How I made my bathroom smell like a luxury spa | Homes & Gardens

You need only two things to try it right now

When you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission. Here’s how it works.

What is it that makes spas smell so delicious? Sumptuous, clean and luxurious, it seems just the whiff of a spa alone is enough to shift you into relax mode.

That’s why I wanted to find a quick and easy way to make my bathroom smell like a luxury spa, and I was surprised that all it took was a cotton ball and a few drops of my favorite essential oil.

This home fragrance hack has definitely gone onto my list of things people with nice-smelling bathrooms always do and I reckon you’ll like it too.

Just two things are needed to get this fragrance hack off the ground in your home today:

Amazon's Choice

If you've never used essentials oils before, I recommend this set featuring 10ml bottles of peppermint, tea tree, lavender, eucalyptus, lemongrass, and orange. They're pure, and the bottles, once opened will remain stable and potent for two years, leaving you plenty of time to use them.

Essential oil drops from an amber glass bottle with pipette

I wanted my spa-smell to reflect my tastes so I chose geranium. I have a 10 ml bottle of geranium 100% essential oil, which I have used all over my home, from making a DIY cleaning solution, to a 1 cent essential oil dryer hack and more.

I love that using essential oil is a potent and natural way to add fragrance or clean where my home needs it, or simply, where I can enjoy the smell the most.

I saw this cotton ball fragrance hack on a TikTok video and was amazed at how simple it was, so I decided to give it a go.

Cleaning expert and operations manager at Spekless, Karina Toner says, 'The cotton ball is really the perfect vessel for this because it’s super absorbent, which means it holds the oils well and can slowly release the scent over time. The air easily flows through its fibers, so the scent naturally diffuses throughout the room all day.'

Taking my cotton ball, I added around 3-5 drops of geranium essential oil, and placed it in my small bathroom. It’s quite small so I thought I’d try it there first. I popped it in a storage basket so it was out of sight but still open up top to be able to permeate the room’s air.

I placed my geranium cotton ball in the basket below my sink. This bathroom is near my front door so air flow in this area is good.

I shut the bathroom door for an hour then returned. At that point, I’d forgotten I’d done this so I was shocked at how strong and lovely the smell of geranium was in the bathroom. When the door was left ajar, I could smell it up to 10 feet away, though I do have a nose like a hound. My husband, who doesn't have a strong sense of smell could smell it when the door was open or he was in the bathroom.

Over the course of a week, I paid particular attention to this bathroom's fragrance to see how long the geranium scent would linger before the cotton ball needed a top up. I noted the fragrance most strongly up to day two, then detectable and still enjoyable till around day five.

To make the your bathroom spa-smell last, cleaning pro Karina advises:

My en suite bathroom now smells like a spa, too

It's a 10/10 for me! I love this cheap, simply and natural way to make my bathroom smell nice and will definitely be doing it again. I like it so much in fact, that I have added a cotton ball of essential-oiled tissue to my en suite bathroom, and hidden another behind my shoe rack in my entryway, and now it smells like a spa as you step into my home.

It’s so effective and easy, it feels like a cheat, but one I will happily admit to.

Next, learn how to use essential oils in laundry, and how to make DIY fall room spray recipes that last.

Design expertise in your inbox – from inspiring decorating ideas and beautiful celebrity homes to practical gardening advice and shopping round-ups.

Punteha was editor of Real Homes before joining Homes and Gardens as Head of Solved. Previously, she wrote and edited lifestyle and consumer pieces for the national UK press for the last 16 years, working across print and digital newspapers and magazines. She’s a Sunday Times bestselling ghostwriter and founding editor of independent magazine, lacunavoices.com. Punteha loves keeping her home clean, and trying her hand at DIY, spending weekends personalizing her newly-built home and tackling everything from plumbing to tiling.

Effortlessly chic interiors are something I have always strived for, here some of my favorite interior designers talk me through how it's done

By Hebe HattonPublished 18 October 24

You can trim them, but be careful not to get too carried away

By Drew SwainstonPublished 18 October 24

Keep your bathroom smelling fresh year-round with these expert-approved cleaning tips and tricks

By Gabriella DysonPublished 12 October 24

The retailer's site is packed with deals on diffusers, fresheners and candles for cozy season and these are my favorites

By Ottilie BlackhallPublished 8 October 24

Keep Seasonal Affective Disorder and anxiety at bay with these four fragrance tricks for fall and winter

By Chiana DicksonPublished 5 October 24

You might think fragrance is the most important part of a candle, but experts urge you to think again

By Chiana DicksonPublished 3 October 24

Say goodbye to uneven wax and flooded wicks with these four candle-burning tips

By Chiana DicksonPublished 21 September 24

Transform your home's aroma this cozy season

By Natasha BrinsmeadPublished 20 September 24

Avoid these bloopers to keep your clothes smelling fresh

By Punteha van TerheydenPublished 16 September 24