The human nose can detect more than 1 trillion different odors. Unfortunately, many of them smell terrible.
Decaying organic material, mold, mildew, rotten smelling gases, pet waste, and stagnant water are all reliable suspects when it comes to bad smells in the home. Odor removal is often not as easy as lighting a scented candle.
Small molecules in minute amounts can produce massive stinks, easily detected by the human nose, scientists say.
Experts believe that you have more than 400 unique scent receptors in your nose to detect these trillion smells. And your brain interprets these bad smells for a likely reason. They are red flags to avoid the source of the stink.
But how to get rid of bad smells once they’ve set in and you’ve already taken care of the offending scent’s origin?
In the following article, we’ll take a look at five surefire ways to remove odors from your home or office.
1. Mask Them
Hiding a smell from your nose is the most effective way to get rid of a smell in a short amount of time. But the mistake people make is thinking that they can mask a smell indefinitely. They can’t.
A stinky item is likely only to get worse before it gets better or spread to another area of your home or office. However, a scented candle or oil, aerosol spray, or a time-release device is still a great way to remove a smell fast.
One all-natural trick? Smear some vanilla extract on a light bulb. The warmth of the bulb will spread the vanilla scent throughout the room.
2. Elbow Grease
Whether it’s warm soap and water, and industrial degreaser, or calling in the professionals for mold remediation, sometimes you have to scrub your way out of a problem.
If you are scrubbing away a nasty smell, follow up your scrub job using vinegar and a warm-water mixture. Also, add a few drops of pleasant-smelling essential oil to this mixture. This will finish the deep cleaning and add a positive aroma to the offending area.
When choosing a mold remediation company, ask for an estimate that includes the cost of chemicals and labor and any tenting that needs to be used. Also, check customer reviews online for the company’s odor removal services.
Molds can not only smell bad but are associated with several serious health issues, so make sure you’re not harming yourself or your loved ones by taking on a mold removal job yourself.
3. Citrus for Odor Removal
Citrus is not only a natural odor removal agent but a great way to cut through grease and grime.
If you have a smelly garbage disposal, you can use lemons or limes to clear the scent. First, run hot water and vinegar through to clear disposal. Then chop up two limes or lemons and start feeding them slowly through the disposal. This will add the citrus smell to the garbage disposal and help clear away more of the offending smell.
4. Bleach for More Than Whites
Front-loading dishwashers are notorious for smelly standing water.
Try using odor-killing tablets to strike down the smell. Another simple way to remove the odor is to add about 2 cups of bleach and run an empty load on “hot water.”
The bleach should work its way into any spots where the residual liquid is collecting and breakdown the organic material.
5. Clear the Clog
One of the biggest sources of a bad smell is a blocked or obstructed sewer line. This often occurs in the basement, and you’ll detect it many times where there’s access to a floor drain. This could be from a slop sink, sump pump, or other open connection to the line.
To clear it, you may have to snake the drain. Even if you have no issues with your plumbing, a smelly wad of decomposing material could be obstructing your sewer line without you knowing it.
If you can’t seem to isolate and remove the smell, call in a plumber or other professional for help.
Get Help Today
Odor removal is often a simple, all-natural process. It can be as easy as adding a baking soda box to the fridge or scrubbing the carpet with some vinegar.
But many times, a bad smell is only the tip of the iceberg, as the above mold remediation or blocked drain show. If you have a bad smell in your home, take care of it quickly and follow the above steps to remove your home’s odors.
If you have a problem with mold or mildew smells, contact us for a consult for removal today.
