The Bad Air Sponge

Published: Monday, February 25, 2025
Smell is a potent wizard that transports you across thousands of miles and all the years you have lived.

- Helen Keller

Nearly any real estate agent will tell you that one of the surest ways to appeal to a would-be buyer is to have an enticing smell — freshly baked cookies, brewing coffee, simmering soup — wafting through your home when it is being toured.

The olfactory system, which senses and processes odours, is one of the oldest parts of the brain. Among our senses, smell alone has a unique relationship with the limbic system, a key emotional centre associated with our moods, behaviour, and long-term memory.

In the book Aroma: The Cultural History of Smell, the use of fragrance in the home is described as having been a matter of “practical housekeeping” for our ancient relatives. Clothes stored in cedar chests were not only kept fragrant, but also protected from moths. Incense burned in storerooms both perfumed the wares within and helped ward off rodents.

More recently, the therapeutic use of scents — like many other traditional practices, including naturopathy, massage, and Ayurvedic medicine — is starting to receive growing attention, both from the general public and the scientific community.

Aromatic research, while still in its infancy, is already beginning to show that the smells in our homes, workplaces, and institutions such as hospitals can have a measurable effect on how comfortable we feel, and on our ability to handle stressful situations.

Today, aromatherapy is considered one of the fastest growing fields in holistic medicine. In some countries, including France, it has already been incorporated into mainstream medicine.

“People are realizing the therapeutic value of essential oils,” says Pat Antoniak, a registered nurse and registered aromatherapist who owns the Natural Comfort Wellness Centre in Tsawwassen. “People are starting to see the limitations of pharmacology, and looking to get away from petrochemicals.”

While scientific research on the cause and effect of aromatherapy is still limited, in vitro testing and a few double-blind studies have demonstrated the antibacterial and antiviral effects of some essential oils, and the abilities of others to reduce stress and anxiety.

It is important to note that not all seemingly pleasant scents are created equal. You may love the “morning dew” smell of your bathroom air freshener or the vanilla essence that wafts from your favourite candle. However, the aroma emanating from these products may be far from natural, let alone therapeutic.

Professionals recommend that people allow themselves to be guided by their natural preference. If you like an essential oil, you will enjoy using it. However, if you feel obligated to try one just because it is supposed to be good for a particular ailment, but you hate the aroma, it is likely your body’s way of telling you to choose something else.