I Swear By This Inexpensive Trick to Make Any Space Feel Like Home (It Takes 30 Seconds!)

As someone who cycled through four rental apartments during my decade living in New York City — and two houses since then — I’ve learned a thing or two about how to make any rental feel like home in an instant. 

Creating a home is about more than selecting a great paint color or arranging your living room layout in an inviting yet functional way. It’s about imbuing a space with your soul, and anyone who rents can tell you that chasing the feeling of home can be incredibly elusive. Not only is renting transient, but restrictions on everything from painting the walls to hanging up art can make it hard to truly get comfortable.

That’s why I’ve learned to rely on a quick trick to grant myself that crucial feeling of comfort and security while I work on making the space truly reflect my personality. The best part? It’ll cost you next to nothing (let’s face it, moving is expensive enough) and can be done before the moving trucks even pull away. 

If there’s one thing that I’ve consistently relied on to make every abode feel like home, it’s scent. A familiar smell not only grants you an easy way to access memories, but also the ability to find comfort, contentment, and stability when you get a whiff of a certain scent. 

Before I moved into my first city apartment in 2012, I was shopping for a few necessities and stumbled upon the Cashmere candle by LINNEA. To me, something about it felt instantly nostalgic; it smelled at once like my grandmother’s house and my childhood home, both of which rank high on the list of places that give me that instant sense of belonging. I tucked it into one of my many filled-to-the-brim moving boxes and lit it immediately upon getting the keys to my Queens apartment weeks later. (You can also use a candle warmer if you don’t want to light your candle.)

After continually burning the scent (a hefty splurge on my editorial assistant salary at the time, I might add), the notes of chamomile, patchouli, and amber became intertwined with both my past memories and the new roots I was creating in the city. 

This candle has come with me everywhere I’ve lived, helping to create a sense of continuity between rentals over the years. To this day, I still feel a deep exhale of comfort any time I light it, and people have begun to associate the smell with my home, which puts a fun little full-circle bow on the whole practice. 

My advice if you don’t already have a go-to scent? Do a bit of nose work to suss out which notes make you feel most grounded. Maybe it’s the warm vanilla of your mom’s perfume, or the salty breeze at your childhood vacation spot. 

Whatever the source, look for a candle, a diffuser, or even a room spray that incorporates your favorite smell, and make it the first thing you unpack in your new space. 

This post originally appeared on Apartment Therapy as part of the Start Here Guide for renters, presented by GEICO. See it there: My 30-Second Trick Makes Any Rental Feel Like Home Instantly (It Works Every Time!)