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5 expert tips for a bedroom that smells like a dream
Breathe new life into your sleep sanctuary with these tips and products from the pros.
How often have you walked into your bedroom, sniffed, sighed at the less-than-pleasant smell, lit a scented candle and called it a day? If your answer is "often enough," we feel you. Another question for you: When was the last time you really cleaned your bedroom — like, deep cleaned? Just like with our bodies, the cleanliness of your bedroom affects its smell. After all, we spend about a third of our lives in these spaces sleeping, and they can become a hot spot for odors triggered by sweat, dirt, germs and other nasties. Gross.
"Bacteria is typically behind bad odors in the bedroom," explains Katie Derrick, scent expert and founder of home-fragrance company Fern and Petal. "These smells can also be caused by a variety of things, including shedding of skin particles, bad breath and even what you ate or drank the night before."
A good-smelling bedroom has the power to transform the mind, body and soul, so you're in good company if you want to make yours smell more ahhhh than ewww. Read on for expert-approved tips and products — then check out our guides to making your entryway more aromatic and giving your home the fragrance of a five-star hotel.
First, deodorize
Before adding in fragrance, you should first do everything you can to eliminate smells. Derrick relies on deodorizing room sprays to help keep odors at bay. "For example, our Horizon Room Spray works well to cut through the bad odors and kills bacteria with its blend of lemongrass, ginger and peppermint. A spray bottle also adds versatility for deodorizing on the go."
"Be sure to check that the formula you’re using specifically mentions deodorizing on the packaging," adds Tanu Grewal, chief cleaning officer at Pinalen, Cloralen and Ensueño Laundry. If you want to go the extra mile and deodorize your mattress, she recommends using baking soda: "Sprinkle a thin layer and let it sit for at least 4 to 6 hours."
There's a reason Febreze is so popular: It captures odor molecules rather than just masking them. And at only $6 for two cans, you can't beat the price.
A shaker container makes it easy to sprinkle baking soda over mattresses, rugs or any other spot that gets a little ... odiferous. Don't forget to vacuum it up once it's settled in and absorbed any smells!
Mist your bedding
A fresh linen or sea salt scent is equal parts energizing and soothing. If you're looking to relax before bed, try something scented with lavender, which will lend your bedroom a spa-like zen.
Lavender essential oils give this plant-based mist its calming scent. More than 4,700 shoppers gave it a perfect five-star review, including this rave: "I love this smell. It’s light, refreshing and calming. My husband who has a selective and sensitive nose doesn’t mind it one bit. I get lots of compliments from guests as well. Easy to spray, and worth every penny."
Zum's products are so gentle, you can also use them on your body. No wonder more than 1,000 shoppers gave this spray five stars. Even pros like it — one yoga teacher said she mists it over students at the end of class, and "if I go awhile without using it, they ask me for it. They love the scent and the added touch that it brings to the relaxation pose after a good yoga class."
Layer in essential oils
"Tea tree, lemongrass and eucalyptus — either combined with water and used as a spray or in a diffuser — are among oils that are antibacterial and can help deodorize bad smells in the air," explains Derrick. "You can also put cedarwood essential oil on cotton balls and place them around your room to give it a rich woodsy smell, while repelling months from your clothes!"
This essential oils kit includes all of Derrick's go-to fragrances, plus orange, lavender and refreshing peppermint. A whopping 124,500 shoppers gave it a five-star rating, with many commenting on how good the oils are for a humidifier or diffuser.
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Add ambience with a candle
In addition to smelling good, candles create a cozy vibe, perfect for snuggling up in bed. Annie Elliott, product and design manager at the renovation company New Again Houses, leans into citrus scents for their natural cleansing properties. "A lemon-fresh scent is often associated with cleaning supplies because lemon is a natural odor neutralizer," she explains. "It can break down organic residue and neutralize alkaline odors, making it a true fresh smell hero."
She suggests using a lemon-scented reed diffuser in your bedroom, but "if you tire of lemons, especially in the fall and winter when seeking a cozier smell, try filling a glass jar with coffee beans and a candle. The beans also act as an odor neutralizer but with a warmer touch to your design for cooler months."
You don't need a massive jar candle for your bedroom, just something that's big enough to light when you wake up or before you go to sleep. This hand-poured candle burns cleanly so you can sleep easy. It gets an impressive 4.6 stars and the scent made one shopper write, "When I lit the candle, it left such a refreshing, uplifting and light scent in the air. Before lighting, it spent four days with the lid open and it made my bedroom smell wonderful."
How about combining two great scents in one? Made by beloved brand Yankee Candle, this pick features soothing lavender mixed with energizing lemon. It promises up to 65 hours of burn time — a solid deal for just $10.
Choose natural fiber sheets — and wash them often!
Grewal suggests bedding made from cotton or linen, which are lighter and more breathable (allowing for more airflow). "Bamboo is another material gaining popularity for its odor-resistant qualities, with many brands offering sheets and pillowcases made from the sustainable and stink-free fabric," she says. You can also prioritize these fabrics for pajamas "to keep your body cooler and minimize sweat and odor buildup while sleeping."
She advises washing linens biweekly on the hottest temperature setting allowed for the given fabric (check the care tag for guidance), noting that bleach is optimal for brightening whites and eliminating germs. "If you’re nervous about the strong smell of bleach, scoop up a scented option or a hard-working detergent with a fresh fragrance. You can also add a fabric softener and scent-boosting beads to the mix to amplify the fragrance and keep your laundry smelling fresher for longer."
Made with 0% dyes, synthetic fragrances or artificial brighteners, this refreshing, lavender-scented detergent is easy on the skin while still effective at tackling tough laundry. Fragranced with 100% essential oils, this gives a crisp, clean scent to sheets.
If you love the way freshly washed clothes smell and you haven't yet tried scent-boosting beads, what are you waiting for?! An astonishing 92,600 shoppers gave Downy Unstoppables a five-star rating, praising how easy they were to use and their fresh, not overpowering, fragrance.
