We’re not for one minute suggesting that interior design, clever decorating and innovative furnishings don’t make a home a home. They do. Of course, they do. Aesthetics has to have a massive influence on the way we feel when we arrive back to our humble abodes. But the secret to a warm and welcoming place is the way it smells.

Fragrances play on one of the most powerful senses we have: our sense of smell. They can take us back to that happy time in our lives, bring the past into the present, lift our moods in an instant and put a smile on our faces in a flash.

The problem is, we can’t all afford to buy fresh flowers for each room each week, nor can we invest in the most delicious smelling high-quality candles because spending $35 on a candle doesn’t sit well with our purse strings. Not when we are already looking for ways to save pennies around the house. That’s why we have pulled together a list of incredible ways to make your home smell fifty shades of woe without your budget wilting like warm lettuce. Don’t worry, you don’t need to thank us.

1. Open Up A Little More

The simplest, easiest and most amazing way to freshen up the smell of your home is to open all the doors and windows of your home and replace any stale smells with a mood-boosting douse of the great outdoors. You don’t need to leave them open all day every day, just a few minutes twice a day will be more than enough, especially if you have flowers in your garden or a fresh cut lawn to love.

2. When Life Gives You Lemons

Slice them up and use them to add a splash of citrusy freshness to your space. Lemons and limes just have that ability to cut through the most unsavoury smells and leave your home feeling so clean and lovely. Simply slice them up, pop them in a little vase and take them to the room you want to makeover. Of course, you don’t have to settle on the classic citrus smells. You could embrace oranges, mandarins, tangerines and grapefruits if you want to shake things up a bit.

3. Control Makes Scents

Having a plug-in air freshener or diffuser is a great way to keep your home smelling nice and wow all day and all night, but there is one major flaw: they run on autopilot and need replacing more often than you might have realised. The answer: buy a scent machine you can control from your smartphone. Voila, you can have your rooms smelling of the aromas you love when you need them to smell that way. After you’ve finished cooking, after you’re done eating, before you head to the living room for a spot of yoga – whatever suits your lifestyle.

4. Bake More Often

Home-cooked food is that one smell that transports us back to a simpler time in our lives, running back inside after a day of playing in the garden to smell freshly baked cookies or rosemary topped focaccia. That’s why you should bring this smell into your home. Get into the habit of baking more and leaving the oven door open once you’ve done. You’ll be amazed at how much you start to smile as a result.