Best: Overall

Rating: 10/10

If you regularly find yourself at the mercy of the sleep gods, a good tip is to make your bedroom a place that your brain associates with sleep. That means no laptops or TVs, and the same goes for work files and office clutter. It should instead be a place of tranquility where your mind can easily switch off.

Neom’s reed diffuser with English lavender, jasmine and sweet basil adds to the effect, and while it didn’t fully cure our insomnia (we weren’t expecting it to) it certainly helped us relax, with its spa-like fragrance. To maximise its effects, we recommend turning the reeds just before bed, and tag-teaming with the brand’s lavender pillow spray (£20, Neomorganics.com).

Best: For English florals

Rating: 9/10

Emma is one of those quintessentially English names that conjures up someone bright, unassuming and effortlessly charming . This scent is just as pleasing, named after 18th century model and muse Lady Emma Hamilton, a society beauty with a “shady courtesan past” whose portraits are displayed in the National Gallery.

The diffuser has a potent blend of apricot-tinged roses and fresh leafy accords with green apple notes, it’s modern take on the floral which, like its namesake, isn’t traditional or “grannyish” in the slightest. Plus, the pink holder makes a fetching addition to any bathroom sink or living room coffee table.

Best: Smart scent

Rating: 8/10

While some people might think of reed diffusers as somewhat pedestrian and mumsy, not all are created equal, nor do they invariably smell of floral air freshener. Lalique raises the bar with its punchy perfumes, and its vetiver reed diffuser is case in point.

Vetiver is a fragrant tall grass found in India and Haiti, famed for its warm, earthy scent which is why it often pops up in men’s colognes. Apparently, inhaling the essential oil improves alertness and brain function, which makes this reed diffuser a great desk-side companion. It boasts a generous, leathery scent, which isn’t too “bachelor pad”, yet is sophisticated enough to jazz up any room in the house. It’s currently out of stock online due to delayed dispatch, but you can sign up for email notifications for when it’s back.

Best: For clearing your sinuses

Rating: 9/10

There are few things worse when you’re under the weather than also being trapped in a stuffy bedroom. Not only does this diffuser provide a blast of freshness, it can also help you breathe easier – plus, it smells nicer than a dollop of Vick’s Vaporub melted in a bowl of hot water. One of the best budget-friendly diffusers we’ve tried (and trust us, there aren’t many) the mint also apparently helps sharpen the mind and improve focus.

Best: For large rooms

Rating: 8/10

If you’re struggling to scent a stately home or hotel (a nice problem to have you might say) then Ormonde Jayne has the answer. Based in Mayfair, the perfume houses’s fragrances bring glamour and then some.

This 500ml reed diffuser is – in the words of an old boyfriend from Nottingham – “a bit of a unit”. Such is its stature, it made us feel almost Borrower-like when it arrived – a glass bottle the size of a teapot, with 12 drumstick-like reeds for scenting large rooms.

Its Ta’if fragrance is a regal, uplifting blend of rose oil, orange flower and freesia. Walk into a room smelling of this and you’ll start sashaying around like Princess Margaret in The Crown. And a top tip from perfumer Linda Pilkington: “If you are expecting guests and entertaining, turn all the reeds two hours before the party starts!”

Best: For cutting through cooking smells

Rating: 9/10

At university, we saw Molton Brown as a byword for “posh bubble bath” – and its aroma reeds are equally expensive-smelling. It would no doubt make even the shabby, rat-infested student house we used to rent feel like a palace.

Its orange and bergamot bouquet is legendary among fans of this brand, and for good reason – a refreshing, happy citrus scent guaranteed to cheer up the gloomiest of days. In the form of a reed diffuser, it cuts through any remaining whiffs of cooking oil and garlic in the kitchen, while the zesty scent can enhance the energising effects of your Monday morning coffee.

Best: Gift for men

Rating: 8/10

There’s a type of bloke who listens to Marc Maron podcasts who is inevitably a nightmare when you have to buy them gifts. Luckily this concoction will make a pleasing alternative to yet another pair of socks or bottle of scotch.

If you think reed diffusers are all about florals, think again. This one is the “rock n’roll” alternative, the Ronnie Wood of reed diffusers if you will. A smooth scent that conjures up leather jackets, handmade wooden furniture and gentleman’s clubs, it will keep his man cave elegantly fragranced, with a dash of debonair flair.

Best: For glamorous escapism

Rating: 8/10

We have to admit, we had a rocky start with this one. We used it with all the reeds in at once, which we realised was overkill for a one-bedroom flat. Whittle it down to three or four and it really comes into its own, emitting a delightful whiff of lychee (which can smell very acrid in large doses), peach and rose.

With fewer reeds, we positioned it by an open window and let the scent waft in on the breeze, making us (almost) believe we were sunning ourselves in the Hamptons – the name “Sagaponack” being a ritzy town in the famous Long Island hot spot.