How to get rid of unpleasant odor in an apartment: 29 effective ways

Do wet cleaning regularly using detergents. They not only disinfect, but also distribute a pleasant aroma. In the bathroom, toilet, or kitchen, to get rid of excess moisture, place a glass of coarse salt and place activated carbon tablets in inconspicuous places.

Hang bags filled with ground or whole coffee beans, flavored tea, citrus peels, vanilla, cinnamon, etc. in the cabinets.

Even if you create a salon-like atmosphere in the room and everything is chosen with taste, but there is some unpleasant smell in the air, for example, cat urine, your home will make a bad impression on guests. The aroma will be absorbed by curtains and upholstered furniture. It will saturate your clothes. Your hair will smell bad, and how to get rid of the unpleasant smell in the apartment?

The longer you have an unpleasant smell in your room, for example, cat urine, mold, the more difficult it is to remove it. Some wash all things and treat furniture with household chemicals. Nothing helps get rid of a specific aroma? Make a major overhaul. At a minimum, you need to change the wallpaper.

Residents of an apartment where there is an unpleasant smell of cat urine or mold may not notice it themselves over time. It is obvious to others. As soon as you notice that your home smells unpleasant, immediately take measures to eliminate it using various means.

In each area of the apartment, the reasons for the unpleasant odor are slightly different. Let's consider what means you can use to improve the air, get rid of old odors, cat urine, etc.

Causes of bad smell in the kitchen

In this area of the house, various smells often float around when we fry or steam something.

The smell of food permeates the curtains. Unfortunately, it is difficult to completely remove unpleasant odors.

If you don’t have a hood yet, install one immediately. Turn it on every time you cook something.

Ventilate the kitchen after each preparation. And just in the morning or evening it won’t hurt to ventilate the room. Especially if you will be heating something up overnight.

And if you didn’t fry anything, but the smell is as if you were cooking something delicious, then the curtains retained the smell of yesterday’s lunch or dinner. Wash them. When cooking on the stove, move them to the side so that the fabric absorbs less of these aromas.

Ventilate the kitchen. Now move the curtains back, covering the entire window.

Don't overuse strong scents

It's a common misconception that for your home to smell "good", the smell has to hit you the second you walk in the door. In fact, it's the other way around. You don't want to overwhelm your nose with a scent, but rather create a general feeling of vitality, comfort, or, if you choose, a relaxed atmosphere in your home. It is better to do this with hints, working at the level of nuances of the aroma. And be sure to take into account the interests and convenience of those who come to visit your home. Some may be allergic or particularly sensitive to strong odors.

When scenting your home, it is recommended to stay away from overly sweet, cloying odors. If you love the Apple Cinnamon scented candle, we suggest saving it for those times when you'll be home alone or just with those who share your love for the apple pie scent. Otherwise, it's best to stick to more natural scents like woody, floral, and citrus.

Bathroom

Do you want a bad smell like cat urine to go away from your bathroom? Place a container with natural rock salt there. It will absorb moisture.

After all, microbes and viruses multiply well in a humid environment. If mold forms in places, it emits an unpleasant odor.

Activated carbon (40 pcs.) perfectly absorbs bad odors, for example, cat urine. Place it on shelves, in other inconspicuous places. Let it absorb odors. Change monthly.

Every week you can wipe the walls with a mixture of water and soda. Drop 2-3 drops of your favorite essential oil there.

Pomander

Historically, pomanders were spherical containers in which various aromatic substances were placed. “Aromatnitsa” were used as a decorative accessory, and also to mask unpleasant body odor. These were real luxury items that only wealthy people could afford. These aroma balls were made of gold and silver and worn around the neck or belt.

Nowadays, pomanders are oranges or apples studded with dried clove buds, which are used to decorate the house for Christmas or New Year. However, pomanders can be used in everyday life.

To make a pomander, take an orange, lemon or tangerine and use skewers to make holes in it. Insert cloves into them, and then place the resulting balls in a beautiful container or hang them on a ribbon.

Top 5 Citrus Fruits You Can Easily Grow (and Eat) at Home
You can grow more than just the usual lemon from a seed at home!

Getting rid of the smell of tobacco

The smell of tobacco will very quickly be absorbed into the curtains, upholstery of your furniture, if any, carpets, etc. Do you think that your spouse or other family member will smoke, and then you will simply wipe the room and the smell will disappear?

You are wrong. You will soon see this from your own experience. There are good folk methods.

When you wash the floor, add 2-3 drops of ammonia to the water.
place 2-4 or more wet towels in various places around the room .
If you want to remove tobacco aroma from upholstered furniture, buy a special product , dilute it with water and apply it to the furniture with a brush.
Do you have guests who smoke? Light a candle with your favorite scent on the table in the room. It will absorb the smell of smoke in the house, and it will not disperse.
If someone smokes in the kitchen, save the peels of oranges, tangerines, and grapefruits. You can bring water to a boil in a saucepan, throw the peel into it, and the aroma that comes out will hide the smell of smoke.
Lighted coffee beans do a great job of masking the smell of smoke. You can walk around the rooms with this smoking incense.
Place canvas bags in the chest of drawers and in the cabinets Add dry lemon + orange peels, coffee beans, a little cinnamon (or a stick), vanilla (without sugar) to them. A couple of drops of essential oil will enhance the aroma of this collection at home. Citrus or bergamot or another oil will do.
Black tea bags perfectly absorb odors in the room. They need to be hung near doors and windows, on a chandelier. At the same time, ventilate the room for 15 to 20 minutes.
Do you want your clothes to not smell like tobacco at home? Turn it inside out , lay it flat, for example, on a table, and put wet towels on top, and they will absorb the smell of tobacco. When dry, your clothes will smell normal. Of course, you can wash your clothes, dry them on the balcony and put on fresh ones.
If you set fire to bay leaves in an ashtray or on a plate and walk around the room with such a smoking mixture, this smell will overcome the tobacco smell. But not everyone likes the aroma of bay leaves.

Buy home fragrances in a store or market. They are sold in the form of aerosols, aromatic balls and in solid form. Validity ranges from 1-2 hours to 1-2 days.

Choose the aroma to suit your taste. The main thing is to like it and not get bored quickly.

Appliances

Special household appliances can be used to clean the air and add freshness to the space. Such technical devices include:

Ozonizer.
Air purifier.
Ionizer.
Air conditioner.
Fan.

Ozonizer

An ozonizer is the most effective means of air purification. In just a few hours, such a device can deal with almost any indoor air pollutant.

During the operation of the ozonizer, the air is purified from compounds harmful to health through disinfection. The disadvantage of the cleaning product is its high cost.

Fan

When purifying air, a fan can only be used as a means of increasing air movement. If all windows and doors are closed, the air will not be purified.

Air conditioner

When choosing a device, it makes sense to give preference to one that has an air purification function . If the device is used without this option, its efficiency will be low. Additional functions make the price of the device higher.

Air purifiers

Air purifiers are presented in a wide range of products on the industrial goods market. They are divided into two groups and work on the principle of wet and dry filtration .

The quality of air purification depends on the design of the filter and its capabilities. The disadvantages of purifiers are relatively noisy operation and high cost of equipment.

Ionizer

The device allows you to disinfect the room and improve the situation with odors. In terms of effect, the ionizer copes with the cleaning task worse than filters, and worse than an ozonizer .

Getting rid of the musty smell of dampness in the house

The smell of dampness indicates that mold has appeared somewhere. Most often it occurs in the kitchen, bathroom, toilet and where water stands and can spill, for example, near a bowl of water for an animal, etc.

Let's look at folk methods to combat the smell of dampness.

An excellent absorbent is activated carbon. It even disinfects the air in the room. It is enough to place 20 tablets in the bathroom in inconspicuous places. The bathroom requires 40 pieces.
are very effective against stale air . Place them in a stack and place them somewhere in the bathroom or toilet. After a week, throw these away and add fresh ones.
You can wipe the floor and walls weekly with water (1 liter) and vinegar (2 tablespoons). Add essential oils to the mixture. Choose your favorite scent. Smells of citrus, pine or lavender are good.
Pour rock salt and place it in the bathroom or toilet. It perfectly absorbs excess moisture. Change when necessary.

If you want to prevent the smell of damp in your home from appearing again, follow these recommendations.

In the bathroom, you cannot dry towels for a long time and hang out a lot of laundry often.
Wash and dry thoroughly the rags you use to wash the floor or the cloth napkins you use to wipe away . As soon as you finish washing in the washing machine, leave it open for half a day so that the moisture from it evaporates. If you notice droplets of moisture somewhere, wipe the area dry.
Do you smell a bad odor from the drain in your bathroom or bathtub? Pour 0.5 cups or more of soda into it and pour in 2 liters of hot liquid.
Do you feel that there is a foul smell of mold coming from your washing machine? Pour 1 cup of bleach or vinegar into it and run it in any washing mode without laundry.
dirty laundry in hampers , rather than throwing sweaty tracksuits or used socks straight into the machine unless you plan to wash it right away.
Do you shower daily or bathe every week? Ventilate immediately . You can turn on the fan in the bathroom. It will drive away too humid air.
the water drainage area in the bathroom regularly with a brush or sponge with chlorine-containing products. Mold will not form.
Make sure that the bathroom is clean, open the window (if there is one) and ventilate it, or leave the door open for a while.
Have you placed a cat litter box in the bathroom? Remove any dirt from the device. Change the filler every 3 days.

Special preparations

If folk remedies do not help to completely eliminate the unpleasant smell of dampness, re-treatment is carried out using special antiseptic compounds.

Before purchasing, you must make sure that the selected product is suitable for treating internal surfaces and does not contain toxic or caustic substances.

Universal antiseptic Dali

Destroys foci:

fungus,
mold,
moss,
dampness from any type of surface (brick, plaster, wood, cardboard, ceramic tile).

There is no need to dilute the antiseptic before application. Liquid without color. Economical consumption allows you to treat large areas of affected surfaces. The average cost is 600 rubles. (5 l canister).

Eskaro Biotol Spray

Designed for treating various surfaces in areas of high importance . Biotol spray is effective as a prophylactic agent, as well as as a composition that destroys breeding grounds for mold and moss (sources of damp odors). The average cost is 300 rubles. (500 ml bottle).

Protective composition Belinka

A product that quickly destroys mold and mildew spores and the smell of dampness in the room. Does not contain bleaching components, retains the natural color of treated surfaces.

Before use, the drug is diluted with water (concentration 1:4). The average cost is 350 rubles. (bottle 1 l).

Before applying any chemical composition, you must carefully study the manufacturer's instructions.

Getting rid of the smell of cat urine

A sexually mature, uncastrated male can mark territory. Do this:

Buy an aerosol at the supermarket or pet store that removes the smell of cat urine. Other products that eliminate the smell of cat urine are also sold;
Remove stains on the floor with a mixture of liquid soap and soda (1:1). Apply this mixture directly to the stain, on upholstered furniture, rugs and cover with a floor cloth. After 2 hours, the remaining product can be vacuumed or removed with a damp cloth;
the smell of marks (urine) is perfectly removed by a composition containing soda, lemon juice, and peroxide. Instead of juice, you can use 1 tsp. vinegar. Spray this area with citrus deodorant. Cats don't tolerate it well.

After the death of a pet, the smell may be unpleasant. Get rid of it in the same way.

Follow the recommendations:

Clean your cat's litter box on time;
Remove stains on the sofa and other upholstered furniture with water and vinegar and cover with baking soda. When dry, you can vacuum it.

Where does it come from?

Before we begin active cleaning activities, let's figure out where the stench is coming from. After all, effective methods to eliminate the problem will only work if the source is eliminated. The most common reasons are:

Tobacco “amber” due to smoking cigarettes or hookah indoors.
Features of ventilation in a multi-storey residential building (the so-called “reverse draft”).
Stench in the kitchen: from missing food, garbage cans, rodents and insects. A particularly disgusting “spirit” comes from the habitats of cockroaches and mice - the main enemies of a clean owner.
When getting a pet, you need to be prepared for the appearance of a characteristic stench: from urine, scattered food and natural excretions (especially in dogs without regular bathing). The situation is aggravated by the presence of exotic animals, for example, the recently popular raccoons. Such unusual “household members” create a lot of dirt and the air in the apartment begins to smell bad.
The stench of a corpse is considered one of the most disgusting. It can appear after baiting rodents, which often die in hard-to-reach places: under floorboards, in walls, behind furniture.
A characteristic “senile” aroma that most often appears in the apartments of pensioners living alone, as well as in homes where there is a bedridden or paralyzed old person.
Mold that has settled in the bathroom and toilet begins to smell “musty” and is a consequence of insufficient cleaning, poor hygiene or sewerage breakdowns. In any case, the problem is temporary and can be fixed quite easily on your own, or after inviting a specialist to clean or seal pipes.

Now let's take a closer look at each of the causes of the stench. Home methods, “grandmother’s secrets,” purchased chemicals and special gadgets designed for washing, cleaning and conditioning rooms will help you get rid of them.

Getting rid of musty smell in the house

This smell will appear in the rooms if unwashed linen or old things are lying somewhere for a long time.

Take these measures.

Dilute 1 tsp in 1 liter of water. potassium permanganate and wipe the shelves in an old chest of drawers or closet with this solution.
If you don't know which of the things hanging in the closet may be stale, wash everything. Throw away stale anti-moth products from it.
For the chest of drawers where the laundry is, sew burlap bags and place coffee beans or tangerine and orange peels in them.
You should not put stale clothes in the closet. Wash everything, carefully iron and fold.
Do not always keep the cabinet closed. Ventilate.

Linen closet

Getting rid of mustiness in your closet is very easy. First, you need to thoroughly wash all your clothes and put them away only after they are completely dry.

To prevent the smell from appearing again, you should not add anything worn to clean clothes, even once within half an hour. Worn items that remain clean for a long time will permeate the latter with different aromas, most likely unpleasant.

In addition, you can add a sachet to clothes that are stored for a long time and are rarely taken out - this is a special fragrance for linen. You can buy it in a store or make it yourself. To do this, a rag bag is sewn; the fabric must be natural - linen or cotton.

Suitable fillers include spices (cinnamon or cloves), dried herbs (melissa, mint, rosemary), dry citrus peels, and essential oils applied to cotton wool.

If you store men's and women's clothing in the closet, then it is best to choose a neutral or mild scent, since for some time after removing the linen it will smell like a sachet. Naturally, a man will not be too fond of smelling roses.

How to refresh your refrigerator?

Use proven recipes.

Slice Borodino bread and place it in the refrigerator. Leave for 2 or 3 days.
The lemon needs to be cut in half and placed on shelves (from 3 to 5 days).
Buy, open and place a pack of soda in the refrigerator. It will absorb odors. The soda powder is then thrown away.
Take a piece of cotton wool, soak it in vanilla mixed with water, and leave it in a jar on the bottom shelf of the refrigerator.

Replace vanilla with ground coffee, aromatic cinnamon, etc.

Grandma's secrets

Of course, it is much easier to prevent any problem than to deal with its consequences. To quickly eliminate an unpleasant odor in an apartment, there are several grandmother’s tips that will prevent the stench from appearing and spreading in the house:

Do general cleaning of your home regularly. For bedrooms and living rooms, it is better to do it once a week; bathrooms should be cleaned every 3 or 4 days.
Ventilate rooms at least once a day.
Carefully monitor the freshness of food in the refrigerator and on kitchen shelves.
It is recommended to unplug household appliances every six months to allow the ice and drizzle to thaw. Then wipe the internal surfaces with a weak solution of vinegar or potassium permanganate.
To prevent the appearance of "amber", leave a small saucer with coffee beans, orange zest or automatic fragrances in the room.

Folk and modern ways to combat unpleasant odors

There are many flavors sold in supermarkets:

air fresheners;
incense sticks;
aroma oils.

These products, each in their own way, remove the causes of odor. Some last 1-2 hours, others last a day or more.

Remember that artificial fragrances only cover up unpleasant odors, such as urine or mold, but do not eradicate them.

Ventilate your apartment regularly. Perform general cleaning using various means weekly. Hang bags of ground coffee, coarse regular or flavored sea salt, citrus peels, etc. in cabinets, shelves, etc.

Recommendations

make the task of dealing with unpleasant odors easier :

In difficult cases, when you cannot cope with an unpleasant persistent odor on your own, you can use an innovative approach - dry fog. This is an expensive but very effective procedure, which is carried out using special equipment.
Regular cleaning will help keep the room fresh.
Without eliminating the source of the unpleasant odor, no aromatization or stink neutralization methods will have much effect.
Dirty or wet clothes and shoes should never be stored in a closet.
The more often the room is cleaned, the better.

You will find a lot of useful and important information about removing various unpleasant odors from objects and surfaces in this section.