Whether you’re preparing to sell your home and are in the midst of the staging process, or you recently bought a property that came with a lingering smell that irks your nose thrills, whichever the case is, the smell of a home has a big impact on how you feel living in it. Staging a property has to deal with more than just making sure it looks good, it should also smell good. A quick deodorizer or some well placed potpourri can make a difference between a prospect leaving your open house with a smile on their face or a frown on their forehead. It doesn’t matter how amazing your home looks if it stinks. While smells can be easy to cover, not all smells are the same. Lingering odors can not only deter people from buying a home, they can also make people refuse to visit as they don’t only smell bad but can have a negative impact on their health. Up next, we’ll go over some of the most stubborn smells to get rid of that realtors had to deal with before listing the property. While sellers can try to get rid of them in various ways, we will also cover the best ways to combat and not only cover these bad odors.
By far the most difficult and disturbing smell encountered in a home is the smell of stale cigarette smoke. Seeing as the type of smell you are dealing with determines also the way in which you are getting rid of it, when it comes to cigarette smoke, this smell must go if you want to turn a profit when you sell the property. Simply airing the place out isn’t enough. Even smokers aren’t interested in buying properties that smell of cigarette smoke. It’s that bad. Some smokers try to limit their bad habit to some areas of the home, but this doesn’t work as the bad odor has a way of getting through doors, vents, gets stuck on clothes, hair and unless you have a air tight area that had a cleaning chamber like some CDC headquarters, there’s no way to limit cigarette smoke to any area.
Addressing this issue depends on how bad the issue actually is. As cigarette smoke tends to get into literally everything (walls, fabrics, floors, windows and the body of those in the presence of smoke) some will say that a 100% renovation is needed. While that is one way to go about it, it’s not necessary. The first thing you should do is air out the space as much as possible. Place fans near every window facing the outside to get as much of the smoke odor out. Secondly, steam clean your carpets and any textile covered furniture you have. If this doesn’t work on the carpets, replace them with hardwood flooring as they are easier to clean. For the walls, if you want to fix that yourself and not leave it to the new owners, a fresh coat of paint will do the trick. Any other hard surfaces that can trap the smoke need to be cleaned as well. The best option is white vinegar. You can place bowls of vinegar throughout the home to trap the smell and wipe down any surface that won’t be affected by the vinegar’s acidity. Baking soda is great for upholstery and fabrics, while activated charcoal absorbs bad odors. If you want to go the extra mile get an ozone generator and let it suck out all the bad air and create brand new air in its place. Just make sure you’re not in the room when it does that.
We all love our pets and to some they might feel more like family than a pet, but when you share your home with a furry friend, the smell can be disturbing in most cases making it difficult to sell a home that has pets. There are only a handful of dog breeds that don’t emit a bad odor and Poodles are at the top, but while most pet owners are noseblind to the smell of their furry friends, others will notice it. The most common source of pet smell are litter beds for cats and dog beds. Still, in time, if the pet owner is not thorough about their cleaning, the nooks and crannies of their home will retain the pet smell, the sofa that their pet sits on will have a pungent odor and if your pet is not house trained, urine odor can be particularly offensive. Litter boxes are also disturbing even for the cat’s owner.
The first thing pet owners should do is a thorough vacuuming to get rid of all that stray hair that they have lying around their home. While Poodles and other dog breeds don’t shed, there will still be some hair throughout the home from them. If someone that’s allergic comes to a home where there’s a pet, they might have a severe reaction so it’s better to be safe than sorry. Vacuum furniture, drapes, corners, pet beds and any other nook and cranny that your pet loves to chill in.If that doesn’t do the trick, sprinkle some baking soda on the areas where the smell is ingrained, like carpets, upholstered furniture and pet beds, before vacuuming thoroughly. If that still didn’t fix the issue, a cleaning company may be required to steam your carpets and furniture. Do not forget your hardwood or tile floors, but that can be fixed with some TLC and a good scrub. Again, vinegar is your best friend so add it to any substance that doesn’t have chlorine in it. Wash your pet’s toys and bed regularly, clean any linens that they sleep on, rugs or bed sheets too and tackle that litter box on a regular basis.
Mold, must, and mildew don’t only need to be dealt with, but the underlying problem that creates them needs to be addressed. These smells aren’t only bad odors but can cause serious health issues and showcase big problems with the property. Things like leaks or water damage can lead to structural damage if not addressed properly and you might wind up with a court case if you try to hide these problems.While the smell of food can be an appetizing odor, it depends on what you’re cooking. The smell of garlic doesn’t only keep vampires away, but buyers as well, and the smell of fish would really be repulsive to any visitor. While cooking dishes containing these ingredients isn’t a bad thing, refrain from them before an open house or a prospect visiting the property.This really shouldn’t be mentioned, but the smell of dirty clothes is really appaling. Nobody wants to smell your stinky gym bag or work out clothes, so make sure they are clean before any potential buyer is coming over. Throw your tennis shoes in the washer as well and just make sure you don’t have any dirty clothes lying around the home for when your open house is scheduled.
A great first impression doesn’t only matter in social situations, on first dates, or at parties. When you want to sell a home, the home must make a great first impression and bad smells are not part of that. Make sure your home doesn’t only look good but smell good as well, and once you get rid of all those bad odors, get some lavender as I have yet to meet someone who disliked the smell of this beautiful purple flower.