allow the other fragrances in the room to be the focal point.

3. Add a scent to surfaces with essential oils

Essential oils are a great way to add a subtle scent to your guest bedroom. Choose your favourite blend and dilute it with water in a spray bottle, then spritz radiators, doors and bedside tables for clean surfaces that smell great.

‘When it comes to adding scents with essential oils, put your guests in control of this,’ suggests Purdy Rubin and Charlotte Figg, Co-Founders of all-natural cleaning brand Purdy & Figg.

‘Choose a good quality pillow spray with essential oils and put it on the bedside table for guests to use if they want and a diffuser with a timer paired with a light essential oil or essential oil blend. Guests can then choose whether to use these little extras or not.’

A pillow spray is a lovely addition to a guest basket ideas for Christmas visitors.

4. Try scented wax hangers

Often overlooked, not only do scented wax hangers smell great, they look lovely too. Also known as wax pomanders, these pretty scented wax shapes are ideal for hanging in guest rooms on door handles, hooks or even drawer knobs.

Available in different shapes and sizes, they typically include dried flowers and fruit too. This enhances the scent but also looks beautiful too. If you have guests coming to stay, pop a couple of new wax pomanders out a few hours before they arrive. During the festive season, try cosy scents such as frankincense and myrrh, or spiced orange and cinnamon.

Alternatively, stick to the same fragrance all year round and give your home a signature scent.

5. Add a bunch of dried flowers

Instead of investing in fresh flowers for your guests’ arrival, try dried flowers instead. When chosen carefully, dried flowers can provide a lovely steady scent in any room. In addition, adding natural elements is a great way to ensure your guest room feels calming and welcoming.

‘Long lasting and low maintenance, dried florals are the ideal cost-effective choice to bring scent to your guest room,’ says Grace Michaels, director and product buyer of Barn Florist.

‘Lavender has long been the go-to dried flower for bringing a long-lasting natural scent to the home,’ Grace continues. ‘Eucalyptus is also a firm favourite with its fresh botanical fragrance. Bunches of herbs can work well too, dried oregano brings herby notes of pine and pepper.’

‘For those who are looking for something different, try bunches of British Larkspur or sweet and smokey Straw Flowers (Helichrysum) which come in a wide variety of colours to tone in with your decor. Add a vase of Anaphalis (Pearly Everlasting), with its small white flower clusters, it will add a sweet floral scent - a staff favourite at Barn Florist.’

6. Freshen up fabrics

Fabrics can hold onto unwanted smells and release them back into the room. A great way to elevate your guest bedroom is to ensure all fabrics within the room are washed in advance. Using luxury detergents and fabric softeners for guest bedding can make a huge difference to your home scent, as Bella Middleton, creative director of Norfolk Natural Living explains.

‘The right scent can transform a room. Smell is one of the first things we notice when we enter a space. For my guests over the festive season, I love nothing more than preparing their beds for them using a natural laundry detergent and fabric softener in our coastal walks scent.

'I then finish with a bedding refresh spray with a soothing combination of mandarin, orange, and lavender essential oils,’ Bella continues. ‘This helps to relax both mind and body, preparing your guests for a restful night’s sleep. For that extra special touch, try popping a pillow mist by the bed for them - it’s the perfect addition to any bedtime routine.’

7. Layer Different Scents

You don’t have to stick to just one method to make your guest room smell welcoming, instead try layering a few fragrances in one room. The trick is to choose scents that work together harmoniously when looking for bedroom ideas for a guest room, offering little bursts of scent as your guests move around the room.

Try layering fragrances using diffusers, fabric sprays and wax hangers. Choose a similar scent across each element, such as sticking to spiced fragrances, floral or fresh.

‘Don’t underestimate a bowl of pot pourri’ adds Chrissie Rucker OBE. ‘I love to place mine in a beautiful china bowl, and once it has lost its scent you can boost this with a your favourite fragrance oil or room spray.’

FAQs

What is a natural room deodoriser?

When you want to make a guest room smell nice without candles, it’s always a good idea to try to remove any bad smells from the room first.

‘The easiest way to remove unwanted smells from any space is to ventilate the room,’ suggests Purdy Rubin and Charlotte Figg of Purdy & Figg. ‘Even if it’s cold outside, open the window for half an hour or so when you are getting the room ready for your guests.’

‘Musty, stale smells in cupboards or on the carpet can be dealt with using bicarbonate of soda: place a jam jar with a wide mouth without a lid half filled with bicarb. This will act to neutralise any unwanted smells,’ they advise.