Odors You Are Nose-Blind To

Just like that certain air freshener commercial says, when you live in your home there are certain odors you are "nose blind" to.  What that means is if you live in the space, chances are we don't smell some of the bad odors anymore because we tend to get used to the smells.  However, our guests can sure smell them!  Here are a few things that can cause those odors and how we need to address them before we have guests over:

Pets - Even if your pet is well house trained or you clean up your litter boxes every day, your pets still have a certain odor and one way to help keep it down to a minimum is to be sure your pets are groomed or bathed often.  Also, vacuum a LOT.  Use the crevice tool to get hair and dander out of the crevices of your floors and walls and keep a blanket on a space your pet likes to lay, then wash it and possibly the cushion, often.  Use baking soda when you vacuum and there are fabric air neutralizers that can help with the smell of your fur baby as well.  

Bedding or Bed - Of course I hope you wash your bedding before guests arrive to stay the night, but your mattress may be stinky as well.  You can't easily throw that mattress in the washing machine, but you CAN sprinkle it with baking soda, let it sit an hour or so and then vacuum it up (this works on memory foam too).  For an added bonus, use a few drops of essential oil to help the baking soda have a pleasant odor.  Lavendar is a good one as it also is supposed to help aid in sleep.

Musty Rooms - Thankfully your nose can smell mustiness before your eyes can see mold, so you can get rid of both if you act right away.  If you have an older home, use a dehumidifier in your basement or room that may seem mustier.  Also, a quick way to get rid of that smell in a room is to cut an onion in half and after an hour the onion smell is gone and so is the mustiness.  Be sure to thoroughly clean areas in a basement that seem to have white patches.  If those patches have fa fuzziness to them, it's mold and treat accordingly.  If it's black, you will want to wear a mask in the basement and call a professional to help get it eradicated.

Stinky Appliances - If your ice is tasting funny or you can't seem to find that smell in your fridge it's time to clean the fridge.  Do a thorough cleaning with a mix of hot water and baking soda.  After you have cleaned your fridge or freezer properly, keep an open box of baking soda in the fridge/freezer and change it out monthly.  This will help absorb odors even longer in your fridge.  If your appliances still are stinky, you may need to empty them completely, sanitize with a solution of one tablespoon bleach and one gallon of water. Let it air out for 15 minutes. Try wiping it down with vinegar for extra odor eliminating, or even leave the door open for a few days.  This is great for your bonus fridge or freezer.  You can store whatever was in those appliances in the house while you clean them up and vice versa if necessary.  Your stove and oven can keep odors as well if you don’t clean them too.  Wipe away grease and grime and be sure to clean your oven according to the manufacturer’s instructions when it needs it and about once every six months if it doesn’t just to keep it fresh.

Sometimes we will bake or cook certain items and those smells may linger in our homes for a day or so.  Open windows when you can and wipe down greasy places as well as the walls in the kitchen at least once a year.  Maintaining a clean home will help with some of those odors you are nose blind to and hopefully your guests will appreciate it as well!

This blog was inspired by this article from HouseLogic.com.
Photo Credit: BRUNO