What Are The Best Candles To Make Your House Smell Fresh?

Freshen Up Your Home with Scented Candles

Having a fresh smelling home provides numerous benefits for both your mind and body. The soothing scents from candles can reduce stress, boost your mood, increase relaxation, and make your home feel clean and inviting. When you walk through the door after a long day, you want your home to feel comforting and tranquil. A lovely scented candle can transform the ambience and create a peaceful oasis in your home.

Scented candles come in an array of different fragrances to match anyone’s preference. You can find warm, spicy scents perfect for autumn and winter, or light, floral bouquets that evoke fresh spring vibes. Fruity scents are bright and uplifting for summertime. There’s a perfect candle scent for every season and every mood.

Quality scented candles fill your home with welcoming fragrance from the moment they’re lit. The right candle can help you relax after work, provide soothing aromatherapy benefits, or simply make your home smell clean, fresh, and pleasant. Read on to discover the best candles for a fresh smelling home.

Types of Candles

There are many different types of candles to choose from to make your house smell fresh. The main types include:

• Scented Candles – These candles are infused with fragrant oils like lavender, vanilla, citrus, etc. When burned, they release their lovely aromas into the air.
• Unscented Candles – Unscented candles contain no added fragrances. They can be used on their own for a clean, neutral aroma, or paired with scented candles to tone down strong scents.
• Jar Candles – Wide mouth jars are the most common candle vessel. Jars allow the scent to fully permeate the space as the pooled wax releases fragrance.
• Votive Candles – These short, cylindrical candles are designed for votive holders. They’re economical and good for mixing and matching scents.
• Pillar Candles – Pillar candles come in a wide range of heights and widths for decorative appeal. They have a traditional candlestick shape.
• Taper Candles – Tall, narrow taper candles are placed in candle holders. They have an elegant, sophisticated look.

Most Popular Scents

When it comes to fresh smelling candles, there are a few key scents that tend to be the most popular choices.

Floral scents like lavender, rose, and jasmine are always classics. These lightly sweet, lush scents evoke thoughts of fresh flowers and can help give off an aura of relaxation. Citrus scents like grapefruit, orange, lemon, and lime are also popular for smelling clean, bright, and uplifting. Herbal scents like chamomile, eucalyptus, mint, and sage are frequents as well. They offer an earthy, crisp scent perfect for refreshing a room.

Other commonly loved fresh scents for candles include green tea, cucumber melon, vanilla, coconut, apple, and bamboo. Ultimately the range of fresh scents available is wide, but floral, citrus, and herbal fragrances tend to be crowd favorites.

Natural vs Synthetic

When shopping for scented candles, one of the key decisions is whether to choose natural or synthetic fragrance oils. Here’s an overview of the pros and cons of each:

Natural Fragrance Oils

Natural fragrance oils are derived from plants, flowers, fruits, and other natural materials. The main benefits of natural oils include:

• Often have a more authentic, pure scent – Natural oils capture the true aroma of the plant or botanical they came from.
• Less irritating – Natural oils tend to produce less soot, smoke and allergy triggers than synthetic fragrance.
• Sustainable and eco-friendly – Natural oils use renewable resources and are biodegradable.

The downsides are that natural oils can be more expensive to produce and the scent may not last as long as synthetic fragrance.

Synthetic Fragrance Oils

Synthetic fragrance oils are artificially created in a lab to mimic natural scents or produce entirely new aromas. Benefits of synthetic fragrance include:

• More affordable – Synthetic oils cost less to produce than extracting oils from natural materials.
• Consistent scent – The aroma of synthetic fragrance can be standardized and doesn’t vary between batches.
• Longer lasting – Synthetic scents are designed to remain potent for longer than natural oils.

On the negative side, some find synthetic fragrances to smell artificial, irritating or overpowering compared to natural oils.

Overall, natural oils provide a more authentic aroma while synthetic oils tend to be more affordable and long-lasting. Consider which pros are most important for your needs and preferences when deciding between the two.

Soy vs Paraffin

When it comes to candle wax, two of the most popular options are soy wax and paraffin wax. Both have their advantages and disadvantages.

Soy wax is made from soybeans. It’s a natural, renewable resource. Soy candles burn cleaner than paraffin, producing less soot. They’re also biodegradable. However, soy wax is softer than paraffin, so soy candles must be poured into containers. They also burn faster than paraffin candles. The scent throw may not be as strong either.

Paraffin wax is a petroleum byproduct. It’s cheaper to produce than soy wax and can hold more fragrance oil. Paraffin candles burn slower and longer than soy. Paraffin can also be used to make freestanding candles. But paraffin soot can dirty jars and emit more smoke. There are also environmental concerns with paraffin being a petroleum product.

Ultimately it comes down to personal preference. Soy wax is better if you want a natural, clean-burning candle. Paraffin may be preferred if you want a strong scent throw or sturdy pillars or tapers.

Essential Oil Infused Candles

Essential oil infused candles are a great way to fill your home with lovely scents while also providing aromatherapy benefits. Essential oils like lavender, eucalyptus, and chamomile can help promote relaxation, reduce stress and anxiety, boost mood, and even help with sleep issues. When inhaled, the small molecules of essential oils stimulate smell receptors in the nose that send signals to the brain, particularly the limbic system which controls emotions and memory. This can influence physical, emotional, and mental states.

Some key benefits of essential oil candles include:

• Improve mood and promote relaxation
• Help alleviate stress and anxious feelings
• Enhance concentration and mental clarity
• Promote restful sleep
• Relieve headaches and migraines
• Help clear nasal congestion and ease breathing

Look for candles made from natural soy, coconut, or beeswax and infused with pure, high quality essential oils. Avoid synthetic fragrances which can irritate airways. With essential oil candles, you get the lovely scent plus therapeutic benefits.

Long Lasting Candles

When shopping for candles, you’ll want to find options that provide hours of fragrance and minimize how often you need to replace them. Here are some tips for finding long burning candles:

Look for candles made from soy, beeswax, or a blend – These natural waxes burn slower and more evenly than paraffin.

Opt for a larger diameter – Wider jars and containers equate to more wax and longer burn times.

Avoid candles with more than one wick – Multiple wicks can cause the candle to burn through wax too quickly.

Consider the wax-to-wick ratio – More wax than wick size generally means the candle will burn for a longer duration.

Look at the burn time rating – Reputable brands provide estimates of burn times, usually 45 hours or more for long lasting varieties.

See that the wick is centered – A centered wick will burn more efficiently without tunneling at the edges.

Trim wicks to 1⁄4 inch before lighting – This prevents excess smoking and uneven burning.

Make sure the candle burns all the way to the edges – Candles shouldn’t leave excess wax around the sides.

Safety Tips

When burning candles, it’s important to take proper safety precautions. Here are some tips to keep in mind:

• Place candles on a stable, heat resistant surface away from drafts. Avoid placing candles near things like curtains that could catch fire.

• Never leave a burning candle unattended. Extinguish candles before leaving a room or going to sleep.

• Keep candles out of reach from children and pets.

• Trim wicks to 1⁄4 inch before lighting to prevent smoking and excessive flame height.

• Allow candles to burn all the way to the edges before relighting. Longer burn times can cause tunneling and unsafe conditions.

• Make sure candles are in appropriate holders that catch dripping wax and won’t tip over.

• Don’t burn candles for more than 4 hours at a time.

• Extinguish candles if the flame becomes too high, smoking, flickering oddly, or near the holder.

• Avoid moving candles when they are lit.

• Keep a burning candle 12 inches from anything, including other candles.

Following basic precautions will help ensure you safely enjoy candles in your home.

Top Candle Brands

When it comes to candles that make your house smell fresh, there are a few major brands that stand out above the rest. Yankee Candle and Bath & Body Works are two of the most popular and well-known brands for home fragrances and fresh scented candles.

Yankee Candle offers an extensive selection of candle scents, from fruity and floral to woody and aromatic. Their jar candles like Lemon Lavender or Clean Cotton provide long-lasting fragrance. Yankee also has seasonal scents like Home Sweet Home that evoke fresh baked cookies. For large spaces, their tumbler candles diffuse scent efficiently.

Bath & Body Works is synonymous with delicious fragrance. Their 3-wick candles envelop rooms with vibrant scents like Eucalyptus Rain, Rose, or Fresh Balsam. Bath & Body Works frequently releases new collections of scent inspired by ingredients like bergamot, lavender, cedarwood and more to keep your home smelling fresh.

Other notable brands for fresh scented candles include Voluspa, Nest Fragrances, Illume, and WoodWick. Testing out different scent profiles can help you find your perfect home fragrance.

Conclusion

In summary, some of the best candles to make your house smell fresh include soy candles, essential oil-infused candles, and long-lasting beeswax or coconut wax candles. Look for candles with light, clean scents like lemon, lavender, eucalyptus, rosemary, jasmine, and bamboo. Paraffin candles tend to have poor scent throw compared to natural soy, beeswax, or coconut wax candles. While synthetic fragrances smell stronger initially, they fade quickly and can cause respiratory irritation in some people. For the freshest home fragrance, choose 100% essential oil candles or add a few drops of your own oils. Be mindful of safety when burning candles and keep them away from flammable materials, in stable containers on flat surfaces. Quality brands like Yankee Candle, Bath & Body Works, and Soy Worx make excellent scented candles to refresh your space.