It smells like a frosted Christmas tree farm, courtesy of this smart little gadget.
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It smells like a frosted Christmas tree farm, courtesy of this smart little gadget.
Our editors and experts handpick every product we feature. We may earn a commission from your purchases.Learn more.
When it comes to my home, smell is important. Sure, most people would say the same. But I take it to the next level with all the seasonal candles, room sprays and scent plug-ins. With the holidays upon us, I’ve gathered all the decorations to whisk my home away to a winter wonderland, complete with the best smart Christmas trees, outdoor Christmas decorations and of course, holiday scents. And if you’re wondering, yes, I’ve also ordered my Advent calendars that double as home decor.
Though my Christmas candles are at the ready, I prefer a way to keep the holiday magic alive without lighting a flame. That’s when I discovered Pura Home Fragrance. It’s a smart fragrance diffuser controlled via an app, which is perfect for keeping the Christmas scents flowing without having to think about turning it off. Here’s everything you need to know about this smart secret to keeping the holidays alive well through the season. And why it makes an ideal gift for clean freaks (like myself).
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You know those popular fragrance vials that plug into the wall? That’s essentially Pura Home Fragrance, a fragrance diffusing wall plug-in. Except, instead of scents flowing freely 24/7, Pura is a smart device that lets you choose the diffusing schedule. This is ideal because the scent vials last longer and fragrance isn’t wasted. After all, who wants the home smelling like frosted cranberries when you’re not around to enjoy it? The Pura device stores two fragrance vials at a time, so you can alternate diffusing schedules via your smart phone. It’s the smart home device I didn’t know I needed, right next to smart home thermostats and the best smart light bulbs.
To get my home holiday ready, I started by picking out my holiday scents on Pura’s website. Because I prefer to decorate with an artificial Christmas tree, I knew I’d be missing out on that fresh tree scent, so Frasier Fir was my first pick. I topped it off with cranberry fizz, blue cypress snow and white bergamot. About one week after placing the order, my Pura home fragrance device and winter scents arrived.
Before diving in, I picked a spot for the Pura. As an apartment dweller, the living room made the most sense. That’s where all the entertaining happens, after all. I opened the included instructions and immediately downloaded the Pura app on my iPhone. Upon opening the app, I was impressed with how thorough the set up process was. First, it asked me to plug in the device without the scent vials to connect to the WiFi and Bluetooth. A blue light on the device illuminated when it was connected, prompting me to move onto the next step.
Now for the fun part: Adding the fragrance vials. I popped cranberry fizz and blue cypress snow vials into my Pura device and plugged it back in the wall. All that was left was to open the app and hit start to begin diffusing.
Intrigued by the scheduling aspect, I immediately set up diffusing schedules for the scents. Figuring it’d make sense to diffuse one fragrance per day, I scheduled blue cypress snow for Sunday, Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday. I set two morning schedules: One hour from 8:00 a.m. to 9:00 a.m. and again from 11:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m. And I set an afternoon schedule as well: 4:00 p.m. to 5:00 pm. I followed the same process for the cranberry fizz fragrance, diffusing Monday, Wednesday and Friday.
Not only are the customizations for diffusing schedules convenient, you can also select the intensity of the fragrances. As someone who prefers subtle yet noticeable scents, I appreciate the ability to make the diffusing strength as strong or weak as I please. I moved the dial in the app to the five slot, which is medium intensity. At this point, my Pura home fragrance device setup was complete and all I had to do was wait for the holiday magic to fill my home.
Waking up the next morning, I could immediately smell the fresh, woody aromas of blue cypress snow. It was like waking up in a frosted Christmas tree farm. Funny enough, my roommate thought we left a candle burning through the night—the scent was that strong. This early morning schedule set a magical tone for the rest of my morning.
After a few days, I decided to move the Pura device to the hallway. My apartment has one long hallway connecting each of the rooms, so I figured this would be the best centralized location as opposed to the living room. Much to my surprise, this helped the fragrances carry throughout the entire apartment. I love walking in the door and immediately smelling the welcoming aroma of winter scents. Guests do too, and I’ve received multiple compliments on how fresh my apartment smells since installing the smart device.
Though I’m still playing around with the diffusing schedules (there’s so many customizations!), I’m extremely pleased with the results of diffusing Pura home fragrance. It gives the fresh, cozy aroma of burning a candle all day long—minus the fire hazard.
In my two weeks of testing the smart diffuser, I’m thrilled with the results. Though I have more than enough product left to keep diffusing cranberry fizz and blue cypress snow, I’ve popped in frasier fir and white bergamot to switch it up. As expected, my apartment smells like a crisp yet cozy holiday dream. Finally, my home is prepped for holiday guests!
In total, vials last up to 700 hours. Since you decide the diffusing schedule, it can vary how long the fragrances last. Pura notes that fragrance vials last two weeks when running eight hours per day at a level five scent intensity. So, fragrance vials could last for up to a month if you don’t diffuse them for a few hours straight every day.
One smart diffuser is ideal for every to 1,000 square-feet, which is comparable to a small-to-medium-sized apartment.
Yes! The app lets you know when fragrance vials are running low or are empty.
Since Pura fragrances are made with safe and clean ingredients and are paraben-, phthalate- and cruelty-free, they are indeed kid- and pet-friendly.
Verified buyer, Michelle L., writes, “This is amazing! I love that I can set a schedule and adjust fragrance intensity. I have been looking for fragrances that I did not have to manually spray and that was cruelty free and this is it! The set up was very easy.”
Similar to standard fragrance plug-ins, Pura diffuses scents on repeat. Because it’s a smart device, however, it allows users to control every aspect of the diffusing process, like setting fragrance schedules and scent intensity. It also diffuses on demand, which is ideal for when guests come over and you want fragrance diffusing for a few hours straight. Everything from setting fragrance schedules to ordering new vials is accessible through the Pura smart phone app.
Though I’ve only been diffusing the holiday scents for two weeks, I’ve had a Pura device for two months. After experimenting with seasonal scents for fall and winter, I can confidently say it’s the best diffuser I’ve ever owned. One thing I have noticed is scents don’t linger too long when the device isn’t actively diffusing. For best results, I recommend diffusing for a few hours at a time when you’ll be spending a good chunk of time inside to enjoy the scents. Or, if you know guests will be around for a few hours, set a diffusing schedule for when they’ll be around.
I love that it’s customizable to my scent preferences and schedule. Plus, there are dozens upon dozens of fragrance options from popular candle brands (Capri Blue, anyone?). It’s my little secret for keeping my home smelling like a frosty Christmas tree farm all winter long. Now, I just need to buy one for every room!
Take this as your sign to file Pura Home Fragrance under the best smart home devices worth every penny. At $9-12 for individual scent vials, it’s less than the price of a candle. The Pura device goes for $44, and since you only have to buy it once, it lasts a lifetime.
Here’s a handy hint for the holidays: Add a Pura diffuser to rooms where guests frequent, like the bathroom, living room, kitchen and hallways.