It doesn’t matter how many times a day you mop and scrub your house. Sometimes the stenches of every day living are inevitable. As long as you’re living in your home, there will be smells that come and go. But with the right products and tricks, you’ll be able to fight those unwanted odors and get rid of them for good.

Below we’ve lined out a guide to help you get unwanted odors out of your bathroom, bedroom, common area, and kitchen once and for all.

Unwanted bathroom odors

The bathroom is the one area in the house that we come to clean our bodies and eliminate our waste. Which is why this area of the house can get pretty smelly from time to time. To keep the bathroom free from unwanted odors there are two main areas of concern.

The toilet

As a general rule of thumb, you want to clean your toilet bowl before you notice any visible sign of wreckage. Make sure you keep a toilet bowl cleaner inside of the bowl to help clean and prevent smells with each flush and remember to take your toilet bowl scrubber to it at least once a week. Not only will this prevent it from becoming too dirty to clean, but it will also prevent rust and keep those unwanted odors out of your bathroom.

The shower

The next place to keep an eye out for in the bathroom is the shower. This is where you clean your body, emptying all of your bodily fluids like sweat and dead skin cells. Because of this, the shower drain can sometimes become filled with a strong smell you might not know how to get rid of. Add a cup of cleaning vinegar to your shower drain and let it sit for 30 minutes before flushing out with a pot of boiling hot water. 

Unwanted bedroom odors

Depending on the layout of your bedroom you may or may not have that many places to take into consideration when cleaning. There are two main areas that we’ve found in the bedroom that like to harbor odors.

The mattress

Since you’re sleeping on your mattress every night, it can sometimes become filled with a weird stench that many people don’t know how to get rid of. Once you’ve taken off your blankets and sheets to wash, start by running the vacuum over your mattress using the brush attachment. Then go ahead and sprinkle baking soda on the surface and let it sit for at least 30 minutes. Go ahead and vacuum up the baking soda and lightly spray your mattress using a disinfectant.

The carpet

Carpets tend to hold a lot of odors because of the fibers that they contain. These fibers can hang on to things like dirt from your shoes and socks as well as hair from any pets that you may have. Similar to cleaning your mattress you’ll want to sprinkle the carpet with baking soda. Then let it sit for 30 minutes before vacuuming it up. And you’ll also want to remember to shampoo the carpet at least once a month to prevent a buildup of odor.

Unwanted common area odors

Most living rooms or common areas have two areas of concern that homeowners look to for cleaning and eliminating odors.

The furniture

Living room furniture that’s made out of microfiber, cloth or fabric has the ability to lock in odor for a long period of time. If your furniture came with care instructions, it’s important that you follow those instructions and clean your pieces as often as directed. But if it doesn’t you can sprinkle baking soda on your furniture, let it sit for 30 minutes, and then vacuuming using the brush attachment. 

If you have leather furniture and you notice a weird smell coming from it, you can wipe it down using lukewarm water, a mild dish detergent, and a cleaning cloth.

The pet bed

Unwanted kitchen odors

Along with the bathroom, the kitchen is one of the most frequently used rooms in the house. Because of this, there are many places for unwanted odors to become trapped making them difficult to eliminate.

The garbage

If you’ve taken out the trash and still notice a strong stench coming from your garbage can, it might not be the scent lingering but the actual garbage can itself that smells. Once a month you should spray down your garbage can with a disinfecting spray and give it a good wipe down. After that sprinkle a little bit of baking soda inside the can before putting a trash bag in it to help prevent and conceal future odor.

The refrigerator

There’s nothing worse than the smell of a bunch of leftovers every time you open up the fridge. Make sure you double wrap your food when you put it away to prevent leakage and bacteria growth. If you’re still noticing a strong smell, put an open box of baking soda in your refrigerator to help absorb the odors.

The sink & dishwasher

When it comes to cleaning the sink and the dishwasher are two of the most overlooked places in the kitchen. Because both of these areas involve cleaning up food debris, they need to be cleaned often to avoid a strong odor arising. Add a cup of vinegar to your sink drain, garbage disposal, and dishwasher to help eliminate any bad smells. Run the vinegar through an empty dishwasher to clean.

We were named a local expert on ApartmentGuide. Read the full article here:
What to Do About Bad Smells in the House.
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