A few drops of the right oils here and there can make life at home smell, look and feel better. (Comstock)

How your home smells is as important as how your home looks. Aromatherapy and the use of essential oils can make your home feel both cleaner and cozier. The aroma within a space can also imply a cultural influence and the use of essential oils can disinfect and even keep pests such as ants and spiders at bay.

A few drops of the right oils here and there can make life at home smell, look and feel better - not to mention that this is a greener and healthier solution than using store-bought chemical solutions.

It doesn’t take long to get hooked on essential oils at home and there are literally hundreds to choose from, but to get started buy the four key oils: lavender for calming; lemon or grapefruit for cleaning and uplifting; eucalyptus for revitalizing; and peppermint for energizing.

To ensure your home smells as good as it looks, add 10- 20 drops of your favourite essential (sweet orange, rose geranium in spring/summer, and cinnamon or clove in fall/winter) to a few ounces of water in a clean spray bottle. Mist the room as required.

Use small pretty boxes filled with a few cotton balls dipped in essential oils to keep linen and coat closets as well as pantries smelling their best.

To polish your wood furniture add a few drops of lemon oil to olive oil in a spray bottle and polish your wood furniture as you would with a store-bought compound. The furniture will glow and the entire room will smell terrific.

When washing bedding add a few drops of lavender oil to the rinse cycle for the best smelling bedding. The lavender scent will also help you sleep better at night.

I don’t know anyone who like ants and certainly not when they’re invading your home. To send ants running, use peppermint oil. Simply smear a line of peppermint or spearmint across your doorway, and have fun watching the ants reach the line and turn around and walk away.

To kill flies, mix a few drops of peppermint oil and water in a squirt bottle and spray the flies, then watch them drop. You can also mist your clothing and lawn furniture to keep pests at bay when you are sitting out on the patio.

I keep a medicine chest full of all my oils and try to use them in place of commercial chemical-laden products wherever possible. In fact, as I travel the globe shooting Let’s Shop local oils are always on my shopping list.