Scented Sachets, Cedar Blocks or a Pomander: Which Is Best for Your Closet?
Three classic ways to scent a closet, compared honestly: sachets, cedar and the pomander.
Three classic ways to scent a closet or drawer, each with its strengths. Here's how they compare.
Scented sachets
- How they work: a fabric pouch filled with scented beads, flowers or herbs.
- Pros: pretty, inexpensive, easy to tuck anywhere.
- Cons: the scented filling sits right against your clothes, and some sachets leak oil when warm or squeezed. Many fade within a few weeks and are thrown away.
Cedar blocks and rings
- How they work: unfinished cedar releases its natural woody smell.
- Pros: natural, long-lived wood, a classic for wool and coats.
- Cons: one scent only, and it fades; you sand the wood to bring it back. Not to everyone's taste in a lingerie drawer.
A pomander
- How it works: a scented sphere enclosed in a pierced case that hangs in the air.
- Pros: the scent moves freely, nothing touches fabric, and you choose the scent. It's refreshed by swapping the sphere, not thrown away, and it's beautiful enough to be seen.
- Cons: it costs more up front than a sachet.
Which should you choose?
- For coats and wool: cedar, or a pomander in Cèdre Noir if you want cedar with more depth.
- For delicates: a pomander, so nothing sits against the fabric.
- For a closet you see every day: a pomander. The Wardrobe Pomander is a gold pierced sphere on a black satin ribbon, with a wool sphere infused with one of our hotel scents inside, two spares sealed fresh, and gold tongs.
Quick answers
What is better, a sachet or a pomander? A pomander keeps the scented material enclosed and away from fabric, and is refreshed rather than replaced.
Does cedar make a closet smell good? Yes, a natural woody smell that fades over time and needs sanding.
Can I use more than one? Yes. Many people keep cedar with wool and a pomander on the main rail.
Explore: the Scaldera Arch · Shop the collection · Take the Scent Quiz · Membership · Refill subscription
More from the Journal
- What Is a Pomander? The Story of the Scented Gold Sphere — From royal courts to the modern wardrobe: what a pomander is, where it came from, and how people use one today.
- How to Make Your Closet Smell Good (and Keep It That Way) — A closet that smells good starts with air and ends with a quiet scent that never touches your clothes. Here's the order that works.
- The Best Hanging Closet Fresheners: Luxury Alternatives to Sprays, Gels and Sachets — Sprays, gels, sachets, cedar or a pomander? How each closet freshener works, and which one keeps scent in the air instead of on your clothes.