How to Fight Odor in Your Home

Photo by Scott Umstattd on Unsplash

Every house has its own smell. It’s a combination of the brands of cleaners, detergents, and air fresheners used in the house. Mix in what the family likes to cook, pets, and how often the garbage is taken out, and you have a unique but hopefully pleasant scent. The goal of fighting odor isn’t to blot everything out, but to eliminate the bad so the good shines through.

Be Proactive Against Stench Sources

How do you fight odor without breaking a sweat? Don’t let it pop up in the first place! Identify the main causes of odor in your house and take steps to prevent it from popping up. Make a schedule so your dog gets a bath before you wrinkle your nose when he walks in. Date the food in the fridge so you can tell at a glance when it’s time to toss something. Remove shoes in the entryway so you don’t track dirty through the house. Whatever the culprit of stench in your home is, work on building habits that nip it in the bud.

Don’t Just Cover Up

The problem with a lot of air fresheners is that they don’t actually tackle the source of the problem. If you’re wondering how to fight odor that air fresheners can’t touch, aim for the source. A powerful air freshener can certainly make a room more pleasant to be in, but when it wears off you’re going to be faced with the same problems. In the battle against odor, you’re always going to want to think “cleaning” not “covering.”

Carpet Cleaning Helps a Lot

Carpet cleaning goes a long way to keeping your home fresh and clean. Fabrics absorb odors from the air and from anything that’s dripped or patted onto them. The mud that you tracked in could get deep into the carpet and harbor mildew, causing a bad smell in your house. Professional cleaning lifts the dirt, germs, and smells right out of fabrics. A fresh smelling carpet can lift the odor from a whole room!

If you have a lot of fabrics in your decor, it’s worth it to inquire about steam cleaning cushions and drapes as well. They can also harbor scents you’d rather forget! Your professional cleaning team may have ways to quickly and easily clean your whole selection of fabrics.

When to Bring in Professional Help

Fighting odor in your house takes a lot of time. Getting a professional carpet cleaning is a great place to start, but typically you can do the bulk of the work on your own. The exception is when something truly smelly goes down in your house. Maybe a pipe burst while you were on vacation, and by the time you come home, every room smells of mold. Maybe a hoarding situation has left ground-in, old odors that you just can’t get rid of. Whatever the cause, if you have serious stink, you need serious help.

If you’re wondering how to fight odor in your home, the first step is always to clean the source. Scrub the trash can, wash the dog, and soak the fridge. Once you’ve tackled that, you’ll know whether you just need a helping hand or true professional help. You can have an odor-free home!