How to Get Rid of Household Odors
I sometimes run into this problem as well. I like the point about the candles and air fresheners and how they can be too overwhelming! Little things like odor and clutter can be very distracting when you're trying to sell a home.
How to Get Rid of Household Odors
When selling your house, you want to make sure it smells good and inviting. Plug-ins and candles don’t work, on the contrary, many of the strong flowery ones can be a turn off to many potential buyers.
What if you’re in the process of buying a smelly house or already bought one hoping the smell would go away by the the time you closed on the house? Once you move in, you realize, that unpleasant smell is still there. What do you do?
Let’s be honest, we all burn our food time to time(at least I do) or we place mothballs to get rid of insects, we kill the insects, now the smell of mothballs killing us. What do you do?
Here are some tips I’ve learned through the years that work;
-Cigarette Smoke- I must be honest, even if you smoke outside of the house, that strong smell does get inside. It is possible to get rid of the smell. Once you clean your home, steam the carpets, wash the baseboards, paint, soak couple of hand towels in white vinegar and place them throughout the house for at least 24 hrs. If I'm listing a house that's been smoked in, I put several bowls through the house with filled with white vinegar and place dryer sheets in the vents. No matter where you live, air out your home as much as possible.
-Smell of mothballs- After removing all the mothballs from the house, place activated charcoal where the mothballs were or throughout the house. Charcoal will absorb the odor, however, you want to make sure to air out the house as much as you’re able to.
-Food odors- I do this at least once a week in my home after cleaning. Mix equal parts of water and white vinegar, add some citrus peel and a stick of cinnamon, simmer on low heat for an hour and let it sit for couple of hours. You can also do this without boiling, simply put the mixture in a bowl sitting out in the room.
-General household odors- Every home has a different odor, good, bad, inviting or not..I like to make my own room sprays using essential oils. All you need is a spray bottle, mix one part of vodka into three parts of water, add 15-20 drops of essential oils. My favorite essential oil is eucalyptus.
Remember, to completely get rid of the odor, you must eliminate the cause!
My go to items are white vinegar and activated charcoal. They work like magic!! Hope you’ll give some of these a try.
If you’re buying or selling a home in Clermont FL area, I would love to hear from you. You can call me at 407-929-1852 or visit www.WhereToLiveInOrlando.com
How to Get Rid of Household Odors
Beth Atalay, Broker/Owner
Cam Realty and Property Management
407-929-1852
www.wheretoliveinorlando.com BethAtalay@Gmail.com
Your Orlando Agent - Where to Live in Orlando
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