There I was, sitting in my mother’s lounge while she went off to make tea and suddenly someone hissed at me. Now, it’s not a big lounge, not the type where you could hide someone behind the curtains or anything like that, but there was a definite hissing nonetheless. I looked around me, I even looked under the sofa, but nothing. All was quiet and I began to think that I had imagined the whole thing. When she came back into the room, it happened again and she took no notice of it until she saw my face. She then pointed to an air freshener up on the wall.

Now, these air fresheners are designed to spray of their own accord every so many minutes depending on how smelly you think your house is. Personally, I don’t really want a waft of something flowery up my nose every five minutes but then neither do I want the scent of my son’s trainers finding its way up there either, so what to do?

Some people like to use scented candles and these are a much more subtle way of bringing an aroma to a room that is not overpowering. They don’t have that strong chemical undertone of a squirty type air freshener and they do seem to have a more natural smell to them. This is probably because the smell that is infused into a scented candle will come from natural aromatic oils instead of chemicals which makes the whole experience much more pleasant.

One young man that works with me swears by scented candles. Not to remove the smell of his trainers but for wooing his lady friends. I’m not entirely sure that this is going to do it but he assures me that along with the scattered rose petals and Marvin Gaye’s Sexual Healing that he is on to a winner! Funnily enough, he is still single.

At least with a scented candle you don’t just get a delicate smell but you also get some atmospheric lighting. There is nothing quite like it in the winter than to come home from work on a dark, drizzly night into a warm home that is nicely lit with anything other than a harsh, overhead light and the faint wafts of a scented candle coming your way.

There are scented candles for every season too. For the spring, you will find candles with hints of delicate primroses and the like, just to give you that hopeful feeling inside. In the summer, scented candles are just great for the outdoors. Most of them will have citrus scents that feel refreshing and they can also be infused with insect repellents. Sitting a scented candle in a high sided glass makes it useful for outdoor living during summer months, will keep midges and thus bites, away and will give your garden a very romantic glow.

In the autumn you will find scented candles that hint at apples and autumn leaves but for me, there is nothing quite like the aromas of cinnamon, ginger and all the winter spices that heat your senses through.
Many people also find scented candles useful in the bathroom. For those who enjoy nothing more than unwinding and relaxing in a long, hot bath why would you want to do so under a 60 watt light bulb. Better to enhance the whole experience with some scented candles designed specifically for relaxation, such as lavender.

expert buyer catherine harvey looks at the use of scented candles for relaxation or wooing.

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