Hey, we’ve all been there. No matter how much you clean and care for your home, sometimes it just stinks.
This can be pretty frustrating. Not only is it sure to irritate you and your family, but it could also deter you from having guests over. Cooking, pets, people, trash, mold, dirty laundry, and more can all contribute to a house that smells a little bit funky.
The good news is that there are plenty of ways to get your home smelling fresh and clean once more. Read our tips to find out what we recommend!
Baking soda
The gift that keeps on giving, baking soda is just as useful in home maintenance as it is in making your favourite desserts. Baking soda naturally absorbs and neutralizers odours. Many people stick it in the back of the fridge as a means of keeping smells from food at bay. But you can also sprinkle it in tons of places around your home. Leave some in your trash can, sprinkle it on carpet before vacuuming, or stash a box in any room with a strange or musty smell.
Apple cider vinegar
I know what you’re thinking…that stuff kind of stinks. But apple cider vinegar works wonders at eliminating tough odours. Mix a solution of one part apple cider vinegar and two parts water. Spray this solution anywhere you think odours may be prevalent in your home. It will smell at first, but once it dries, the vinegar smell will be gone, and so will any other stinky scents you wanted to get rid of.
Dryer sheets
Chances are, you already have these in your home. Dryer sheets aren’t just for making your clothes smell good. They can do wonders in various parts of the house. Like baking soda, you can put a dryer sheet anywhere you notice an off putting smell – garbage cans, closets, cabinets, you name it. Just be sure to switch the dryer sheets out as they will lose their powers over time.
Lemon slices
Lemon slices are a great way to deodorize your kitchen and add a fresh scent to the air. If your home smells stale, try bringing a pot of lemon slices and water to a boil on your stove and simmering it for a few hours. This will help neautralize odours in the air. Plus, doing this in the winter can help to make dry air a little more warm and moist. You can also use a lemon in a dish with water to kick odours in your microwave. Heat them up in there together then wait for them to cool, and enjoy a fresh, clean microwave.
Vodka
No, we aren’t suggesting you drink away your tough-smell woes. Vodka is actually an excellent natural deodorizer. It can be an easy and quick fix for musty smelling curtains and upholstery. Put a little bit of bottom shelf vodka in a spray bottle and go to work on any textured surfaces in your home. It will lift away bad smells and act as a disinfectant.
Windows
Sometimes all you need is a little fresh air. Leaving your windows open for about 10 minutes a day will let outside air circulate through your home, and help keep air from getting stale. During the summer months, it’s important to keep a screen on your windows so that allergens and bugs won’t be able to enter your home.
What if all of this doesn’t work?
Ok, you’ve tried everything on this list, but your home still smells funky? This could be an indication that it’s time for an air duct cleaning. Dust, dirt, allergens, and even animal waste all builds up in your ducts over time. Smells become trapped by this buildup of dust. When you turn on your heating or air conditioning, the unpleasant smells will be distributed through every room in your home.
To eliminate nasty smells caught in your ducts, it is crucial that you get a thorough air duct cleaning every couple of years. Duct cleaning experts can effectively clear your ducts of accumulated debris and build up. Not only will this keep your home smelling clean and fresh, but it will also reduce allergens and improve air quality, allowing you and your family to breathe easier.
Sometimes, foul smells in your house can be caused by things like trash or food. When this is the case, a quick and easy at-home remedy will do the trick. Other times, it is the result of dust and dirt building up in your ducts. When this happens, you need to call in the professionals to take care of things.
If you live in the Winnipeg area and have unbeatable funky scents in your home, give us a call at Whyte Ridge. We’ll be able to bust your dust and restore high quality air in no time.