The $1 Trader Joe’s Fall Gem I Wait All Year Long to Buy (It Makes My Home Smell So Cozy)
The black cat is out of the bag: The autumnal gods have descended upon Trader Joe’s, and shoppers are running to the store to stock up on limited edition fall finds, from vanilla-pumpkin and honeycrisp apple candles, to spiced orange room spray and mini olive trees. And now, the famous cinnamon broom is back on shelves for the season.
The $5 accessory is “handmade in the U.S.A. from raw pine, and then pressed with pure cinnamon oil,” according to the Trader Joe’s site, and it packs a glorious cinnamony punch. It’s popular enough to have accrued a massive amount of comments in the r/traderjoes Subreddit, where the conversation is pretty divided. Some say they find the aroma way too strong, while others say they buy several to put in rooms throughout their home.
One Redditor offers a happy medium, saying, “I find the scent too strong for indoor use, but I kept it on the porch right next to the front door as added fall decor last fall. Then I got to smell it walking in and out of my house. I never got rid of it over winter, and then this spring I used it to clean all the leaves off my porch … and it worked surprisingly well?? So now I have last year’s broom on my porch to dust off leaves and cobwebs and always feel a bit silly but also witchy when I use it lol.”
Others say they buy them to put in spaces that are prone to smelling bad. “I put a little one in the mudroom, another in the bathroom, and another one by the litter!” one comment says. However, keep in mind that cinnamon can be toxic and irritating to cats, so be sure to keep it out of reach.
Many others say they keep it by their fireplace mantel for a Halloween-y look, or by their front door — which is said to bring good luck and abundance to your home, according to some spiritual beliefs.
Personally, I gravitate toward the Trader Joe’s cinnamon whisk, which is a miniature version of the broom that goes for just over $1. If you can’t make it to a Trader Joe’s, you can always dish out a few extra dollars to buy one off Amazon.
I understand that people have different scent sensitivities and preferences, so if cinnamon isn’t your favorite, I’d probably pass on this. But if the smell of snickerdoodles baking in the oven or walking into a cozy spice shop appeals to you, be sure to toss one or three of these little cinnamon whisks (or the bigger broom) into your cart the next time you find yourself at TJ’s.
I buy one each year and hang it on the back of my front door to make my home look and smell a little more like fall. And if it happens to bring me some extra good luck? I definitely won’t be mad.