From keeping the windows closed throughout the winter to tracking smells in from outside, your house can end up harboring a variety of odors, many of them unpleasant. Additionally, odors arise within your home from the natural activity of living in them.
Although it might seem obscene or profane to say so, it is a fact that people sweat. They fart. They shed skin cells. Additionally, they have pets, which are unique kinds of odor factories in and of themselves. Simply put, over time, your house will stink. It is time to do something–and fast. But how do you get rid of all those caked-in, wafting smells? Also find some of the best odor eliminators in this extensive guide from Groom+Style.
1. Cover them up
Air freshener comes in a variety of packages. Sprays are common, and diffusers are also a refreshing joy. Other types of air fresheners include scented candles and misters. Finally, some fresheners allow you to plug them into an electric socket, providing you a clean-smelling, aromatic nightlight of sorts.
When it comes to all these types of air-freshening strategies, the one thing in common is their attempts to cover up the bad smells with pleasant ones. Simply put, they overpower the smells, and after a brief period of time, all you smell is the air freshener.
The good thing about these types of solutions is that they eventually permeate your carpet and your furniture. In the same way a bad smell can take over a home, refreshing aromas from air fresheners can slowly take over the airspace.
However, depending on the bad smell they are combating, it might be a losing battle. For instance, if the smell emanates from a source within your carpets and fabric, this source can outlast your air freshener. This is the case for smells that stem from mildew or mold. For mildew or mold, you must take a much firmer stance.
2. Obliterate them
Some sprays not only cover up smells–they obliterate the odor-causing germs intent on wreaking havoc on your nose. These sprays include such things as bleach or vinegar, both of which help kill mildew and some molds.
Additionally, some sprays also chemically break up the odor or germs, allowing you to wipe them up. For instance, spraying a citrus-based spray onto a dirty material can degrade a variety of greasy or grimy substances, getting rid of the smell’s source. When you then wipe up or dab the material, you are lifting the offending smell out of the fabric. Finally, the natural citrus scent remains to help your house smell better.
3. Set them free
Sometimes it is best to use this last strategy in conjunction with one of the aforementioned strategies. In terms of smells, it is important that you open windows and let fresh air in and the bad smells out. The logic in this is that even when you spray fresheners or cleaners in your house, fresh air will help expedite the cleaning process.
Additionally, some cleaners, such as bleach or vinegar might get rid of smells, but for a short period of time, they stink up your home as much as a mildewed carpet does. Finally, opening up a window helps the drying time, ensuring your carpet or fabric properly aerates and dries completely.
In terms of quickening the drying process, sometimes it is best to put a fan in the window. However, although it might seem counter-intuitive to do so, you should aim the output into the yard rather than aiming the fan into your home. Doing so will create a negative vacuum in your home, pulling the stinky air out of the room and sending it out into the great wide open. For a better effect, open another window somewhere in the house, and you will create a draft throughout the house. You will have your home smelling clean in no time.
4. One last trick
Of course, one last strategy might involve painting, which covers up odors that might be caught in old paint on the wall. Fresh paint acts as a sealant, which creates a barrier between your nose and the smell.
Of course, if you have an old house that might have something like asbestos in the walls, it is important to not do any of this. Instead, you will need to contact professionals, such as Threshold Environmental Asbestos Testing. Only a professional testing company can tell you what is in your walls and how to handle it.
