There are a lot of reasons why an odor may be hanging around your house. Some smells are indications of danger, such as decomposition or mold growth, while others are more of a nuisance and not so serious. Take a look at the list below to find out what might be causing unexpected odors around your property and how to permanently remove them.
Musty Odors
If your property has suffered water damage or has high humidity, the odor is likely due to mold which thrives in warm, damp, and dark spaces. This can also result in several health risks. Getting rid of the mold will not only remove the odor, but eliminate exposure related health risks as well.
Keep in mind that you can’t always see the mold causing the problem. Search for areas that may be damp or reach out to a restoration company to find the source. Once affected areas are found, scrub the surfaces with detergent and water. Do not use bleach as it will kill live mold, but not mold spores. If the odor is coming from the carpet, spray it with a mixture of 1 cup of white vinegar and 2 cups of warm water, sprinkle baking soda on the carpet, and wait a few hours. Dry the area using dehumidifiers and ventilation. Be sure the area is dry before painting or doing any type of reconstruction. Be sure that you fix the source of the moisture as well or the mold will likely come back.
Tobacco Smoke
Tobacco smoke releases substances that stick to most of the surfaces where the smoking took place. It will also penetrate odor absorbing objects like carpet, clothing, bedding, and upholstery. Tobacco smoke odors often require professional services to remove, but if you want to try to remove the odors on your own you will need to thoroughly clean the residue from every surface using a product that will neutralize the odors.
Pet Odors
Pet odors are often some of the most upsetting and controlling them can be difficult. If the odor is on a nonporous surface, thoroughly clean the surface with a strong detergent. Porous surfaces, like carpet, are more difficult to clean and are often best left to a professional. A common solution for removing pet odors from porous surfaces is to sprinkle baking soda on the area, let it sit for 15 minutes, and then vacuum it.
Call the Pros
Bad odors like to linger in all sorts of spaces and permeate carpets, walls, upholstery, and more. To truly fix the odor, you need to identify the problem and fix it. For example, finding mold in an area and fixing the moisture issue that caused it.
Even after a problem area is fixed, no matter how hard you try, the stubborn odors linger. That’s when you need to call in experts to get rid of the unwanted smells. At Fresh Focus we use a cutting-edge product that cleans and deodorizes. It works on tobacco smoke odors, pet odors, food odors, and more. If you live in our service area, our trained professionals can handle the job for you, or we have products for you to tackle the odors on our own. Visit us online at https://freshfocus.com/deodorization-services/ to learn more.
