Remove Smells From House – When you purchase a new house, sometimes it is necessary to remove smells you may not like. The home could be new, so it may have that new home smell or even an existing home which may smell like the previous owner.
Either way, you know own the property and would like it to smell neutral if you are a real estate investor or like your family if you are planning on living in the property. There are some simple steps you can take to remove these smells if that is what you want to do.
Remove Smells From House
Remove Smells From House
It is true over time, these smells will dissipate from the home, but that isn’t enough sometimes. We live in an instant gratification world, so we need some results and fast. You may have to do a few of these steps several times, but they will work eventually if you stick with it.
Let’s get into the various ways you can remove smells from your house. These are not complicated steps, but they work with a bit of effort, follow up, and follow through.
Open the Windows & Doors – This should be your first step. Open up the home and allow the fresh air to blow into the house. This can help to get some fresh air into the house as it may not have had it for several weeks or even longer. Either way, this is good for a new home or an existing one that you have recently purchased.
Replace Attic Insulation – The cooking and smells of a home can rise and get settled inside of the insulation in the attic. You may want to get up there to remove the old stuff, clean the attic area, allow it to dry, then replace with new insulation. This can be time consuming and a bit expensive, but it will definitely help you remove that smell in the home.
Steam Clean – When in doubt on where the smell is coming from, clean everything in site. Steam cleaning is a wonderful solution for this. You can steam clean the carpet, furniture left behind, drapes, everything. You may consider hiring a professional to get this done for you, but it isn’t necessary. If you have the time, Home Depot has the steam cleaners for you to rent. Get busy!
Change Furnace & Air Conditioning Filters – Sometimes you just need to upgrade your filters. Buy a bit more expensive brand to make sure it is maintaining the purity of your air quality. You may also look into cleaning your duct work as well, but typically replacing the filters will help out a lot.
Clean Stove & Refrigerator - If the stove or refrigerator hasn’t been cleaned in a while, then this could be a major source of the smell issue. You want to make sure you remove all the nasty foods and items from them, clean it thoroughly and get that smell out of your house for good.
Carpet Fresh, Air Fresheners – Don’t skip this last step here. Make sure you sprinkle some carpet fresh around the home. And make sure you place some air fresheners around the home as well. You don’t want to simple mask the smell with these items, which why all the cleaning is so important, but they are a nice addition on top of your other efforts.
In my opinion, it will take a variety of these efforts to remove the smells from your house you do not want. Don’t be afraid of the smells, just be sure to attack them with some of the ideas listed above. It is not impossible to remove these smells from your house, but it will take a little bit of work. Good luck to you! - Remove Smells From House
I once had a tenant that had a pet and the house smelled so bad! I had to remove all the carpet, but the subfloor had been soaked with urine as well. I had to seal the subfloor with latex based primer, then put in new carpet. It worked!
Wow, that is a serious issue there. There can be some nightmare outcomes when you are renting property to tenants. I should include this story in my Landlord Horror stories.
Thanks for sharing!
We had a house flood a couple of years ago (we were sharing the house with the landlord and it was the landlord’s fault that caused the flood). As nothing was done fast enough to dry it out completely, it started smelling. He did everything he could (DIY) but we ended up moving out as I couldn’t bear the smell.
I bet! Water damage can turn disgusting. Not something you want to try and clean up DIY style. You need professionals. Good move to get out.
Febreeze always works for me! Now I see why owners prefer tenants with no animals or who are non-smokers. Bad smells can hurt a selling price.