Ever caught yourself doing the sniff test? Leaning in for a quick whiff to decide if something passes as fresh? You know, something that barely misses that just-cleaned, disinfected strong scent, but doesn’t quite yet reek, smell stale or, as my MIL would say, foosty. That could be applied to a yet-to-be-scrubbed bathroom, yesterday’s jeans, and more. But a nose (a fragrance expert) knows that the middle ground we push our noses into seeking is still a scent. And some of us prefer that to the intense pine and lemon fragrant cleaners. So, what does clean actually smell like?
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Why does lemon smell clean to us?
I’ve yet to compare a clean kitchen to a bowlful of lemons. Instead, the lemony fragrance from an all-purpose cleaner is a scent of its own (to me, anyway). But, of course, my nose instantly tells me that someone (although my husband would never say it was me) cleaned the floors, counter, cupboards and dishes. Why?
“Lemon is an iconic smell of ‘clean’ for three very important reasons,” Tracy Pepe, perfumer and scent designer of Smelling Pink, tells me. First, because citric acid (a compound found in many household cleaners) is antiseptic, meaning it can kill bacteria, and it’s a natural deodorizer. Two, it’s a cheap and effective fragrance that can overtake the worst of “God-awful smells,” says Pepe, adding that it can also mask cleaners that on their own don’t smell so hot. And third, it’s our culture. In North America, we think it means clean, and we’re not very experimental with scents here. In Indonesia, it’s lemongrass, according to fragrance house Prolitec. In Australia, it’s tea tree. And lavendar in Mexio.
“The idea of lemon [as clean] is an old cleaning product concept.
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What about pine and other outdoorsy scents?
Pine has terpenes. “Terpenes are what deodorize,” says Pepe. She likens it to lemon in our culture of cleanliness. It’s reminiscent. “It’s what my mom used, it’s what my grandmother used. It’s clean. I trust it.” However, she does say that some may find it strong, while other people may find it as the only interpretation of cleanliness, “because it is the only thing that actually strips odour. It’s harsh.”
But have you ever picked up a bottle of detergent that seems to suggest mountain air, grassy fields, and the warm sun? I never get postcard vibes when I smell it, but, yes, that too smells clean. That’s a water scent, also referred to as ozonic, Pepe tells me. It’s got hints of chlorine and/or metal. “It smells like laundry on the line on a beautiful day.”
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Like I said, my scent memory association is more about the cleaner than it is about the fairytale forest or ocean front property I’m meant to imagine. What’s the deal? “You’re telling me that the terpenes in the [cleaner] are hitting a threshold for you.” She says I don’t have to swear off pine. No, not at all. Instead I’m to opt for a scent that tones down the terpenes, but keeps the pine in the fragrance blend.
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Scent pairings for a whiff of clean
I layer my perfumes, but I hadn’t thought of doing it for anything other than my own body. At a recent press event for Bona, a floor cleaner brand, to launch a lavender-thyme hardwood cleaner, I learned how they combine scent in their products.
Heather Lindemann, global communications director, revealed that they use pairings for a welcoming scent. “We found that using essential oils and pairing a primary scent with a more herbaceous note helps to give the fragrance dimension,” she says. “Research shows that pleasant scents – lavender included – can boost mood, lower stress, and even enhance brain function.” (And Latin America can’t be wrong about the effects of the purple fleur.)
Of course, unlike layering perfume, with cleaners, you have to watch out for the interactions of the ingredients. It’s like medication; there could be interactions and contraindications, from how effective it cleans to affecting our health. (Always follow the package instructions.)
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Can I trust myself for a “clean enough” whiff?
Not if you’re nose blind. That’s when you can’t tell if something is clean or not by smelling it. You’ve become so used to the smell that it’s normal for you. With more people working from home, we’ve become nose blind to our homes. “Most people have no clue to what their home smells like, especially those with big dogs.”
So, what do you do? Give your nose a break. Smell something different. Step outside, open a window, smell something that’s actually clean. If you’re still not able to figure out a scent, noses like Pepe offer nose training to boost your sense intelligence, like Smell Therapy Intake Kit. Your sense of smell can affect how you interpret things, like taste, and not just how clean something is.
And of course, when in doubt, wash it out.