The human sense of smell might be nothing
on a dog’s, but it still packs a surprisingly hard emotional punch. Smells can
spark off all sorts of associations in your mind, reminding you of treasured
memories in many cases, and reminding you of the emotions you were feeling at
the time. Smells can also be unpleasant of course, and will hold equally strong
negative associations. When something smells horrible, it acts as a warning
that whatever is causing the smell may be harmful, or at least not nice to come
in contact with. That’s an important survival mechanism, in much the same way
as bitter tastes tend to warn of poisonous plants. When it comes to our homes,
it’s nice to think that they smell fresh and clean, but sometimes you may need
to tackle a less pleasant odor.
Dealing
with bad smells
The source could be one of a number of
things, but there are a few frequent culprits:
·
Animals: we love our pets and
wouldn’t be without them, but they can cause a bit of a whiff if they aren’t
kept clean. Dogs are the chief cause of pet
smells, as they soon give off that special doggy smell, especially when
they’re wet or if they have longer coats. The bedding they use will soon absorb
the smell as well, so in addition to a bath for your hound, keep their beds
washed regularly too. You can also get pet-friendly wipes that neutralize the
smell when wiped over the animal’s coat.
·
Cooking: Some cooking
smells are mouth-watering, like freshly baked bread or frying bacon. However, some smells like green vegetables and cooking
oils don’t smell so good, and also tend to linger. Plus, there’s the
acrid smell of burning if things go wrong when you’re making the dinner! Good
ventilation in the kitchen will get rid of the worst of the smell, so use a
cooker fan and open windows and/or doors
if you can.
·
Toilets and drains: You’d
expect the bathroom to be a cause of unpleasant smells at certain times, but if
there is a persistent odor it may be that there is a blockage in the system, or a fault in the trap. Outside drains
can smell for similar reasons, and if you have one
you may notice basement
drain smells as well. Flushing out the trap and rehydrating the system can
often do the trick, but check for information on how to deal with plumbing
problems before attempting to fix them.
Keeping
it fresh
Eliminating the obvious causes of bad
smells like those listed above will stop your home from smelling unpleasant,
but there are also plenty of options for adding nice smells as well. Plug-in
air fresheners emit a constant or time-controlled fragrance over many months,
saving you the bother of having to spray manually
each day. Reed diffusers act in a similar
way, sending out a gentle fragrance for long periods, and they’re
generally more attractive to look at. A
clean, fresh-smelling house is a joy to come home to at the end of the day, so
banish the bad smells and sniff the scent of flowers instead.
Rebecca has been writing about style, beauty, and lifestyle topics since 2011. Thank you so much for reading this post! Feel free to leave any questions or comments below. I love hearing from you!
