Having a clean, organized home is a priority for many owners. Unfortunately, no matter how much cleaning they do, there always seems to be a foul odor present. These odors may stem from cooking, smoking, various cleaning products, or pets. While considered common, these odors can wreak havoc on your home's appeal. Thankfully, removing these odors and improving your home's overall smell is simple with these surprising solutions.
Creative Cleaning
Cleaning your home is an imperative part of its look and value, but it is also essential for odor removal. Of course, you most likely know how to dust furniture and wash sheets, but using creative ingredients on certain areas of your home creates a naturally appealing smell. Use the following tips when cleaning your home:
- Carpet – Pets, children, spills, smoking, and basic wear and tear can wreak havoc on your carpet. While cleaning up spills and accidents as soon as they occur helps, bacteria and odors permeate carpet fibers quickly. Each week, sprinkle baking soda onto your carpet. Complete in every room with carpeted flooring or area rugs. Allow the baking soda to sit for 30 minutes before vacuuming. This natural deodorizer effectively freshens up carpeted areas in your home.
- Drains – Considering you have multiple sinks in your home, cleaning your drains is imperative for removing bacteria and odors. If you have a garbage disposal in your kitchen, cut a lemon into small pieces and send through the disposal. This will remove odors and helps sharpen your disposal blades. To deodorize your kitchen and bathroom sinks, add ½ cup of baking soda and 1 cup of white vinegar into your drains. Then, rinse with a few cups of boiling water.
- Toilet – Cleaning your toilet is an obvious way to remove odors in your bathroom. However, if you have young boys in your household, cleaning in and around your toilet is key to removing that boyish bathroom smell. In a spray bottle, combine 3 cups of warm water with ½ cup of baking soda. Spray onto toilet and scrub. Then, use on the floor surrounding the toilet. Be sure to clean behind and on the walls surrounding the toilet.
- Washing Machine – While surprising to hear, your washing machine locks in moisture, which may be causing a smell inside your home. To quickly remove this moldy smell, run an empty hot water cycle with 2 cups of bleach. The bleach cycle kills mold and mildew, but also eliminates the foul smell.
Lovely Landscaping
Bring your favorite plants indoors to improve your home's smell and air quality. Install a few plants in pots and arrange in common areas of your house.
An Areca Palm plant is one of the best plants for purifying air. It is easy to maintain and offers lovely, lush greenery for your home. A Boston Fern is another natural purifier for your home. Ferns are inexpensive and very easy to grow and maintain.
Not only are these plants decorative, but they also reduce pollutants and unappealing odors in your air.
Heavenly HVAC
Maintenance on your home's heating and air conditioning system prevents and reduces odors from your home. To get started, focus on your system's filters. These filters trap dust, dirt, and odors.
Remove your register cover and filter. Use your vacuum to suction out dirt and dust from behind the filter. Vacuum and replace your filter each month.
Hiring a professional to clean your system's ductwork is a great option for removing pollutants, allergens, and awful odors from your house. Various pollutants can enter your home through your heating and cooling's ductwork. These pollutants pose health concerns, but also create unpleasant smells in your air. Thankfully, professionals inspect and clean your ductwork to ensure a fresh and healthy air quality.
If a clean and fresh-smelling home is important to you and your family, skip the fragrant candles and air freshener sprays. Using these surprising solutions, you can create a scent-sensational smelling home.
