Date published: 01.09.08 - not release date

With rainy autumn days dampening our doorsteps, are homes across the UK getting up our noses?

97% claim the way their home smells affects their mood, so spare a thought for the 21 million UK citizens house-bound by wetter weather, who hate damp and drains above all other nasty niffs

Of all the senses, smell is thought to be the one that many of us take for granted, yet a staggering 97% of the UK public claim that the route to happiness is via a nice smelling home. As Autumn rain forces UK citizens indoors and brings with it all manner of damp and dingy smells, a new survey by scented disinfectant Zoflora reveals that how your home smells is the very first thing that visitors notice. And its clear there’s no greater turn-off than a stuffy and soggy home, as over half of the nation reveal they hate the smell of damp and drains more than anything else!

So how would we prefer our homes to smell? For women, there’s still nothing better than the aroma of fresh flowers to make a house smell like a home, with 43% favouring this over any other scent. But it seems that men in the UK are also getting in touch with their feminine sides – a quarter of them prefer their homes to smell of fresh flowers over any other scent. In spite of this, findings suggest the way to a man’s heart is still through his stomach! Food smells are the most popular amongst British men, with 44% loving their homes to smell of baking and home cooking.

But why do we feel so passionately about how our homes smell, and what influences our preferences when it comes to home scents? Apparently it goes back even further than childhood, says scent expert, John Stephen of the Cotsworld Perfumery:

“The sense of smell is different from all other senses in that the signals from the nose go directly to the hypothalamus (or emotional centres). This means that smells are highly emotive and are capable of altering our mood in a way that input from other senses – from say art or music - simply cannot.

“Research has shown that we tend to prefer aromas which remind us of our mothers, and there's even evidence to suggest that these preferences are set whilst we are still in the womb.”

With this in mind, it is unsurprising that we often favour the scents we grow up with. A spokesperson from scented disinfectant brand, Zoflora, comments: “We have found that Zoflora’s fragrances are often passed down through the generations as they evoke strong emotional associations. It seems people will often choose the scent that their parents or grandparents used to make their house smell homely in order to re-create that happy environment”

When it comes to opening our homes to visitors, it is a visit from our Mums or Mother-In-Laws that is by far the most dreaded - 27% of us are most concerned about the cleanliness of our house when a mother’s visit is imminent. Many of us also worry about the presentation and cleanliness of our houses when our friends are due to pop by (22%), and there are some dirty secrets we even hide from our cleaners – 54% of people with cleaners actually tidy up before they arrive!

Whilst this paranoia may appear surprising, experts suggest we may have due cause to worry about the cleanliness of our houses when expecting visitors. It is thought we become so used to the smell of our home, that we are unable to notice bad odours which our nearest and dearest are likely to spot as soon as they arrive, making the fragrance of our home as, if not more, important than its cleanliness.

John Stephen comments: “One of the main problems with smells in the home is conditioning – this is when we have become so used to the odour around us that we can no longer detect it. In practice it means making sure that your home is regularly cleaned, particularly in those areas most likely to smell, as otherwise your home may get up other peoples’ noses!”


Notes to Editors:

1) Zoflora Concentrated Disinfectants effectively kill 99.9% of bacteria and come in 12 beautiful and long-lasting fragrances to make the home smell sweet.

2) The Zoflora range - which includes concentrated disinfectants, priced £0.99p (RRP) for 120ml (also available in 56ml and 200ml), and Antibacterial sprays priced from £1.09 for 100ml (RRP) – can be found in Tesco, Asda, Sainsbury’s, Morrisons, Waitrose, Savers, Wilkinsons and Superdrug.

3) For full survey results, further information or samples of Zoflora, or if you would like to discuss the possibility of interviewing a spokesperson from Zoflora, contact Pegasus PR.

Issued on behalf of:

Thornton & Ross

Issued by:

Pegasus Public Relations Ltd

Press enquiries:

Gemma Maxey / Terri Foster
Tel: (01903) 821550
Email: gmaxey@pegasuspr.co.uk / tfoster@pegasuspr.co.uk