Tips to remove common household odors

Get rid of bad smells and odors in your home.

Having a strange smell and not know why or where it’s coming from can drive homeowners crazy.

In fact, in their search to find the cause and eliminate household odors, they can spend a lot of money.

But while sometimes an IAQ specialist’s or a plumber’s help is needed, there are many things homeowners can do to prevent stinky odors.

Air out and maintain little-used rooms
Open the windows or doors to little-used guest rooms and other areas and run the water in little-used bathrooms once a week or more. If they are not used for a long time, the water in the pipes leading to the sewer evaporates and methane-sulfur gases may build up and enter through the drain into the room.

Inspect your rooftop vents
A steady breeze or wind can create positive pressure in rooftop vents, which are supposed to release sewer gas into the air, and force the gas back into the house. The solution is to make the vent pipe long enough to avoid these drafts and let the foul smells escape.

Clean the sink pipe
If you notice a sour smell coming from one drain, it may be due to an obstructed sink pipe (also called P-trap). It may be caused by hair, toothpaste, gel, dirt and other substances. You can either take off the P-trap and clean it out or treat the drain with an enzyme-based cleaner.

Check your water heater
If the water smells bad, it may because of a deteriorating anode rod. They should be replaced every six months to six years.

Ban indoor smoking and get rid of stale smoke odors
Smoke odors tend to cling to carpets, air ducts, walls, furniture etc, so a thorough cleaning may be needed, or you can simply use an air purifier for smoke from AllerAir.

Air out your washing machine
Front-load washers can start to smell musty if you keep the door locked all the time. That’s because water can’t evaporate and mold can grow. The easy solution is to leave the door open when the washer is not in use.

Remove irritating pet odors
Pet urine stains on carpets or floors may release odors if the house gets humid or if the carpet is cleaned. A professional cleaner may use an enzyme cleaner to actually remove the stains.

Source: rosieonthehouse.com

Air purifiers from AllerAir to
remove odors and chemicals.

Enjoy breathing cleaner, healthier air with AllerAir air purifiers for the home and office, air scrubbers for smoke, air cleaners for allergies and asthma, air purifiers for mold, and more.

Contact AllerAir for available options and a personalized recommendation based on your indoor air concern, your budget and your preferences.

Selling Your Home and Odor Control

One of the top turn-offs for home buyers is smoke odor and pet odor. Unfortunately, those are often the most difficult odors to remove. From AllerAir, the odor control experts, here’s an action plan to tackle odors for your open house:

1. Forget the air fresheners.

Surprised? Cat, dog and smoke odors can’t be effectively masked with air freshening plug-ins, gels and oils. The only thing you’ll do is draw attention to the fact that you’re desperately trying to cover-up an odor problem. These fragrances are also laced with chemicals which are unhealthy to breathe and may trigger allergies in your prospective home-buyers.

2. Bring in a friend for a sniff test

Ask a friend to come in and smell your home – and don’t be offended by their feedback. It’s a neat trick of biology that we quickly become accustom to strong odors in our own environment – so chances are you can’t even smell the full extent of your odor problem.

3. Tackle the odor issue head on

If you smoke – stop smoking in your home and make sure you’ve emptied and removed your ashtrays. If you have pets, change cage linings and litter boxes frequently and consider isolating pets to one room in the house. It’s easier to tackle one stinky room than an entire stinky home.  

3. Increasing air circulation is only a start

Leaving windows open for a few hours prior to your showing can remove that stale lived-in smell, but is not enough to remove pet odors and long-term smoke-smell. Start by doing a top to bottom clean – wash down walls, bedding, curtains, pet toys and blankets and consider hiring a cleaning service that specializes in cleaning carpets and upholstery. In the case of smoke, you may also want to consider re-painting as the smoke will have penetrated deep into your dry-wall.

4. Buy an air purifier (or several) with the deepest-bed activated carbon filter you can afford

Most air purifiers only have a HEPA filter for particles or a tiny carbon filter which is completely ineffective on tough pet odors and smoke odors. A deep-bed activated carbon filter will actually absorb odors and smoke. It’s important to keep these units running 24/7 as it may take time to remove odors that are embedded in furniture, draperies, carpeting, clothing and anything else soft and porous in your home that can hold on to odor. Try a 5000 D or a smoke unit like the 5000 DS with an extra tar-trapping filter. 

5. Bake

Once you’ve taken steps to properly control your odor problem – concentrate on creating an inviting atmosphere. It may sound crazy, but people respond to the smell of freshly baked cookies or bread. If you don’t have time to bake, boil some orange peel, cinnamon, vanilla and cloves on the stove top. Real estate agents swear by it.  

Air Filtration: AllerAir / Electrocorp Provides Odor and Chemical Control for BP Oil Spill Region

AllerAir and our industrial division Electrocorp have already sent numerous heavy-duty carbon air filtration units for chemical and odor control to the Gulf coast region.  

Contact us today for more information
1-888-852-8247.

Chat live with an Air Quality Expert. Click the live support link to ask your question. Our experts are available Monday - Friday 9am - 5pm.

LiveZilla Live Help