How to Get Rid of Unpleasant Smells when Home Staging
Unpleasant Smells:
If you are trying to sell your house, it would be wise to try and remove all bad odors and unpleasant smells first. This can be quite important since first impressions are crucial when it comes to finding a buyer. Precisely because of this, you want your home to make a good impression, and smelling nice is one way to achieve that. By spraying artificial fresheners, you are not removing the odors, you are just masking them. This is why you have to find the source of the unpleasant smells and remove it. Here are some helpful tips on how to get rid of bad smells in your home.
Kitchen
Try to avoid smoking or cooking in your house before showing it to potential buyers. These unpleasant smells will stay around for a couple of days, especially if you fried something. If you have an exhaust fan in the kitchen, always use it when preparing food. Additionally, boil a cup of vinegar for odor removal. Your garbage disposal probably smells too, so try fixing that by throwing several lemon halves in there. If this doesn’t help, pour half a cup of vinegar into it and water it down. Also use an antibacterial cleaner in the gunk collector. For refrigerators, open a box of soda and leave it there.
Bathroom
If your bathroom smells, try keeping the windows opened, as this will constantly let fresh air in the room. Use commercial anti-bacterial products for scrubbing down both the inside and the outside of the toilet. Don’t ignore the base of the bowl and the area around it, as urine can get there, too,. The gunk in the drains tends to clog, which can result in bad smells. Additionally, over time, shower curtains start smelling bad, so you need to consider replacing them. If you have a problem with mold, try finding the source of it. You could also make use of a quality, potent air purifier. For instance, Oransi air purifiers tend to clean the majority of airborne allergens and could help you get rid of mold, as well.
Pets
If you kept pets inside of your home, the chances are they’ve left a specific odor behind. This is why you have to clean after them, especially if they made a mess in the living room. Always vacuum your carpets, since dogs and cats leave hair all around the house. Mop the floors so there aren’t any paw marks. If you can’t get carpets completely clean and they still smell, have a professional do it. There are also commercial cleaners made specifically for pet “accidents.” These actually remove pheromones from the area so pets don’t try and re-mark their territory. In some extreme cases, where pet urine has penetrated your rug, there is no other way but replacing it.
Cigarettes
The odor from cigarettes tends to get deep into your furniture, curtains, walls and you vent system. For walls and the ceiling, you should use a scrubbing mixture of TSP and hot water. This solution will clean the area, remove any grease and prepare it for painting. Make sure you’ve rinsed it well and then put a fresh layer of paint to rejuvenate the room. Finally, try smoking outside. Still, if your furniture reeks of cigarettes, you should bring it outside, air it out and wash it with shampoo. Let the sun dry it out.
No one is going to buy a house that smells unpleasant. By making it clean and fresh, you will increase the chances of finding a buyer. Follow these tips and make it easier for yourself to get rid of odors.