Leave a Comment
As you walk in through your front door, what do you smell? Whether it's a doggy aroma or the familiar scent of perfume, it will be instantly recognisable as your home.And now researchers have identified our favourite household smells in a bid to discover what makes a house a home.
Topping the list was washing powder, which accounted for 34 per cent of a homely scent, while just made toast made up 22 per cent and perfume 17 per cent.
Not so appealing, but clearly important to us none the less, were last night's dinner, damp and pets.
The survey of 4,000 homeowners was carried out by Habitat and revealed that half of those questioned admitted that their own personal homely whiff made them feel safe and warm (one in 10 were left feeling agitated).
A third had even attempted to recreate a certain smell to make them feel at home, though a further third had been put off buying a property due to its unpleasant aroma.
Professor Tim Jacob, an expert in the psychology of smell at Cardiff University, told The Telegraph: "Smells make a house a home because of the positive associations begin 'home' has.
"Your home is filled with the things you love – your children, partner, perfume, pets – so when you smell them, you instantly feel better and at ease.
"This is why so many people like fragrances associated with Christmas, as it's a happy time of year."
For those one in five people who would like to bottle the smell of their home though, we're guessing wet dog and last night's dinner aren't top of the list.
