Having a smelly home can be a source of embarrassment and frustration. There’s nothing worse than a house that smells bad.
The comfort and coziness you expect from your home can quickly become a source of a disturbance if the air is stale or smelly. Luckily, there are many ways to get rid of these odors before they take over your house.
Here are seven strategies for getting rid of bad smells in your home:
Check the Drains
If you have a slow drain, use a plunger to unblock it. If there is no improvement after several minutes, call a plumber to inspect your pipes and drains.
You could even try adding something like Drano to clear any residue or food blockages that could be stinking up the place. You also want to make sure your garbage disposal is clean and that nothing is trapped. Run water through it to clear things out.
You can also get a technician to come in to ensure that it’s working properly so you aren’t left with rotting food smells.
Use Fragrance Spray or Candles
A fragrance spray will give your home a fresh smell and make it smell clean. You can buy one at the store or make your own. Additionally, if you don’t love the smell of the sprays at the store, think outside the box.
What about using your favorite Bright Crystal perfume as a home scent or boiling cinnamon sticks on your stove? Candles are another way to add a nice scent to your home. They come in so many different scents from something fruity, to coffee, to warm vanilla or florals.
Clean Your Dishwasher With Baking Soda
Another source of stinky home smells can be the dishwasher. First make sure you clean out any visible food particles.
Then run an empty load with baking soda instead of detergent. You can also get a dishwasher cleaner that’s designed to clean off excess residue. Cleaning a dishwasher is not as difficult as it may seem. And doing this can help remove sources of smells in your home.
Rip Out Walls in Damp Spaces
If you’re dealing with a damp space, you may need to rip out the walls.
This is because mold and bacteria can grow behind your drywall, causing the smell to stick around for a long time. In bathrooms that did not use the right materials, this can be especially important. If you like DIY projects, many people are able to do things like this if they are careful. Be sure to wear protective eyewear and masks to keep you from breathing in any particles.
To get rid of that horrible odor, replace your old wall with new drywall and apply fresh paint or wallpaper over it. You could even consider installing new flooring if necessary.
Take the Trash Out Daily
Have you ever made chicken and by the next day, the trash smelled like death because you put the raw chicken packaging in the garbage?
This is one of the many reasons why you should take the trash out daily. If you leave your trash in the kitchen for more than a day, it will begin to smell. However, when you take it out every day, there is less chance of bad smells and odors developing in your home.
Clean the Inside of Your Trash Can
Speaking of trash, when was the last time you wiped out the inside of your trash can? The can itself can harbor smells, so this is a great reason to clean the inside of your trash can.
If you have a plastic or metal garbage can, use baking soda or vinegar to clean it. This will remove any lingering odors and freshen up the smell of your home. Doing this at least monthly can help eliminate some of the bad odors you might be dealing with at home.
Remodel Rooms That Smell Musty and Damp
If you have a room with a musty odor, it’s likely due to high humidity levels in the air. To fix this problem, use a dehumidifier to reduce moisture and increase ventilation in your home.
You can also improve ventilation by installing fans or opening windows when it’s dry outside and of course closing them when it rains. You can change out the old carpet in a room and put in new windows if it helps to alleviate the musty odor.
Replace the Carpet
Carpets tend to retain odors because they’re porous materials which means they absorb dirt easily and trap smells underneath their surface fibers.
Pulling out the carpet and laying hardwood or vinyl flooring can significantly reduce the odor in your home.