Am I to feel bad about this ? 
I really dislike the smell , what else can I use to cleanse the home and objects ?
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I don’t like the smell of sage either, I’ve been using sage brush bark or used dried loose leaf tea for smoke when I use it.
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Palo Santo is cleansing, it smells sweet. You can also make a sage spritz and it smells a little different than burning sage. Here is a list of cleansing herbs:
- Cedar.
- Frankincense.
- Juniper.
- Lavender.
- Lemon Balm.
- Myrrh.
- Palo Santo.
- Sweetgrass.
Lavender is one of my favorites. I use frankincense often too. There are some others but I think these are the most common.
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I love these questions! I think sage, eucalyptus stinks BUT, never fear, there is always a substitute.
Florida water is a scent that is used a lot in Hoodoo practice. It is generally used for cleansing. It can be used to wash your hands before magical or spiritual work, sprinkled around the home to cleanse negative energy, sprinkled on your altar, candles or any magical items or added to a bucket of water to wash your floors and work surfaces with. And it smells sweetly citrus.
This is a nice site but I can’t remember the name of the owner: Florida Water – Witches Of The Craft®
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I have made Florida water & have it in a mini spray bottle to spritz my room or whatever. I love the smell of it & use the essential oil blend in my diffusers.
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I’m not a fan of sage either. I use Frankincense, Lavender, or Palo Santo to smoke cleanse. You can also use sound to cleanse. I have a bell that I use to cleanse my small altar space where smoke would be too much
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Oh, sound! I listen to Celtic music or Woke Nation or I have a couple of playlists on my Spotify for my deities. I do use that to cleanse my house at times too or if I am doing any kind of personal cleansing ritual.
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I prefer palo santo over sage or eucalyptus. I don’t dislike sage but my kids think it’s a terrible smell so I don’t use it much.
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I use it in my room mostly, my daughter doesn’t like it at all. So if she spends the weekend with her Aunt then I will do the house while she is gone.
I completely understand @rachel21
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Blueberry incense keeps unwanted energy from your home and property. Sandalwood is good for purification too! And don’t forget rosemary. If sage is like bleach spiritually, then rosemary is like pine sol, takes all the bad energy away, and leaves a better vibe afterward.
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No one in my house likes the smell of sage & complains every time they have to deal with the smell lol. I didn’t even think to look into substituting it BC I don’t really mind it. But I get what they’re saying because I’m not a huge fan of the smell either. So this is great to have other options!!! Let us know what you come up with. I always like to see what others try and liked/worked for them!
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You can also use thyme to cleanse an environment, and it helps you to be true to yourself. 
Jeannie
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Thank you everyone
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You can use good ol’ salt 
for the home and for cleansing objects, you can burn or use a rinse or spray or peppermint, spearmint, chamomile, rosemary, lavender, etc. Palo Santo smells nice; I just bought some chips yesterday. You can put bay leaves in the corners of the room.
I would love to learn how to make my own smudge bundles with different kinds of herbs. I wonder what is a good, burn-friendly type of string or twine? Of course, nothing wrong with just burning some incense or burning the loose herbs…
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That is awesome thank you
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My kids get upset when I use sage because they think I’m making sausages and they come downstairs ready to eat! Oh, the disappointment on their sweet little faces… 
I typically just use incense in whatever scent I’m drawn to for its use. I also make sprays with Florida water, salt, tiny charged crystal chips and some essential oils. After I use one of those, I usually use a Tibetan singing bowl, music, or sing or repeat either my intentions or affirmations to fill the room with positivity after clearing out all of the “old” energy.
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I love sage! If I think about it for a few minutes I can smell it without it being there! It is very much one of my favorites 
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I was just reading about Lemongrass and burned, there is little smoke and a sweet vanilla’ish scent. It too can be used for cleansing.
Garnet
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Hi Sarall,
I don’t like sage for several reasons.
cornbread stuffing is usually too much sage. Sausage has a lot of sage.
There’s a restaurant near us called the “Sage Biscuit” and it’s exactly what it says, Biscuits made with sage. Just can’t get used to the taste or smell.
Kind of like horseradish . You grow it, you dig it up, you wash it and grind it. I remember Dad and Mom making it…I tried to hide under the bed to escape the smell. (I was only 5) Makes my sinus’ hurt remembering it.
But I’m glad someone likes it.
Blessed be dearest girl.
Garnet
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Hi Garnet,
It’s funny how smell 
affects us all differently. I would say you are ‘saged out’! 
I am growing garden sage but I don’t like the way it smells living, I haven’t burned any of it yet so I don’t know if I like it burned either. 
I only use it in dressing a couple times of year. 
White Sage smells great burned to me but I’ve never smelled it growing.
I just put away some lemongrass I dried yesterday so I think I will try to burn some of it after reading your post about it. Good 
I have tried a lot of incense sticks I couldn’t handle but I think it was that they were mostly fake scents! I have been exploring more natural incense lately and they are the way to go for me.
Blessed Be Garnet
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