Sellers: Get Rid of Those Foul Household Odors

That Home stinks. Literally. Oh, no! You don't want anyone ever sayng that about your home. Not friends, not family, not your Realtor, and certainly not any buyers.

Most often, sellers with ... shall I say... malodorous homes.... are not even aware of it. It is absolutely NOT to say that they are not clean people. It is absolutely NOT to say that they are bad people because their house doesn't smell like you and I think it should. A home can maintan an odor for many different reasons, and the bottom line is to get to the source and then address it.  And, by the way, masking odors really doesn't work.

 
If you smell a foul odor in your house and you can't identify where it's coming from or what's causing it, you can spend tons of time and money trying to get rid of it.

Sometimes it takes an air-quality specialist to scout out a mysterious smell. But many odors in your home are the result of one of these easy-to-solve problems.

Pets, smoking, dampness, mold, excess trash,  cooking  (or some foods).

There are numerous ways to control the scent of your home, most of which can be achieved very inexpensively and easily. The basics are identifying and removing sources of odor, introducing new scents, and eliminating odors.

Pets:Make sure you clean out the litterbox frequently, clean out animals cages and change lining frequently, let your animals outside to "do their duty" so there is no need for them to find a place indoors. It is not always easy to locate where an animal has relieved itself. Vacuum frequently- pet hair and dander accumulate quickly and will have an odor.

Smoking: A taboo subject these days. Yes, it's your home, but try to smoke outside if you must have a cigarette or smoke that pipe or cigar. The odor lingers a very long time and gets into fabric and drapes as well.
Dampness:  start looking in the bathroom and kitchen. Dirty dishes in the sink will produce a foul smell that be easily removed by keeping dishes washed and put away promptly after use. In the bathroom, keep damp towels off the floor and on racks where they have a chance to dry. It's also a good idea not to put anything wet into the dirty clothes hamper since you'll wind up with a musty smell very quickly with wet things in such a confined space.
Mold: This may end up being teh most costly, because mold is generally  a result of dampness, and is a growing organism that must be dealt with. If a professional needs to come in, expect to spend a small fortune to get rid of it. Buyers now test for mold more often than you might think.
Trash: Empty garbage and trash cans often to eliminate this common source of odors.
Cooking:  Some foods just downright smell awful in the kitchen. Fish, hard boiled eggs, and a number of different spices. Believe it or not, some people do not like the smell of garlic ;-) So go easy on these while your home is on the market, or even if your home is not for sale, anytime that you have company coming over.

Introducing new scents

First, air it out:  Open up the doors and windows to circulate air throughout your home. Incorporating a fan may also help push unclean air out of the house.

Introducing new scents to the home is quick and easy using a variety of methods. The easiest is the use of scented candles. Always exercise caution with candles. Be sure you keep the flame far from any flammable materials and never leave a burning candle unattended. If you have small children or pets, candles might not be a good option.

You could choose scented potpourri, products that plug into electrical outlets and release scent, essential oils and room sprays. Another option, if you have air vents in your home or apartment, is to use your favorite dryer sheets to scent your whole home. Simply put a dryer sheet or two into the air intake (where your heating or cooling unit pulls air in). You'll find that the fresh, clean scent is circulated quickly throughout your entire home.

Look for room sprays that specifically say that they neutralize odors. Some sprays only mask the odors and do nothing to remove them. This might leave you with the smell of mold and roses, which isn't a particularly appealing combination. Febreeze is a great odor neutralizer. There are many other products on the market that achieve similar results, so shop around for lower cost options.

Another fantastic option to eliminate odors while introducing scent to your home are effusion lamps. These are usually glass and look like large perfume bottles with metal tops. You pour a special type of oil into the effusion lamp, let it soak into the wick that is attached to a stone, and then you light the stone and let it burn for a couple minutes. You then blow out the flame and place the decorative cap over the stone. The wick pulls the scented oil up into the heated stone and disperses the scent throughout your home.

I have read that you should cut up an onion and place all of the pieces in a bowl of water. If the odor is in a particular room, place the bowl in the center of the room and close the door. If the smell is widespread throughout the house, use several bowls of onions and water and close off all of the rooms. The onions will absorb the odors. (I am not too sure about this- the smell of inions isn't that great either)

One of my favorites is to line a baking sheet with a piece of aluminum foil and sprinkle cinnamon and sugar all over it. Add a tablespoon of butter and set it in the over at 250 degrees. This will make your home smell you just baked something.

Vacuum and use those attachments! use scented carpet powder, Febreze or similar products.  Baking soda, Vinegar,  Cinnamon and cloves or homemade potpourri  are also good.

And while we are on potpourri,  you can make your own . Boil the peels of citrus fruits such as lemons, oranges or grapefruit in a large pot of water. Cloves and cinnamon sticks can be added for extra spice. Once the water starts to boil, turn down the heat to let the pot simmer.

Boil away odors. Heat up a half cup of vinegar with two cups of water to banish kitchen odors. Or freshen your entire home by boiling cinnamon and cloves in two cups of water.

Baking soda. This little box of wonder is great for absorbing odors in enclosed spaces like cabinets and refrigerators. It can also be used as an odor absorber on the floor. Sprinkle it all over your carpets and let it sit for a half hour or so, then vacuum it up.

Enzyme cleaners. For stains and odors that have a base in something biological like proteins, carbohydrates, and lipids, enzymatic cleaners and their odor-eating bacteria are effective at breaking those stains and odors down into smaller parts that are easier to remove.

Vinegar. It is the base for about a hundred DIY cleaning solutions. It's cheap and effective at removing stains and odors. Use in tandem with ammonia, water, and washing soda to make a great cleaner for removing stubborn odors like cigarette smoke.

For hard to handle areas, consider purchasing an air purifier. This will also reduce the amount of pet dander in the air, helping those with allergies.  See this useful link on air purifiers 

Activated charcoal is used to control all manner of odor complaints from household air, to industrial sites.

Whatever option you choose you'll have a fresher, cleaner smelling home and your nose (and your firends, loved ones, and buyers noses will thank you, too.

And a note From Judy: If you have a question about buying or selling a home in Fairfield County, and are in need of an Realtor to represent you, I invite you to contact me, and if you have an idea for a topic that you would like to see on The CT Realty Blog, please include it in the "Post a Comment" section link below this post. We appreciate the feedback and look forward to providing you with the best real estate content, advice and service in Fairfield County, Connecticut.

Comments

[harrynion12]

An impressive post, I just gave this to a colleague who is doing a little analysis on this topic. And he is very happy and thanking me for finding it. But all thanks to you for writing in such simple words. Big thumb up for this blog post!

[Matt Ringer]

Our investor group is involved in buying and restoring foreclosure homes; most of the properties have sat empty for a year or more, stale air, smoking and pet odors can get pretty bad. Selling a house with odor problems takes longer and affects the resale value. Painting the interior does not remove all odors as the odors are embedded in the carpets, carpet pads and drapes. A painting contractor mentioned a product called air-renu a paint additive. If it did work we would save money by not having to replace the carpet and carpet pads. It took a several days before all the odors were removed; now we use it for very house that we have to repaint. If you are having an odor problem, you might consider. www.air-renu.com