Your home has a unique smell. So does mine. But since we each spend a good amount of time in our own homes, we’ve become accustomed to the way it smells. Is almost impossible to tell if our own home smells good, has an odor, or is even noticeable at all.
If you don’t believe me, go to your grandmother’s house. Go visit your cousin. Stop by a friends house you haven’t seen in a couple of years. You’ll notice!
But can you find out how your own home smells?
Thankfully, the answer is yes!
You can ask a trusted friend. Ask your friend if they can tell your beloved dog has been sitting on the couch. Ask them if they can smell the litterbox in the corner of the room. Ask them if your home smells dusty or musty.
Then give your nostrils a break. If you’ve ever walked in the front door after a week long vacation, you may remember that familiar smell of “home.” Was it fresh and clean? Or could you smell the mothballs from your closet? It’s amazing what you can smell when your nose has had a break. Next time you’re out of town for a while, pay attention when you walk back in for the first time.
If you find out home has an unnoticeable or even a pleasant smell, that’s great! But, what if you find out there’s a slight odor?
It’s possible to rid your home of strange odors!
First, clean, clean, clean.
I know. That’s probably not what you wanted to hear! But when you implement a few cleaning habits, it really does make a difference in the way your home smells.
- Food doesn’t sit on the kitchen counter as long when you clean your kitchen on a regular basis.
- Pet hair and debris from the outside doesn’t get ground into your carpet when you add vacuuming to your cleaning schedule.
- That “bathroom smell” doesn’t creep up when you clean your tub, toilets, and floors on a regular basis.
Next, put pets in their place.
I’m a pet lover. Especially cute, cuddly puppies. But they do give your home a certain odor. You may not want to believe this, but guests can tell if you have a pet as soon as they walk in the door.
According to healthy living expert, Building Biologist and author Lisa Beres:
Furry companions are considered family members to many — 72 percent of American households today own either a dog or a cat. Reduce the unpleasant smell of pet dander by bathing and grooming your pet weekly and establishing pet-free zones in the home, such as the bedroom.
Finally, consider changing your air filter.
An HVAC expert once told me that inexpensive one month filters are the best option for your air conditioning unit. Those filters don’t heavily restrict air flow so the unit doesn’t have to work as hard to filter the air. You must, however, change those filters every single month. I like to change mine on the first of every month so I don’t forget!
However, that same expert told me there are circumstances where a speciality filter is preferred:
- Households where family members have allergies could benefit from a specialty air filter to help reduce airborne allergens from the air passing through the filter, such as household dust, pollen, dust mite debris and mold spores.
- Families that notice a strong odor in their home could also benefit from a specialty filter like the Filtrete Odor Reduction Filter. According to their website, it removes odors such as pet, smoke, cooking, mildew, and cleaning chemicals.
Talking about the smells in our home can be a sensitive subject. It’s kind of like having something stuck in your teeth. You want to know…even if it brings a moment of embarrassment. That way you can do something about it!
So, let me know in the comment section, do you think about the way your home smells? What tips do you have for removing odors?
I wrote this review while participating in a blog tour by Mom Central Consulting on behalf of Filtrete and received a promotional item to thank me for taking the time to participate. Find out more about Filtrete products by visiting their Facebook and Twitter pages.
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{ 17 comments… read them below or add one }
I have 4 kids-3boys and 1 girl. We have guest in our home very often and unexpected. (translation: our house gets cleaned regularly and often) What is your secret to the bathroom toilet??? Specifically the little boy pee smell? I use comet for the toilet bowl, bleach spray several times a week around the rim (getting between the bottom base and between the where the lid screws on, etc. I have a very sensitive nose (lol, a blessing and in this case a curse hahaha). I also put a flush tablet to help as well. Any suggestions?
Well, I’ve recently found out that boys don’t always make it into the toilet :) So, cleaning the floor…and wall (!!)… around the toilet could be a solution. That’s what I have to do!
lol, that is true and so that is just a “normal” part of cleaning the bathroom. At least we have the same solution.
ps for a nice scent when you walk in our home is a scented candle. It adds “warmth and welcome” to our home and smells nice too.
My sitting room has a definite odour (it’s not horribly unpleasant – some of it’s from the shared chimney and that’s fine – but it’s THERE) and I’m beginning to suspect it’s coming from my non-washable couches and chairs (that’s pretty much the only fabric in the room and the rest of that room is CLEAN, so it must me, really…) – any suggestions?
Help!!! I have an elderly cat that misses his litterbox sometimes and has also done some spraying in his room. We have a spare bedroom that his litterbox and food and water are in, and he also sleeps in there at night. The spraying and misses are into the hardwood floor and very noticeable when you go down into the basement. I have cleaned and cleaned with Pine Sol, Awsome, Murphy`s oil soap (I love Murphy`s) and sprinked the floor with baking soda. These help temporarily, but the smell is always lingering. And how do I get it out of the basement because it has seeped down through the floor? My suggestion was to burn the house down and start over…haha!
You’ll probably need an enzymatic cleaner to break down the *aherm* aromatic compounds that are causing the smell – especially where they’ve soaked in. I’ve heard very good things about Nature’s Miracle (we don’t have that over here, and if you don’t either, then the people at one of the big pet stores might be able to help) – and if it’s saturated into an area, you’ll need to saturate it with cleaner, too.
My 30-year-old home smells like an old musty beach house. We’ve lived here eight years, cleaning all the time, replaced the carpet with laminate flooring, had the air ducts professionally cleaned and sealed, torn out both bathroom floors and replaced, etc. I’m thinking there must be something major inside a wall or under the house. I can cover the smell up with scented candles and stuff, but after a week away, walk in and wham! I have even started using plug in air fresheners, and I’m over-sensitive to perfumy things like that. Luckily, we live in a mild climate, and I can have the windows open a lot. My husband can’t smell a thing. :)
@Claire, try combining a TON of baking soda (i use one of the giant 4-lb boxes in a 25 gal. bucket) with a generous sprinkle of your favorite essential oil. You could also use those scented laundry crystals, like the Purex ones. Spread the mixture all over the upholstery and use a brush to work it in thoroughly. Let it sit a few hours, preferably overnight. Vaccuum it up and your furniture will smell much better. This techique also works for a bare mattress, which I do with my spring cleaning.
@Bitts, thank you, that sounds like a fairly straightforward thing to try – as soon as we actually get a bit of summer around here (so I can open up the windows whilst I clean… I’m maybe a little weird, but if I’m doing a “big clean” like that I like an open window and maybe a wee breeze) in West Central Scotland I’m going to do that. I actually can’t wait!
This may sound odd to some, but I do not have a sense of smell. I have never smelled anything in my life…ever. So having said this, at times I wonder what my house smells like. If I have company coming over and want to have a nice smelling house (with a dog and 2 kids), what is the main 1 or 2 things that you think should always be done to keep things smelling fresh and clean? Also @ Bitts, I love that idea!
Oh goodness! I can’t even imagine. There are so many culprits but I’d say keep the kitchen clean (i.e. don’t let food sit out over night), vacuum often, and don’t have indoor pets if you can help it. If you do, it’s not the end of the world, though :)
Perhaps you could just periodically ask a family member or good friend if they smell potential problem areas. Sometimes it’s as easy as taking out the trash. Other times it may be a more serious problem like mold or mildew.
I am a mother of 3 boys ages 8years old to 1 years old I have 2 small dogs but one is a yorkie and they don’t shed… We live in older millitary housing built in the 70′s i think… We have cheap tile floor like the type of tile in commercial stores its very old and dingy the kitchen side room and living room are all this type of floor and the only way I have found to get it to look clean is to scrub on my hands and knees mopping helps some but it still looks dingy after. and also Iam pretty dilligent about cleaning and notice that my house still smells slightly musty i do have clutter areas but at least try to keep it clean. Do you have any advice to help me?
We noticed that too when we lived in old military housing and as a military brat I remember a lot of the older base buildings having that smell. I honestly don’t think there is much you can do about curing the smell, we have invested in the Glade fans which fills even large rooms with scent and do things like hide laundry sheets in cushions or vases. Otherwise just hope that they can move you into a renovated home soon.
oh forgot to mention the ac filter has been changed too
We were noticing a musty smell in our house and found that there was exposed rock and dirt in the crawl space. So we had a company come out and they told us the insulation in the crawl space was mouse infested. We hired that company to come in and remove and replace all the old insulation and plastic that covers the dirt. Now we have no more musty smell.
I don’t use candles in my home. Instead, I diffuse 100% pure, therapeutic grade essential oils. Not only is it healthy and safe for your family and pets, it adds a longer lasting, pleasant and natural scent, and elevates your mood.