How to Snuff Out Bad Smells in Your House

You may be walking into a room in your home and think, "what is that awful smell?" Perhaps it’s coming from the kitchen trash, a moldy-smelling washing machine or a clogged drain. You may choose to hire a carpet cleaning edmonton or find a housekeeper edmonton to do the cleaning for you. Meanwhile, the following are ten tips to find terrible odors at home and eliminating them.

Track Down the Source

First things first—you must find the source of the odor since just using fragrant candles and air fresheners isn’t going to fix the problem. Consider all the options, such as mold and mildew, an animal carcass in the chimney or dryer vent or something rotting in the trash. If the source is something you can remove, do so right away. Install a dryer vent that will keep pests out. Also, if you have a housekeeper, they can find the source for you as they do their routine of cleaning the house.

Try Activated Charcoal

Activated charcoal is porous which means it is great for absorbing odors. You can purchase activated charcoal in several forms. Try using them near your cat’s litter box or in your kitchen compost container.

Fix a Smelly Dishwasher

Over time, food scraps and mold can build up in your dishwasher and create for a stinky situation. First, you’ll need to clean out the food debris, including the sprayer arm ports and in the crevices of the door. Once it is cleaned out, try filling a dishwasher-safe cup with white vinegar and place it on the top rack and run a cycle with no other dishes. You can also use a specialized dishwasher cleaning solution.

Musty Washing Machines

It’s easy for mold and mildew to grow in washing machines, especially if you have a front-load machine. Try washing away the smell by using 2 cups of bleach in a cycle with hot water. You can also purchase Affresh tablets to use in a cycle to kill odors. Also, be sure to leave the machine door open between uses.

Sewer Smells

Sewer smells in the basement aren’t out-of-the-ordinary. First, you’ll have to determine the source of the smell, as it could be trapped water under a floor drain, a clogged drain or even a cracked sewer line.

Refrigerator Odors

The tried-and-true solution to refrigerator odor is an open box of baking soda. Sodium bicarbonate attracts and eliminates odors. Just make sure to change it once a year.

Garbage-Smelling Garbage Disposals

If your garbage disposal smells like, well, garbage, cut a lemon into chunks and run it through the disposal. Citrus is a great odor eliminator and the fruit’s high level of acid creates an unfriendly environment for bacteria.

Food Smells

Over time, cooking smells can become trapped in your kitchen, especially if you do a lot of curry dishes, spicy sauces or fried meals. To wash your cabinets and walls, use warm water with a mild soap. To eliminate odor after meal, just boil a cup of vinegar on the stove.

Carpet and Rug Odors

If you have kids and pets, you likely know carpet and rugs are a magnet for odors. To eliminate urine smells, try mixing one-part vinegar with three parts water. Rub the mixture on the carpet or rug with a white cloth and let it air dry. It can also be wise to contact a professional carpet cleaning Edmonton to help clean your carpets and rugs.

Smoke Stink

You just moved into your new home and it smells like an ashtray. An air freshener isn’t going to eliminate that odor! To get rid of smoke smells, you’ll need to wash and paint the walls. Depending on how deep the odor runs, you may even need to clean out the home’s duct system.

Conclusion

Eliminating the bad odors at home starts at finding the source of the smell. Keep in mind those ten tips on how to eliminate bad odors at home to ensure that your home not only looks good and inviting but also smells great! Try to find a housekeeper edmonton or hire a carpet cleaning edmonton to help you with this chore.

My name is Gary Jacob and I'm a freelance writer. I write contents that talk about daily life sharing information. Some of the categories are related to home improvement, health benefits, residential or commercial cleaning tips, and many more.