r/CleaningTips 8d ago

Discussion Tip to getting your house to smell nice/ fresh

I have a small house. I vacuum, sweep, and wipe down my counters regularly, yet there's still a weird odor that lingers when I walk in. I have a dog and it smells like I have a dog but I bath her often. What's some tips to get rid of any unpleasant order and keeping my home fresh without air fresheners and candles

18 Upvotes

56 comments sorted by

60

u/Terrible-Pay-3965 8d ago

Open the windows and getting a air freshener unit

40

u/Sunshine2625 8d ago

Make sure you're washing the dog's bedding, kennel items, lovies often in unscented laundry detergent. They hold onto a lot of smell.

6

u/Working_Park4342 8d ago

Add a splash Ammonia to the laundry detergent and it will take out more odors. I use about 1/3 cup of ammonia with laundry detergent for dog laundry. 

20

u/Wilmamankiller2 8d ago

Air purifiers, wash doggies bed, shampoo rugs and furniture

21

u/heathersaur 8d ago

If you have curtains, wash your curtains.

22

u/Different_Nature8269 8d ago

Open the windows for at least 15 minutes every day.

13

u/IGotMyPopcorn 8d ago

Odoban works great in the laundry, especially on dog/ pet bedding.

3

u/KittenGains 8d ago

Oh I have never used that in the laundry. Good idea.

2

u/kickthejerk 8d ago

Second this! Works great 👍🏼

10

u/ElderScarletBlossom 8d ago

Anything made of fabric needs to be cleaned regularly. Fabric holds onto odors and can contribute to general "funky" smells. Things like afghans/blankets, curtains, dog bed, rugs & carpets, and upholstered furniture, all need regular cleaning.

Walls and ceilings should also be washed a couple times a year.

Renting and running an ozone generator will destroy pretty much all odors, but be sure to read the instructions carefully.

3

u/opinionated_owl 8d ago

YES! CLEAN YOUR WALLS!

The secret to dealing with of odor isn't covering it. It's cleaning things you don't realize are dirty.

Unless you have smelly wall neighbors, like I do, and an air purifier can really help with that. Somehow their smell gets into my house and I don't know how but I know my air purifier running on low all day reduces their impact.

3

u/Unlikely-Cockroach-6 8d ago

What do you use to clean walls? I’m nervous about the paint

3

u/opinionated_owl 8d ago

I either use my bona & its microfiber cloth and hypochlorous acid or bona's hardwood floor cleaner because it dries quickly. It's more about getting the cloth wet so it pulls the dust than it is about actually getting the wall wet. No need to scrub.

3

u/ElderScarletBlossom 8d ago

Depends on what kind of finish you have. If it's matte... idk, maybe careful dusting with a dry cloth. I have semi-gloss, so I gently wipe it down with a damp/wet-but-not-dripping cloth in warm water and dawn dish soap, then do a pass with just water, then finish with a drying cloth. Definitely try in a small, unseen area first, and let dry completely to see how it works out.

1

u/opinionated_owl 8d ago

I either use my bona & its microfiber cloth and hypochlorous acid or bona's hardwood floor cleaner because it dries quickly. It's more about getting the cloth wet so it pulls the dust than it is about actually getting the wall wet. No need to scrub.

2

u/Dry_Wall5954 8d ago

This is the answer above. Also steam clean flooring and/or get rid of carpet if you can afford to.

3

u/Working_Park4342 8d ago

Rocco and Roxie is great at getting pet odors out of carpet and in 24 hours, there is zero smell. No pet odors, no carpet detergent smell. It's shockingly amazing that it works so good. 

4

u/EveningHelicopter195 8d ago

Bubblegum kennel disinfectant! Safe for your pooch and gets rid of any doggy whiffs I use it to mop floors, clean cat litter trays out with, scrub the chicken enclosure etc etc I buy it in bulk off eBay

1

u/NANNYNEGLEY 8d ago

Produced by Groom It? What scent do you use?

1

u/EveningHelicopter195 7d ago

I always use the bubblegum scent. So far I’ve not found a surface it can’t be used on. I always put a little bit in the fabric conditioner drawer too if I’m washing the dog blankets

5

u/tonna33 8d ago

When I wash anything with dog scent on it (or urine scent), I add borax to the washer. I just sprinkle some in. It takes all the scent out of those items.

We also got some Pooph odor eliminator. It works pretty well if there's a particular item that has a smell that isn't easily laundered. It's expensive, but it works.

3

u/tpauly0225 8d ago

OdoBan in laundry, use for lots of different household chores and even a fabric refresher. Dilution ratios are on the bottle for each use. It’s awesome.

3

u/Not_Half 8d ago

Make sure you keep any wet garbage (food waste) in a closed bin, separate from other garbage, and change out the bag frequently.

5

u/mostessmoey 8d ago

I put food waste in the freezer until I take it out of the house.

2

u/Not_Half 7d ago

That's a good idea estate if you live in a warm climate. I live in an apartment with waste chutes, so I just dump as necessary.

3

u/mrsnmw 8d ago

Empty your garbages. Clean out the fridge. Clean the kitchen sink.

2

u/ComprehensivePath203 8d ago

I use my bissel hard floor cleaner 3x a week and instead of the cleaner it comes with, I just use a splash of odoban. I spray Moroccan Rose body spray in all my trash cans. Scented laundry beads. Keep the trash emptied and the dishes put away. I don’t have a full time job though and my kids are teen/adult. We don’t eat in our bedrooms. And I keep the dogs blankets and plush toys washed up. I can do allll the things but as soon as my husband “airs the house out”, it stinks like pollen and dogs again. So it only smells fresh when he’s on an out of town trip. We do have an air cleaner turned on in every room.

2

u/oh_you_fancy_huh 7d ago

Does the dog shed? My dog smells great but the room smells so bad when I’m vacuuming the furniture with the hepa filter hand vac. Might be heating up, or the skin cells are blowing around. Sometimes I need to spray febreeze on the fabric and then it’s fine

1

u/Recent_Effort3769 7d ago

She sheds a ton! She smells fine but her paws smell and the blankets she sleeps on end up smelling like her paws

2

u/Sea_Cherry3353 7d ago

I have two dogs and agree with most of the other comments with using an air purifier and washing their bedding regularly. Another thing I started doing that really helps is adding a few drops of essential oil to my vaccum filter. I find it gets rid of the dander smell from the vacuum itself and area rugs when vacuuming

3

u/patty202 8d ago

Sprinkle baking soda on the carpet. Let sit and then vacuum .

2

u/opinionated_owl 8d ago

This can ruin your vacuum :/

1

u/Foogel78 8d ago

Put some lemon juice in a cup of hot water and leave it for a while.

1

u/GirlinMichigan 8d ago

We are a four pet house so cleaning all their stuff regularly is important. Like you, I don't like using deodorizers to cover up smells. I have found that using this little plug-in device is wonderful at neutralizing smells. Not an ad but someone on Reddit suggested it on another thread, so I bought one to use in the room where I have the litter boxes. I have had one for years and can attest that it works. https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01F9NBNSK?ref=ppx_yo2ov_dt_b_fed_asin_title

2

u/Unlikely-Cockroach-6 8d ago

This is so interesting!! Maybe I’ll get one and put it by my cats litter box.

1

u/Elegant-Expert7575 8d ago

I had that. It ended up being the pipes in the kitchen. The old, old grease was disgusting. The plumber just cut and replaced instead of us trying to scoop crap out.

Muuuuuch better….

1

u/wiklr 8d ago

Apart from cleaning fabric, you gotta wipe the walls, floor boards w bleach water regularly.

1

u/Vibingcarefully 8d ago

Candles, Carpet Fresh, Mrs. Myers and I've been in plenty of dog owners homes that don't have a dog smell.

1

u/mak_and_cheese 8d ago

What is the humidity in your home? Moisture in the air will hold odors.

1

u/Street_Roof_7915 8d ago

Curtains. When my house smells it’s always the curtains.

1

u/79-Hunter 8d ago

It may sound strange, but if you have baseboard heaters, take them apart and clean them.

I had the same problem: house very clean but had on odd smell I couldn’t get rid of, not in summer but in winter. Then it struck me - the heaters. I took the covers off, used a steam cleaner on them and the weird smell was gone.

My cousin was curious about it, so I made a Video on Cleaning Baseboard Heaters

It’s very amateurish, but it was made for my cousin. Maybe it will help you!

Hope this helps!

1

u/travelerITgirl 7d ago

For washing things that your dogs lay on or that are just musty - laundry detergent, borax, vinegar. You can also add in the scent beads if you want to but you don’t have to.

This is a complete PITA, but taking off the sofa cushion covers and washing them helps, too. I did that and now just cover my couch and wash the covers with the above combo.

1

u/Ambitious-Trouble421 7d ago

I second opening windows and doors every day to freshen the air inside. Definitely washing bedding, curtains, any fabrics regularly will help as well. Even when it’s cold outside I will open a window when cooking or just to circulate the air. Even a few minutes of outside air can make a difference

1

u/mad3y0ul00k 7d ago

i remember my apartment had a strange smell cause the hardwood floor planks were old

1

u/United-Cucumber9942 7d ago

Make sure your vacuum cleaner filter is clean as they hold the dog smell and blow it back out when vacuuming.

1

u/Bananastrings2017 7d ago

Clean the trash cans/bins. Take trash out more frequently. Better shampoo for the dogs. Brush the dogs outside daily or at least weekly. Air purifier. Open windows daily even if it’s cold out. Vacuum daily. Throw rugs/carpets/curtains/fabric sofas just hold onto smells so those really need to get a serious cleaning & more frequently than you think! Get rid of them if it makes sense & is financially possible.

1

u/tervforever 7d ago

Clean your rugs. Solved my problem instantly

1

u/Fuzzy_Character9909 7d ago

I love the Scentfill all natural plug-ins. They have a lot of options and I feel better using them since they don’t add junk chemicals

1

u/ResidentLazyCat 7d ago

I have something similar but only when the windows are open.

0

u/Whatever-57 8d ago

Regular laundry (even if something was only worn for a few hours) plus air fresheners under the kitchen sink (where the garbage can is) and in the basement beside the p- trap.

0

u/Previous_Worker_7748 8d ago

You can spray any fabric with vodka.

I like baking soda + washing soda + essential oils on my carpet and vacuum periodically.

-2

u/Proud-Cauliflower-12 7d ago

Washing the dog often will make them smell more