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You want your home to smell welcoming. However, unpleasant odors sometimes creep in, leaving us frustrated. Luckily, there are many simple solutions for ridding your house of stubborn smells and making it feel like new.
With proactive maintenance and quick fixes for occasional issues, you can have your home smelling as wonderful as it looks in no time.
Tackle Odors at Their Source
When an unpleasant odor arises, try to locate its source. Track it room by room if indoors, or follow it along the perimeter if outside. Look for anything out of place that could be producing the smell, such as piles of uncollected garbage, dishes left unwashed, laundry left damp, or spoiled food left out.
Check less obvious places too like drains, garbage disposals, vents, and the backs of refrigerators and stoves. If the stench wafts from a roommate’s room, muster up the courage for an honest yet tactful conversation.
Once the culprit is found, take swift action to eliminate it. Throw rotting items in the trash immediately. Scrub mildewy surfaces with a strong cleaning solution. Pour drain cleaner down smelly pipes.
Though ignoring odors rarely makes them vanish entirely, regularly cleaning and promptly purging perishables can prevent unpleasant scents from taking root in the first place. Banish recurring smells quickly when they do inevitably arise. A fresh, pleasant surrounding is worth the routine effort required.
Consider Septic System Upkeep
Many homes rely on a septic tank rather than a municipal sewer system. Any odors from a septic system are a sign the system has a problem. You won’t have to wonder if you need a septic pumping.
You do. This pumping removes sediment and waste, allowing the system to function efficiently. Failure to pump a septic tank is false economy, inevitably resulting in emergency repairs down the line costing far more in dollars and disruption.
Additionally, negligent maintenance places public health at risk through contamination and foul vapors. Staying on top of septic system upkeep prevents calamity for homeowners and environs alike when troublesome tanks unleash unpleasant odors.
Let Fresh Air In
Small actions like opening windows regularly go a long way towards airing out any lingering funk or staleness. Run bathroom and kitchen fans while showering or cooking too.
You’d be surprised how helpful a few minutes of ventilation are. Get into the habit of letting fresh outdoor air circulate, especially after activities that produce a lot of humidity, smoke, or other odors.
Don’t forget to dust and change furnace filters as well, so your HVAC system keeps moving clean-smelling air around your interior. A daily dose of fresh air works wonders.
Implement Targeted Solutions
For challenging specific smells, use customized remedies. Toss baking soda in the back of the fridge and freezer to absorb odors over time. Place activated charcoal pouches in musty closets or laundry rooms too.
If scents still linger after cleaning pet accidents, apply an enzymatic odor eliminator made for breaking down organic matter.
For smoky resins after burning candles or incense, cut an onion in half and set the exposed surfaces around the room to help absorb ambient smells from the air. Discard once it browns. Small solutions like these make huge impacts.
With some periodic heavy-duty scrubbing, prompt attention when issues arise, septic care if needed, ventilation, and targeted odor absorbers, you can keep unwanted smells at bay.
Follow these tips and best practices for keeping stale scents out of your home long-term. With a bit of elbow grease and some simple fixes, you’ll be breathing easy in fresh, wonderful-smelling spaces.
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