Nothing is better than the smell of fresh cookies (especially when you don't have to make them in the first place).
Take a shortcut to comfort with spices, pinecones, and other secret helpers.
A subtle way to bring the warm aroma of winter spices to the air (and your cup of joe) is to sprinkle in cinnamon, nutmeg, anise, ginger, or pumpkin pie spice into your grounds before you brew.
A few dashes of vanilla extract (or, if you're fancy, essential oils) on a cotton ball acts a bit like a mini-diffuser or a mini bowl of potpourri. Place the cotton balls behind curtains or other little-noticed areas — just keep them out of the way of children or pets. You can also toss a few into your vacuum cleaner canister to help scent your home as you clean.
Whether you buy them by the bag at the grocery store or go the DIY route, cinnamon pinecones can make your whole home smell of spiced cookies. If you have a fireplace, you can toss a few into the fire for a more powerful fragrance.
Baking soda forms the base of this super-customizable carpet deodorizer recipe. For that "fall baking" scent, incorporate cinnamon into the mix. Once you get the blend down, sprinkle on to your carpet, let sit for a couple hours, then vacuum up.
While most incense smell of your former college roommate's ex-boyfriend, this DIY version is way more comforting. To make it, just blend cinnamon and water into a paste, then bake. Wary of burning the spice? You can stop the project after the baking stage — your home will already smell of cinnamon at that stage of the game.
Infuse your home with a warm sugar cookie fragrance by baking two tablespoons of vanilla extract in a dish at 300 degrees for twenty minutes. (You could also skip the container and just wipe the oven interior with some vanilla extract, too.)
Dab a little bit of vanilla, almond, or maple extract on a (cold) light bulb, then flick the switch to diffuse the scent.
Recreate the aroma of baked apples by simmering the fruit in water with cinnamon, anise, cloves, and a little orange peel. (You can also use a slow cooker if you'd prefer not to keep an eye on your stove.)
Unscented candles become scented candles with the help of the non-alcoholic extract of your choice. Simply light the candle, let a little bit of the wax melt, extinguish the flame, (and carefully) add a few drops to the melted wax and re-light. Just note that because the extract is watery, it'll change the appearance of your candle when it dries.
If you have a wax warmer, you make your own custom scents by blending coconut oil with pumpkin pie spice. Just mix, then spoon into the warmer.
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