Best Ways to Tackle Household Odors

by George Karonis

Household odors can be embarrassing. Nobody wants a house that stinks. However, odors can actually be a good thing. They alert you that there’s a problem in your home. Basically, odors are gaseous molecules that float around in your home’s indoor air that your nose detects. But, your nose can’t tell you whether a certain odor is harmful or not. In fact, even nice odors could be irritating, like air fresheners which are loaded with chemicals. Therefore, you should strive to make your home smell like nothing — just fresh, clean air. Here’s how.

  1. Trash Can

In some cases, it isn’t the garbage that stinks, it’s the trash can. You can sprinkle some baking soda in it to clean it. Then, to kill bacteria, spray it down with Lysol or another disinfecting spray.

  1. Garbage Disposal

If you have to fix a smelly garbage disposal, you can pour a cup of baking soda into the disposal and follow that with a couple of cups of vinegar. Allow it to sit for around five minutes and bubble before you rinse it well with hot water.

  1. Carpets

Once again, baking soda comes to the rescue. Sprinkle some on your carpets which helps eliminate lingering odors. Let it sit on the carpet for a while, overnight if you can and then vacuum it up. You can do this with an aging mattress as well. Sprinkle some baking soda all over your mattress, let it sit for around 30 minutes and then clean it up with your vacuum.

  1. Windows

Open your windows properly. for a double-hung window, open both the top and bottom about halfway to allow a natural circular airflow. This sucks the cooler air in from the bottom and allows the warmer air escape from the top, creating a cross-breeze. Open up the windows on the opposite side of the room to make a wind tunnel. This allows the air to come in from one side of your room and exit through the other.

  1. Whole House Fan

Even better, install a whole house fan. Running a whole house fan draws in fresh air and provides you with better air circulation. The air in your home can become stale during the winter months since you don’t open any windows to allow fresh air in. Odors can build up and linger. Things like dander and germs can build up as well. You can improve your home’s overall air quality by using a whole house fan. Whole house fan ventilation also helps reduce indoor air pollutants like Volatile Organic Compounds (VOCs).

Looking for a whole house fan? Check out our inventory of Quiet Cool Whole House Fans, and if you have any questions, call us at 1.888.229.5757

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