I am not talking about tiny, expensive, breakable bottles of essences that will do miraculous things. I have a fairly sensitive nose and how things smell matters to me. There are a lot of less than pleasant smells in the world.
Here’s are some mundane things I bring along to make things more comfortable for my sensitive nose.
Herbal Tea
There are many lovely smelling herbal teas and brewing up a cup can make a room smell really nice.
Two of my favorites for making things smell nice are Constant Comment, which smells of oranges and spices, and peppermint.
Soap
I put a bar of nice smelling soap (usually lemon verbena or lavender) in a mesh bag in my suitcase to keep it smelling clean and nice. This has the added benefit of making sure that I have soap I can use in case I react badly to the ones available, or if for some reason I am somewhere without it. Even soap with a fairly mild scent can make a surprising difference to the…shall we say…aura of a suitcase. Just make sure you like the soap’s smell.
You can also help shoes that need to be freshened up by putting a bit of soap in them overnight.
Instant Coffee
I like the smell of coffee and it is strong enough to cover up a lot of unpleasant odors in a hotel room (or just in general). Especially if you hold it close to your nose. It can really help when your “non-smoking room” is the sort where they provided an ashtray and matches.
I usually carry instant single serving packets of decaf.
On the road
If you have a stale hotel room, depending on where you are, opening the windows may or may not help.
See if you can find an orange and come back to eat it. If you leave the peel overnight it will really help. Other citrus like lemons and limes can be worth buying just for their deodorant properties. You may need to be strategic or the maids will tidy away your improvised potpourri.
A posy of sweet smelling flowers can also help if you are going to be in a room for a while.
