17 Easy & Cozy Ways to Make Your House Smell Like Fall

What does the ‘scent of fall’ evoke for you? I think of bonfires, pumpkin, apple, and notes of cinnamon and vanilla.

To get the full effect of fall this year, you’ll want to bring those delicious scents inside your home.

So here are a ton of ways to make your house smell like Fall!

These fall scent ideas also include how to make your house smell good naturally, even without candles. (Though I’m all about the Fall candles.)

Okay, let’s get your home smelling like autumn, stat!

You May Also Like:

• Easy DIY Fall Wreath Tutorials to Embellish Your Front Door
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How to Make Your House Smell Like Fall

1. Simmer Pot

A stove-top simmer pot is an easy, natural way to fill your home with Fall scents. They’re totally customizable!

How to do it: Add some fruit and spices to about 2 quarts of water in a saucepan, right on your stove. Turn the heat down to simmer, and enjoy the fragrance! (Note: You may need to add water about every 30 minutes or so.)

You can reuse the simmer pots too. Just put the ingredients in a mason jar in the refrigerator for up to 3 days.

Some amazing simmer pot recipes for Fall include:

• Apple peels, orange rinds, cinnamon sticks, whole cloves
• Bay leaves, whole cloves, and cinnamon sticks
• Cranberries, orange slices, cinnamon sticks, and nutmeg
• Ginger root, cinnamon sticks, orange slices

RELATED: NEW! How to Make Your House Smell Like Christmas!

2. Essential oils

One of the easiest ways to make your house smell like Fall is with your essential oil diffuser.

Just add some water and a few drops of your favorite Fall essential oils, and enjoy!

The best essential oils for Fall are:

• Cinnamon
• Clove
• Orange
• Eucalyptus
• Basil
• Cardamom
• Ginger
• Cedarwood
• Balsam
• Frankincense
• Sage

You can make SO many different essential oil blends for your diffuser.

Check out this Seasonal Essential Oil Blends Recipe Book for the very best recipes for every season. (Plus a BONUS Holiday Recipes Guide!)

There are 105+ custom essential oil blend recipes to use in your diffuser to keep your house smelling good all year long!

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Click here to check it out!

3. Reed diffusers

I love reed diffusers because they’re the ultimate set-it-and-forget-way to make sure your home always smells good.

To make your house smell like Fall, check out these delicious reed diffusers:

• Pumpkin Vanilla Chai
• Autumn Harvest
• Apple Pumpkin
• Cinnamon Cider
• Pumpkin Patch

Or you can learn how to DIY your own reed diffuser here.

4. Bake a fall dessert

Making an autumn dessert is a win-win. Your house smells amazing, AND you get to eat it afterward!

I highly recommend any of these easy Fall desserts!

5. Use Fall potpourri

Potpourri doubles as home decor and a way to make your house smell like Fall.

It looks lovely set out in a pretty bowl or tray.

Here are some of the best Fall potpourri blends:

• Honey Pumpkin Pie
• Autumn Harvest
• Pumpkin Spice
• Mulled Cider
• Vanilla Amber

You can also make your own DIY potpourri! 

To make a Fall scented DIY potpourri, try using:

• Dried apple and orange slices
• Whole cloves
• Pinecones
• Cinnamon sticks
• Fall essential oils

6. Make apple butter 

Making apple butter in your slow cooker will fill your entire house with the scent of autumn.

Here’s how to do it!

7. Wax melts

Ooh I LOVE me some wax melts! All the wonderful scent of candles, but without the flame.

You just toss 1-2 in your wax melt warmer, and enjoy the scent all day long.

I usually buy my wax melts at Meijer (you can also get them at Walmart), or you can grab a fall medley set on Amazon.

Or here’s a way to make your own!

Related: How to Reset Your Home for Fall (+FREE Fall Cleaning Checklist!)

8. Fall scented cleaning products

Why not make cleaning more enjoyable by using products that will make your whole house smell like Fall?

Here are a few to try:

• Mrs. Meyers Clean Day Apple Cider
• Mrs. Meyers Mum Kitchen Bundle
• Clove & Orange Autumn DIY All Purpose Cleaner
• DIY Cinnamon Clove Baking Soda Scouring Powder

9. Hang a scented garland

You can make a beautiful Fall garland that smells great too! 

It will look so pretty and festive hanging across your mantle, and fill the room with scent.

Dried orange slices, bay leaves, and cinnamon sticks would be perfect for a Fall garland.

Here’s an easy tutorial!

10. DIY Cinnamon Pinecones

Pinecones have such a nice Fall aesthetic – they look so pretty in a bowl or tray. And you can leave them out for Thanksgiving and Christmas too!

You can buy some pinecones in a bag, or pick them up on a walk around your neighborhood.

Here’s how to make pinecones smell like cinnamon: 

1. Place pinecones on a foil-lined sheet tray
2. Bake in the oven at 200℉ for 45 minutes
3. Combine 20 drops of cinnamon essential oil with ¼ cup water in a spray bottle
4. Place pinecones in a gallon Ziploc bag, then spritz them with essential oil mixture
5. Seal bag and let sit for 4 hours
6. Once you can see that all the moisture is gone from the bag, they’re ready!

11. Fall Room Spray

Using a room spray is a nice way to give your home a burst of Fall scent. It usually isn’t overpowering, and you can choose exactly when you want the scent.

Some great-smelling room sprays are:

• Yankee Autumn Wreath
• Yankee Crisp Fall Night
• Glade Cozy Autumn Cuddle

Or you can find out how to make your own DIY Pumpkin Spice room spray here.

12. Scented candles

This list of ideas to make your house smell good wouldn’t be complete without mentioning candles.

My absolute favorite are the Bath & Body Works candles. Specifically, the Leaves and Pumpkin Pecan Waffles scents.

These DIY Pumpkin Spice mason jar candles are just darling too, if you want to try making your own candles.

13. Make Mulled Wine

Try making some mulled wine or warm cider and rum punch in your crock pot.

The smell AND the taste really bring on the ‘fall feels.’

Here are the ingredients for homemade mulling spices.

14. Fall Linen Spray

Freshen up your bedding, towels, and throw blankets with a fall-scent linen spray.

Here’s the 2-step process to make your own:

• In a jar, combine 1/2 cup of water and ½ cup witch hazel (or vodka) 
• Add in 10 drops each of 3-4 different fall essential oils, shake thoroughly, and pour into small spray bottle.

15. DIY Fire Starters

If you have a fireplace, try making these scented  homemade herb fire starters.

Once placed in the fire, they’ll release beautiful fall fragrance into your home.

16. Air Freshener

There are a variety of different fragrance oil plug-ins available to act as a consistent air freshener in your home.

I like the Bath & Body Works wallflower refills and the Glade Cozy Autumn Cuddle plugins.

If you prefer an air freshener that doesn’t plug into the wall, here’s how to make a DIY Cinnamon Orange Air Freshener in a mason jar.

17. BONUS: How to make your house smell like Thanksgiving

Fill a small slow cooker halfway with water, then add in:

• Pumpkin spice seasoning
• Nutmeg
• Vanilla extract
• Apple cider
• Whole cloves

That combination of scents will really fill your home with the scents of Thanksgiving!

Go forth, and enjoy those Fall fragrances

I really hope these tips and tricks help you make your house smell like fall.

Having your home smell good (and like the current season) really makes you enjoy being there more.

It’s the little things in life!

Have a great Fall!

P.S. Don’t forget to grab your copy of of the Seasonal Essential Oil Blends Guide, so you can have an amazing smelling home all year long!

Be sure to also check out these other Fall posts:

• 107 Ideas for your Fall Bucket List
• 22 of the Best Fall and Halloween Movies
• 63 Cute & Romantic Fall Date Ideas (for any budget!)
• 19 Things You Can Do Now to Get Ready for Christmas Early