Kids have a habit of making the home smelly, with their frequent milk spills, muddy shoes, and the like. However, adding a pleasant fragrance to your home is not easy with kids, since candles pose a fire hazard and even outlet-based air fresheners may spray them in the face as they walk by. If you're ready for your home to smell more like vanilla or cinnamon, and less like sweaty gym socks, try using one of these kid-safe fragrance ideas.
Electronic Tart Warmers
You're probably familiar with the little wax "tarts" that you place in a warmer above a tealight candle. Lighting a candle to melt these tarts is not safe with kids around -- they could easily knock over the candle and start a fire or burn themselves. However, several companies are now making electronic tart warmers. These warmers heat up, but not to a temperature that would cause a fire or cause severe burns. They get just hot enough to melt the wax.
Keep in mind, you should still keep the electronic warmer out of reach of your child, since the hot wax would certainly make a mess and probably cause some minor burns if spilled. However, the hazard is far less than with a real candle. There are also electronic oil warmers that can be used with scented oil. If you buy one of these, read the label carefully; some get too hot to be considered safe for children, while others warm the oil just slightly above room temperature and can thus be considered pretty safe.
Mesh Bags of Potpourri
Potpourri can add a nice scent to the home, but if you have young kids, you don't want to leave it in a bowl or vase for fear they might eat it. Mesh bags offer a great solution for this. Purchase about a yard of sturdy mesh fabric from the fabric store, along with a potpourri in a scent you enjoy. Cut a big circle of fabric (no need to be precise), and place a few cups of potpourri inside. Gather the fabric, and tie it off with a rubber band. You can add a ribbon to make it look fancy, if you like. The scent will come through the mesh, and your kids won't be able to eat it.
Cloved Oranges
Make your own perfectly safe room freshener by sticking whole cloves into a fresh orange. Use as many cloves as it takes to completely cover the orange's skin. Set this scented ball on a table, or hang it up as a decoration. If your child decides to lick it, he or she certainly will not like the taste, but you don't have to worry about safety since it's made with all food ingredients.
If you have older children, electronic tart or tealight oil warmers could be an effective room freshening choices. For young toddlers, cloved oranges and potpourri bags are even safer. Experiment to find the safe home fragrance option that offers the perfect balance of safety and freshness.
Share15 June 2015
