Air freshener recommendations?

[Cliff H.]

Hi folks. I've seen great results in my STR on focusing on making the space more relaxing and with small elements of a spa-like experience. Along these lines, I've been seeking a better alternative than glade plugins or potpourri in the entry way for providing a welcoming smell. This is a key element of many higher end hotels and something Airbnb talks about as a way to hit the five senses as guests come into your home. Ideally I would like to find something with a long shelf life, perhaps one that runs only during a guest stay or can be remote controlled by electrical outlet that I can integrate with the automated lights and door locks I have on place now.

Have any of you found any diffusers or other form of deodorizers to be particularly effective in your STRs that aren’t overpowering or otherwise like a nuclear odor bomb going off like those gyro style twist and open air fresheners?

[Luke Carl]

@Cliff H. I have airwick plug-ins in all of my properties. They auto ship to my cleaner from amazon. On the rare occasion that someone complains because they don’t like the smell or they have an allergy, I simply remind them that they can UNPLUG them. I want my houses smelling beautiful. It works for me.

[Lauren Kormylo]

I would not like to stay in a place that had a pervasive scent.  A lot of people are sensitive or allergic to scents or perfumes, so you are going to have unhappy customers.  I prefer to have no scent when I enter, just the smell of a clean house.

I have not used them, but some people use ozone generators to eliminate bad smells in between guests (not while guests are present), and make rooms smell fresh again. 

Potpourri in the entry is about all I would recommend .  Potpourri gets dried out over time, mixing it up or adding new scent oil to it will bring the scent back.  

[Ken Latchers]

I agree with her. If only 5 or 10% of your guests or allergic or disturbed by fragrances, you have failed miserably. The best laundry detergent and cleaners and things to do or things that are fragrance-free

[Kerry Baird]

I do have an ozone generator machine, and I started out with scented laundry and am now transitioning to scent free.

[Cliff H.]

@Lauren Kormylo to clarify, that’s the difference in getting at: options that don’t smell like strong our pervasive air fresheners, but do provide a gentle scent in entry. This is similar to the tactic realtors will often use when baking fresh cookies for an open house: it triggers a sense of “home” that helps buyers “see” themselves in the house.

I have recently been experimenting with basic oil diffusers and these may the the right balance of not too strong and not too fake. I had been using potpourri in the entry up to this point and the scent simply does not have quite the longevity that I would like for this particular space.

Westin hotels had actually taken this to such a degree that they view the scent as part of their corporate brand and (news to me) actually do sell it directly to people who just cannot get enough of their Westin experience. If you’ve ever stayed at one you’ll know that scent from the moment you walk in the door: nor overpowering, just subtle enough to trigger familiarity. Given how direct our sense of smell is to brains it may actually make a bit of “sense” (pun intended) what they are doing.

https://www.scentair.com/why-scentair/testimonials/westin-hotels-resorts

[Lauren Kormylo]

I have never been in a Westin hotel.  I see they use a white tea/cedar/vanilla fragrance.  I hope you can find a comparable one that works for you.

[Luke Carl]

@Cliff H. I have airwick plug-ins in all of my properties. They auto ship to my cleaner from amazon. On the rare occasion that someone complains because they don’t like the smell or they have an allergy, I simply remind them that they can UNPLUG them. I want my houses smelling beautiful. It works for me.

[Cliff H.]

Thanks @Luke Carl. I’ll give those a look. Suppose I had lumped all the plugin air fresheners in the same category, but there probably are meaningful differences between the brands. Thanks for sharing your experiences!

[Jason Breton]

@Cliff H. Tried something similar to create a spa like feel with essential oil diffusers in my STR. First guest who stayed gave me a bad review. It's a tough one to nail down. Everyone's tastes are so different. Might be better off ditching the scents.

[Cliff H.]

@Jason Breton yes that’s the balance. I’ve seen both too strong and not enough. I think I’ve found some reed diffusers that seem to strike the balance. I’ll post back here with what I find.

Now to figure out how to trigger some nice sounding music on entry, which has been a challenge from the start.

[Account Closed]

Since you're asking about more affordable, buy some Febreeze air freshener here. Remember that plenty of completely "natural" things are deadly poisons. Avoid them

[Cliff H.]

Thanks @Account Closed I looked into all the different plug-in products, intermittent "puffers," and/or hanging car air fresheners on the ceiling like the Sloth crime scene in the movie Seven. Ultimately I decided the best option for me was simply a simple reed oil diffuser that's perpetually on sale at Walmart for $5 bottle, lasts 30+ days, and does not look like a those cheap dollar store twist-up air fresheners that looks like a cross between a toilet wax ring, a fly trap, and a skyscraper Smurf house.  

[Ken Latchers]

the trend these days is NO aromatics of any kind. Someone somewhere will find reason to protest or be offended