Banishing Bad Smells From Your Home
Noticed a bad smell in your home? Unpleasant odours can make your home less comfortable to live in and less welcoming to guests. Here are just a few ways to get rid of bad odours in your home.
Locate the source
The most effective way to get rid of a bad smell is to eliminate the source. There are so many things that can cause a bad smell. Here are just a few of the common and most serious culprits to look out for.
Bin odour: An obvious source of bad smells is bins. This could be a simple case of emptying the bin, however it’s also important to clean the bin itself before adding a new bag.
Cigarettes: If you or a member of your household smokes indoors, this could also be causing a smell (although you may not notice yourself as a smoker). This smell can be largely eliminated by only smoking outdoors, although the odour may remain in fabrics and even the walls.
Food smells: Some foods such as cheese and fish are naturally pungent. In other cases, food may go off and cause a pong. Try to contain smelly foods with cling film or plastic tubs and regularly clean your kitchen (the refrigerator is a common offender for bad food smells – possibly from spillages or forgotten foods that have expired).
Pet smells: Pets can often create bad smells. Keeping your pets clean can stop smells getting too bad, whether it’s regularly bathing a dog or cleaning out a hamster’s cage. There are many other tricks to keep on top of pet smells.
Damp/mould: Water spillages, leaks and rising damp can lead to a musty smell indoors. A fungus called mould will often grow in such conditions – this will amplify the musty smell and could also pose a respiratory hazard. Try to fix any sources of leaks and clean up any mould growth. A dehumidifier may be a necessary purchase for particularly humid homes (nearby water sources such as ponds and lakes can often cause this).
Bathroom smells/sewerage: Bathroom smells tend to be temporary (so long as there’s enough ventilation). You may want to worry if there’s a strong sewage smell that’s not going away. A likely cause could be that water has evaporated from your p-trap, which could be causing sewage smells to come back up through your toilet. You should call out a plumber to address the problem immediately – build-up of methane from sewage gas can be not just unpleasant but potentially dangerous.
Gas leaks: Does your home smell of rotten eggs? This smell could be a serious issue such as a gas leak. In such cases, you should call out a 24 hour emergency plumber to take a look. An unsolved gas leak could lead to a house fire or carbon monoxide poisoning if not addressed quickly (in other words, don’t ignore this smell).
Dead animals: if you start to notice a particularly putrid smell in your home, it’s possible that it could be a dead animal such as a rodent or bird. Such animals may have been living in the walls or may have got trapped by entering through a crack or blocked chimney. If you have a pet cat, they may have even taken in a dead animal and hidden it somewhere. Whatever the case, you’ll want to find the animal as soon as possible before the smell gets too bad. Pest control may be able to help if the smell is coming from within a wall.
Burning electrical insulation: An unusual fishy smell could be the result of burning rubber or plastic as a result of a faulty electrical fitting. It could be the insulation on an old wire or component. In such cases, turn off the electric device or outlet that is causing the smell and call out an electrician to take a look.
Deep clean your home
Most bad smells in the home can be eliminated by deep cleaning. If you can’t find the source, it’s worth finding a weekend to thoroughly clean your home from top to bottom (particularly rooms where the smell is most present)
As already mentioned, the bins and the refrigerator are too common culprits for bad bin smells – you may want to clean these out with bleach and water to kill any bad smells. Ovens and washing machines can also start to smell and may need to be professionally cleaned.
Carpets can also sometimes be a source of bad smells. Dog hair, dirt and spilled food may hang around in the fibres – to get rid of these smells, you may want to consider hiring a professional carpet cleaning company or replacing your carpets altogether.
Fabrics around the home as found in sofas, curtains and mattresses may also need to be cleaned to stop them smelling. You may be able to deoderise these fabrics by sprinkling them with baking soda and essential oils, leaving them for 24 hours and vacuuming.
Ventilate, purify and fragrance
You can also stop smells hanging in the air by tackling the air itself.
Ventilating your home is the most effective method. This could be a simple case of opening windows regularly and letting in fresh air (as well as letting stale air out). Turning on extractor fans can also help in rooms such as bathrooms and kitchens. In fact, fans in general may help to ventilate your home on a non-windy day.
There could also be ways of capturing bad smells through absorbing odours. Electric air purifiers and bamboo charcoal bags are a popular and effective way of neutralising bad smells. Meanwhile, salt rock candles and certain plants can also absorb bad smells.Finally, you can get rid of bad smells by fragrancing the air in order to cover up bad odours. Many people use air fresheners in their home, but a more natural option could be scented candles, incense sticks or essential oils dispersed through a diffuser. Some plants are also capable of producing fragrances which can keep your home smelling clean and fresh.
