How Does Your Home Smell Like?

Impossible to tell is it not?

Whenever I think of people, I can most certainly remember what their homes smell of- odonil, musty upholstery, incense sticks, medicines, cockroaches (yes that too), fish fry. But ask me what my home smelled like or smells like even now - I cannot tell.

But I do know from feedback that over the last few years my home has smelled of various stuff depending upon the time of entry into the house- susu waala nappies (thank God no more), Vibhooti (ugggh), incense (too holy for my tastes), cooked non veg (yumm), sometimes even the community dustbin (oowack) until it was removed from the vicinity of my backyard.

For those who know me well will understand that fragrance is extremely important to me. And it makes me feel "blind" rather anosmic when I am unable to pinpoint what my home smells of.

To remedy that I tried pot pourri but to my disappointment, it never worked for me.

I have placed bouquets of tree jasmine in the living room and it has definitely worked- emitting a heady fragrance but that is a very seasonal method.

Then I discovered the Reed diffuser. This comes in a pack of fragrant oil with a set of reeds. You need to dip the reeds in the fragrance and leave it in your room. The only thing you need to do thereafter is to invert the reeds every 3-4 days. The reed diffuser is surprisingly effective for an enclosed space and also for a largish living room. These come in refill packs also.

You can choose from various fragrance styles- I predictably selected a vanilla and a cinnamon mix.

Since the complete set was very expensive I just picked up the refill pack which is a simple plastic bottle.

Given that the kids have a penchant for upturning bottles and glasses, I decanted a small measure of the fragrance into a pretty Maple Syrup Bottle and a lying-around-just-like-that vase and voila- my customised reed diffuser is ready and adorning the rooms.