What Should I Use to Make My Home Smell Good When Selling?

Smell, it’s a topic that’s written about or discussed daily in the real estate world. Most of the articles written address how to overcome or rid of certain smells, like cigarette smoke, pets, or a strong food odor. However, the other day I was scrolling through a real estate forum and an agent asked what they could do to make one of their odorless listings smell good and “enticing” to home buyers.

Over 100 people commented, and there were three suggestions I kept seeing: candles, plug-in air fresheners, and bleach. Bleach because “it will make the home smell clean.” As a person who is sensitive to chemicals, I cringed at these suggestions. Not every buyer will be sensitive, but some will, and some flat-out don’t like the smell of candles or plugins.

I recently had one client hold their breath and speed walk through a house because the fragrance was so overwhelming. That’s exactly what I don’t want happening during a showing. A seller may love a scent, but buyers have different tolerances, and some are genuinely sensitive to fragrance. As a listing agent, my goal is to make sure every buyer who walks through the door is comfortable and doesn’t feel the need to run through the house or walk out before even viewing it because it smelled “good” or bad.

Find the Source Before You Diffuse Anything

Before reaching for anything to mask a smell, it’s worth figuring out where it’s actually coming from. Some common culprits:

• Pet odors
• Cigarette or cigar smoke
• Cooking odors
• Garbage that hasn’t been taken out
• Musty carpets or damp areas
• Mold or moisture problems
• Dirty HVAC filters
• Drains, especially ones that aren’t used often
• Mildew in bathrooms
• Shoes, sports equipment, or gear stored in closets

Some of these are fixable at the source. Take out the trash before every showing, clean soft surfaces like rugs and upholstery, run the drains, and replace HVAC filters. If there’s real moisture or mold, that needs to be addressed directly rather than covered up.

But not every source can simply be removed. Pets, kids, and everyday cooking are part of living in a home, not a maintenance problem to fix before listing. For those, the question becomes what to actually use, and that’s where a lot of the standard advice goes wrong.

What Should Sellers Use to Make Their Homes Smell Good?

So if a seller shouldn’t use candles, plug-in air fresheners, or bleach to make their home “smell good” what should they use?

My #1 recommendation is to diffuse high-quality, pure essential oils. I prefer them over synthetic air fresheners because I want the scent to be subtle and natural rather than overpowering or artificial.

What Type of Essential Oils Do I Recommend?

Not all essential oils are created equal and some aren’t natural at all. I highly recommend looking for 100% pure essential oils. If you buy lemon oil the only ingredient should be lemon. There should never be any fillers, additives, bases, or carrier oils added because if there are you could end up using something similar to a plug-in.

I personally use essential oils that meet the company’s Certified Pure Tested Grade(opens in new tab) (CPTG) quality standards. I look for a company that takes purity and testing seriously rather than simply buying whatever product happens to be labeled “essential oil.”

Now, I’ve heard people say pure essential oils are really expensive. They can be but when you do the math they are more affordable than people realize. Here’s a quick breakdown; there are approximately 250 drops per 15mL bottle and a bottle can cost as little as $15 wholesale, so that’s $0.06 a drop. I typically put 4-6 drops in my diffuser totaling $0.24 to $0.36. So a single $15 bottle can last more than 2 months if I diffused that oil every day.

What Essential Oil Should Home Sellers Diffuse?

• Lemon is one of my favorites, it does a great job purifying the air and so many people love the smell of lemons. The lemon oil I purchase is cold pressed directly from the rind.
• One of my favorite blends to diffuse is a mix of Wild Orange and Peppermint. Just like lemon, wild orange is cold pressed directly from the rind and peppermint is steam distilled directly from the peppermint plant.
• Another one of my favorite blends to neutralize odors is Purify. This blend contains lemon peel, siberian fir needle, citronella grass, lime peel, tea tree leaf, and cilantro herb.

Should You Bake Cookies Before a Showing?

You’ve probably heard the old advice about baking cookies, simmering cinnamon, or brewing a fresh pot of coffee before a showing to make a home smell good. I wouldn’t do it. The goal isn’t to give buyers a specific smell to associate with your home, it’s to make the home smell clean and neutral. Baking or cooking right before a showing just creates another odor for buyers to walk into, and not everyone finds it as appealing as the advice assumes. If you want the home to feel warm and welcoming, that comes from cleanliness, temperature, lighting, and presentation, not from manufacturing a smell.

Try the 10-Minute Smell Test

Before listing, leave the house for 10 to 15 minutes, then come back in through the front door. What do you notice? You live with your home’s smells every day, so it’s easy to stop noticing them entirely. If you can, ask someone who doesn’t live there to walk through and tell you what they notice, before you tell them what you’ve been smelling for. It’s a simple way to catch something you’ve gone completely nose-blind to.

Odor Is Only One Part of Getting a Home Ready

Smell is powerful, but it’s just one piece of how a home shows. If you’re working through the rest of the list, everything I’d personally do to prepare my own home for sale covers the full picture, and nine inexpensive fixes that help a home sell faster is worth a look if there are repairs on your list too.

Final Thoughts

There is no guarantee diffusing essential oils will sell your home faster. However, if your home doesn’t have an underlying odor problem and you want to create a pleasant, subtle scent for showings, I think a high-quality pure essential oil is a much better choice to make your home smell good than an overpowering candle or synthetic plug-in.

The key is moderation. You want buyers to notice that your home smells fresh, not wonder what you’re trying to cover up.

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About the Author

Top Wellington Realtor, Michelle Gibson, wrote: “What Should I Use to Make My Home Smell Good When Selling?”

Michelle has been specializing in residential real estate since 2001 throughout Wellington Florida and the surrounding area. Whether you’re looking to buy, sell, or rent she will guide you through the entire real estate transaction. If you’re ready to put Michelle’s knowledge and expertise to work for you call or e-mail her today.

Areas of service include Wellington, Lake Worth, Royal Palm Beach, Boynton Beach, West Palm Beach, Loxahatchee, Greenacres, and more.