The Tell-Tale Smells ...

Oliver B. is posting two blogs in one night. This particular blog is a special edition just for a special reader who asked a question that did provoke some thoughts within me.

The question asked was whether I had ever written a blog on scents in your home. While generally I would not comment on this in a blog, I did think to myself that the smell of your home can play a lot into your style. The daintier you are, the more likely that your home will have some flowery, powdery scent. Conversely, the more masculine you are, the funkier your home might smell. Have you ever noticed that even the cleanest man will have a "man smell" home? Never fails.

But Oliver B. is here to help the men pick out a scent that will not put their masculinity in jeopardy, but will at least allow a woman to walk into your home without immediately running away. I myself prefer the Meadows & Rain scent from Febreeze Air Effects. Why? Being a country boy, I like the smell of open fields and the way it smells during a rain ... that fresh smell of Meadows & Rain reminds me of my younger years. I'm allergic to chlorophyll (which makes plants green, so clearly it's everywhere) so I don't spend a lot of time in open fields like I used to as a kid. This smell is a memory refresher ... and with my apartment smelling like your everyday clean air, it doesn't call my gender into question. So, I would recommend something basic for men as a smell. The regular scent, or something that's rain, or plants, etc. Your home should basically smell like you opened the window and let the apartment take in the scents of the outshine environment (assuming the outside environment is natural and not big city garbage and urine). Lavender in a man's home is the quickest way to say I have a vagina actually. Do you have a vagina? You do if your home smells like lavender. I would also say that for fruits, flowers, powdery scents, and even the infamous Vanilla & Baking Febreeze Air Effects. Let the women have these scents ... you'll be fine without them.

I realize that many people don't use Febreeze, but rather prefer Neutra Air, Glade, etc. I do not advocate one product over the other. But, since I am familiar with Febreeze I use it as a reference. You can use any brand you like, just stick to the guidelines I have set forth.

I cannot stress enough to men that you must have some scent in your home. Trust me guys, we have gone nose-deaf to our smells after years of funk. By the time we got to high school, any chance we ever had of knowing how bad our rooms, apartments, homes, smell while living alone were gone. But they do smell ... badly. It's a fact. At least once a week, usually a Saturday, I open all the windows of my apartment and air out the place. Then after 24 hours of an air-out, I spray a little Febreeze in each room. While there are certain weeks I may have to give an extra spray mid-week, I find that this helps keep my place from smelling too much like a guy's apartment. It's hard to entertain (friends, Romans, countrymen, etc.) with a funky apartment, so you should always have your special scent ready for the occasion.

Remember that a stylish man is not a perfect man, but a prepared man. Go get your scent and be prepared.

Here's to great smelling homes. Cheers!