Your home may have unpleasant odors coming from dirty clothes, leftover food or the smell of cooking grease. In particular, some bad odors not only spoil the general appearance but also affect health such as mold smell and gas leaks.
In this article, we point out 6 causes of bad odors in your home as well as how to fix them to keep your living space fresh, fragrant and safe.
Mold lurks
Mold lurking in walls is one of the common reasons why your house smells bad.
If you smell a musty odor in your home, it could be coming from moldy walls. This is where they often hide and is not too difficult for you to find. To a certain extent, mold is harmful to health, so it must be removed. Some common causes of mold include plumbing leaks and poor bathroom or kitchen ventilation.
What must you do:
- If the moldy area is small, you can clean it yourself with soap and water. Better yet, use vinegar or a specialized mold cleaning solution.
- If the moldy area is large and potentially toxic, you need to consult a professional.
- Mold prevention is always the best solution. Try to keep things dry, have good ventilation, and control humidity in function rooms.
Electrical problem
Short circuits or burnt electrical wires/outlets often emit a fishy smell.
If you smell a fishy, foul smell in your house, it is likely that the electrical cord/outlet is damaged. Experts say that electrical wires and plastic parts, when burned or melted, will emit a fishy smell of fish or urine.
What must you do:
In this case, even if you can detect a damaged wire or power source, it is still best to call an electrician to fix it because electrical problems are inherently dangerous. Once the problem has been fixed, the previously damaged outlet/wire will stop emitting an unpleasant odor.
Gas
Leaking gas smells like rotten eggs.
Gas leaks are extremely dangerous and need to be fixed immediately. If you smell rotten eggs in your home, there’s a good chance your gas system has a leak.
What must you do:
- In this case, the first thing you should do is close the gas shutoff and do not turn on the lights or any other appliances. Then, leave the house and call the gas company to come check and repair. Along with that, you should also notify your neighbors of this incident.
- Once everything has been fixed and stabilized again, open all the doors and windows for ventilation, helping the odor disappear.
Carpet
Clean and wash carpets regularly to prevent odors emanating from them.
If your house/apartment uses carpets, you should check and clean them regularly because they can cause unpleasant odors and mold, which is harmful to the health of family members. .
What must you do:
- You can clean carpets naturally by sprinkling baking soda on them, then using a vacuum cleaner. Leave the baking soda overnight for the odor to completely disappear.
- Use a carpet cleaner, steam clean, or hire a professional cleaner.
Dishwasher
The dishwasher can be the cause of your kitchen being smelly.
After a long period of use, the dishwasher can also emit an unpleasant odor. Similar to washing machines, dishwashers also need to be cleaned periodically. Therefore, when a bad smell comes from the kitchen while the kitchen area is still very clean and fragrant, the problem may lie in the dishwasher.
What must you do:
You can clean the dishwasher with vinegar or put baking soda and operate it as usual. This way, the bad smell from the machine will completely disappear.
For a deeper clean, find and clean your dishwasher’s filter because this is where all the food residue is.
The door of the dishwasher also needs to be cleaned with a little vinegar and warm water.
The walls
Dirty and moldy walls are the reason why the house has an unpleasant smell.
It may sound absurd, but walls can also be the cause of your home’s bad smell. This is why after a long period of use, you should repaint the wall. However, if you often smell bad odors when entering your home, try cleaning the walls and ceiling.
What must you do:
- Use a mixture of white vinegar and warm water in a spray bottle on the wall, then wipe clean. Vinegar will clean the wall surface and remove unpleasant odors.
- Clean the wall with ammonia and water. Apply the mixture to the wall, wait for a few minutes, then rinse with warm water. Apart from cleaning the walls of the house, ammonia also helps eliminate any bad odors emanating from here.
- A fresh coat of paint can be applied, but it would be better if you clean the walls first.