If, despite you cleaning it regularly, your home is still inexplicably malodorous, here are some tips that might help you.
Start disinfecting your rubbish bins regularly
One very common source of bad smells is the household rubbish bin. Sometimes, things like bits of mouldy food, used tissues and the packaging from raw meat products can end up falling out of the rubbish bag and onto the base of the bin.
Even if you remove and dispose of the offending item fairly quickly and wipe the bin afterwards, some fungal or bacterial remnants may remain behind and may get stuck in the microscopic pores of the material from which the bin is made. This can result in the bin emitting a very pungent odour, even if it looks reasonably clean.
If you suspect that the smell in your home might be coming from the bins you keep in your kitchen, bathroom and bedrooms, then it's important to start cleaning them a bit more thoroughly.
Using a surfactant-based product will not suffice in this situation, as this will only physically remove some (but not all) of the micro-pathogens and will not kill the ones that remain behind. Instead, you should pour some form of disinfectant (such as a diluted solution of bleach or isopropyl alcohol) into the bin, leave it to soak for a few minutes and then rinse it out. Doing this on a regular basis should help to eliminate any odours that are coming from your bins.
Have your upholstery professionally cleaned
It is also possible that the mysterious odour in your home may be originating from your upholstery. Most people will hoover the upholstered items in their home fairly regularly, and occasionally do some spot cleaning if food or drinks are spilt on them.
However, this is really not enough to prevent upholstery from becoming dirty and malodorous. For example, every time you or your family members curl up on your upholstered sofa in your bare feet, the bacteria on the soles of your feet and the natural oils on your skin will be transferred to and absorbed by the fabric. Likewise, the microscopic dirt on your cat or dog's paws will be absorbed by any upholstered seats they sleep on or put their paws on.
Over time, the bacteria that is transferred to the upholstery will multiply and make the fabric more and more malodorous.
If you believe that your sofa, armchairs or other upholstered items may be the source of the smell, you should find a cleaner who offers upholstery cleaning services and arrange for them to deep clean these items.
Most professional cleaners will use steam cleaners to perform this task; the steam will kill off all of the odour-causing microbes hidden in the fabric and leave the upholstery smelling clean and fresh.
If you want to prevent the smell from returning, you should have your upholstery cleaned by a professional at least a couple of times per year.
Share28 August 2018
Hello and welcome to my blog. My name is Harper, and I am a bit of a clean freak. In order to keep on top of both my office and my home, I have learned a lot of cleaning tips and hacks over the year. If you want to know how to get wine out of your carpet, how to stop a grease stain from setting on your couch, how to clean grout or tile work, or any other cleaning tips, this blog is dedicated to you. Over the years, I have explored everything from cleaning quickly to cleaning thoroughly to hiring professional cleaners. I hope that you enjoy reading my blog and that it helps you and your spaces to stay clean!
