In much of the United States, houses are closed up tight in the winter. During these frigid months, cooking smells, pet odors, and other “aromas of living” get trapped inside the house. Growing up in Michigan, we used to call it “house-a-tosis”—our word for the stale air that greeted us when we arrived home.

I always suspected house-a-tosis was to blame for the gloomy mood that descended upon us in the wintertime. Being stuck inside with stale air can leave a person longing for Spring, or at least a warm-weather getaway. But if Aruba is out of the question, you can always try a little “home aromatherapy.” I’m talking about fragrances made for the home that can transform stale air and lift your mood, just like a tropical breeze.

Stale air remedies: a booming market

According to a study by market research firm Packaged Facts, home fragrance sales totaled more than $5 billion in 2007 and were expected to reach $6 billion by 2012. In fact, the market for aromatic products that refresh stale air has grown steadily over the decades, driven by pioneers like Claire Burke, an interior designer who began experimenting with herbs and flowers more than 50 years ago to create aromatic sachets for her friends.

Many ways to make stale air smell better

These days, consumers have literally hundreds of home fragrance scents to choose from. They also have a multitude of delivery methods for banishing stale air.  Here are the basic home fragrance categories available today:

• Reed infusers
• Electric fragrance warmers and refills
• Simmering oils (to heat up on the stove or in a special heating vessel)
• Fragrance sprays
• Potpourri
• Scented candles, including tea lights, votives, tapers, pillars, and glass-poured

If stale air is getting the best of you this winter, why not plan a multi-prong attack, using the same scent in different places? For example, if you love the clean scent of citrus and verbena, you could put a reed infuser in the living room, a plug-in fragrance warmer in the study, a spray in the bathroom, and a lovely botanical candle in the bedroom.

Paula Detwiller, All Vitamins Plus Contributor