Have you ever opened the door to a house for sale and been overpowered by the scent of an air freshener? It’s a sure sign that there’s something else going on, like damp or lingering mould.
For truly fresh air, skip air fresheners that add scents and get rid of what’s causing the bad odours, to the extent that’s possible. Then let in fresh, outdoor air. And when that’s not enough, introduce absorbent materials that capture any remaining odours.
Unpleasant odours from “just living” usually have a specific cause: food scraps left for several days in a wastebasket, food that’s gone bad in the refrigerator, a washing machine or pile of laundry that smells like mildew or a gym, a bathroom that smells like a public latrine.
There are solutions for each of these.
Garbage smells
To tame the stench from a bin, you can of course empty it more often. Or if that’s a pain, try rinsing especially smelly things, such as wrappers from a package of fish, or enclosing them in a plastic bag that once held bread or vegetables. Don’t buy plastic bags just for this, though; most households accumulate plenty of plastic wrapping that can corral smelly kitchen discards.
Refrigerator smells
If you open the refrigerator and wince at the smell, it’s time to clean it.
- Take out the food and give it a sniff test, or check for visible mould or other signs that it’s too old to eat.
- Clear one shelf at a time, starting at the top.
- Rinse off containers with gummy residue from food that spilled on a refrigerator shelf, and clean the shelf before you restock.
- Add lids or another covering to any food that isn’t enclosed to help new bad odours from developing.
- Remove the drawers for vegetables and fruit so you can clean inside and under them, because old spills can make a refrigerator smell bad even when the food inside it is fine.
- Baking soda is very effective at absorbing odours, so once you’ve cleaned and restocked, leave an opened box in the refrigerator to keep off-putting smells from accumulating.