As summer begins to fade on the central coast, I’m welcoming the changing seasons at home. As much as I’ll miss swimming in the river with my family and dining al fresco during long, lingering summer sunsets, fall is actually one of my favorite seasons. I love baking spiced autumn treats, decorating the house with pumpkins, and cuddling up for a movie night in soft blankets. Most of all, I love making my home smell like fall -- it makes everything feel so cozy!

While the obvious route to an autumn aroma might be to stock up on cinnamon air sprays and orange scented candles, those products are routinely fragranced with carcinogenic chemicals, which can affect our breathing, our brains, and our hormones. Instead, I like to go the all-natural route -- read on to discover five wholesome ideas that are simple, safe, and inexpensive!

Fall-Scented Simmer Pots

Simmer pots are one of the easiest ways to make your home smell amazing. Just fill a saucepan with water, bring to a boil, and then add your favorite autumn-scented ingredients. Allow the mixture to simmer gently on the stovetop, topping up the water when needed. Soon the scent will fill your entire home!

If you don’t have time to keep an eye on the stove, that’s no problem -- using a crock pot will have the same effect.

Here are some of my favorite simmer pot combinations:

Sliced oranges, halved fresh cranberries, cloves, and cinnamon
Apple peels, cinnamon, and nutmeg
Lavender sprigs, nutmeg, cloves, and cinnamon
Lemon peel, rosemary, and vanilla

Essential Oil Diffusers

An essential oil diffuser is another easy way to make your home smell great. Stock up on some of the best fall essential oils and add them to your diffuser. Some of the best scents for fall include anise, cardamom, cedarwood, cinnamon, clove, ginger, nutmeg, orange, pine, rosemary, sage, and vanilla.

Autumn Spiced Candles

Candles make a home feel warm and cozy right away through the fall and winter months. Instead of splashing out on expensive candles scented with chemicals, try making your own! While store-bought varieties often contain benzene and toluene, these cute Mason jar candles contain just soy wax and essential oils such as cinnamon, vanilla, and cloves! For full instructions on how to make these spiced candles, see here.

Fall-Scented Room Spray

Don’t have an essential oil diffuser? No worries! Using just water and a few essential oils, you can get that fall smell in your home in mere minutes.

For a sweet and spicy Pumpkin Spice scent, add cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger, clove, orange, and cardamom essential oils to filtered water in a spray bottle. For a woodier blend, mix juniper, rosemary, orange, and clove oils. Then just shake, spray, and enjoy!

Scented Pine Cones

Making scented pine cones is not only a beautiful way to decorate your home for fall, but it’s also a fun activity to do with kids! Just collect pine cones and bake them in the oven at 200F for one hour. Once cooled, sprinkle with essential oil and stash them in an airtight container for up to one week to allow the scent to develop. Remove them and place around your home, refreshing the essential oils when necessary.

Which of these cozy ideas have you tried? Let us know in the comments below!

more natural ingredients

5 Ways to Make Your Home Naturally Smell Like Fall