Summer is in full swing. In many areas, that means it’s time to close the windows and switch on the air conditioning for a few months – and if you have some sources of unpleasant smells in your home that you didn’t notice during springtime when the windows were always open, you’re definitely noticing them now.
Before you reach for a can of air freshener or light a candle, be warned that simply covering an unpleasant odor is a quick fix and not a long-term solution. In addition, while products like candles and air fresheners are fine for occasional use, they’re not good for indoor air quality and aren’t really things that you want to inhale every day.
Nope – covering those musty smells simply won’t do. If you want to improve the smell in your home permanently – not to mention the indoor air quality – the only acceptable solution is to eliminate those smells at the source. Try these 4 simple tips to get your home smelling better fast.
Quit Smoking
Smoking isn’t just the worst thing that you can possibly do for your health; it’s also the worst thing that you can do for the smell of your home. Smoking smells awful, and it leaves a lingering unpleasant scent that sticks to the surfaces in your home pretty much forever. If you don’t want to quit, you should at least consider smoking outside. If you smoke, and your home has an unpleasant smell, you can just about guarantee that smoking is the cause of the smell.
If you want to quit smoking but don’t think you can succeed, that’s only because you haven’t tried vaping yet. Vaping has enabled millions of people around the world to quit smoking, and the friendly experts at a good vape shop like E-Cigarette Empire will be happy to talk to you and direct you to a vaping kit that you’ll love.
Make the commitment that when your first vape kit arrives, you’ll switch to vaping immediately and will be done smoking for good. It’s not just the right decision for the smell of your home; it’s also what’s right for your long-term health.
With that taken care of, it’s time to get those musty smells out of your home for good.
Give the House a Deep Cleaning
There’s no point in giving your home a deep cleaning while you’re still a smoker. The first time you light up, that nasty smell will just come back. Once you’ve quit, though – or if you weren’t a smoker in the first place – summer is the ideal time to give your home a deep cleaning. With the windows closed and the air conditioning system turned on, you’re breathing recycled air much of the time. The quality of that air should be as high as it can be.
When you plan your deep cleaning project, these are some of the tasks that you should put on the list.
- Remove clutter. It collects dust and hurts indoor air quality.
- Vacuum the house thoroughly and mop hard floors. When vacuuming, be sure to vacuum under the furniture and under cushions – especially if you have a pet. Hard-to-reach areas are magnets for crumbs, dust and pet hair.
- Give the carpets a deep cleaning with a steam cleaner.
- Take down and wash the curtains.
- Scrub the walls and ceilings.
- Dust all fans and lampshades.
- Clean all of the drains with a strong enzyme-based cleaner that dissolves hair and food residue.
Eliminate Stagnant Moisture
Stagnant moisture – in a musty closet or under the sink, for instance – attracts mold and other microbes, and unchecked microbial growth can generate some incredibly unpleasant smells reminiscent of eggs, old food and rotting wood. Over time, mold growth can even get so bad that it becomes a health hazard requiring extreme remediation to the home. It’s vital, then – not just for the smell of your home, but also for your health – to eliminate sources of stagnant moisture before the mold growth gets out of control.
- Fix leaking drains promptly. Check all drain lines and hoses – and look under all sinks with a flashlight – at least once a year. You might also consider placing moisture absorbers under the sinks to further reduce humidity.
- Place moisture absorbers in your closets to minimize humidity and keep your clothes smelling fresh.
- Install a dehumidifier in your basement if you have persistent moisture issues there.
Buy a Good Air Purifier
The most effective – and often least expensive – way to eliminate unpleasant smells in the home is by eliminating those smells at the source, whether it’s a smelly drain, a musty basement or couch cushions that are full of pet hair and dander.
Taking away the source of the smell is a far better solution than attempting to cover it with a scented air freshener or candle.
Once you’ve done that, though, an excellent way to control the smells caused by factors like dust, pets, smells emanating outside the home, and yes – even cigarette smoke – is with a good air purifier.
If you’re going to buy an air purifier, you should understand two things up front.
- You still have to eliminate offending orders at the source to the fullest extent possible. An air purifier doesn’t replace a clean home.
- Don’t expect a miracle if you buy a low-cost air purifier. An air purifier that really does its job can cost upwards of $1,000.
Look for an air purifier that offers multiple stages of filtration and allows you to replace the filter stages separately.
Remember that the bigger a filter’s surface area is, the more it can hold. Big filters cost money to produce, so if you have a large air purifier costing around $1,000, you can expect to spend about $100-200 per year on filter replacements.
A good air purifier typically has at least three filter stages.
- A HEPA filter removes extremely small particles like fine dust, pet dander and pollen. In addition to improving the smell of your home, a HEPA filter can also help to control allergy symptoms.
- An activated carbon filter controls odor by absorbing volatile gases. The bigger and heavier the filter is, the more effective it will be – and the longer it’ll last.
- A pre-filter extends the life of the air purifier’s other filter stages by catching things like lint, pet hair and coarse dust.
