How to make your house smell good, and keep it that way

To make your house smell good, find the source of the bad smell and clean it before you add any scent. Check the trash and recycling, the kitchen drain, the fridge, fabrics like couches and rugs, the radiators and any damp corner. Then air the house out for ten minutes and add a light scent, like a simmer pot or a homemade spray.

A candle on top of a smelly trash can just makes the room smell like a candle and a trash can. Clean first, scent second.

Where do bad smells in a house come from?

Work through this list. The smell is usually in one of these places.

• Trash and recycling. The can itself, not just the bag. Liquid leaks to the bottom and sits there.
• The kitchen drain and disposal. Food on the underside of the splash guard. See how to clean a garbage disposal and kitchen drain.
• The fridge. Something forgotten in the back, or the drip pan underneath.
• Fabrics. Couch cushions, rugs, curtains and throws soak up cooking, pets and smoke.
• The bathroom. The base of the toilet, a damp bath mat, a fan that doesn't pull air.
• The washer. Front-loaders hold water in the door seal.
• Damp. Basements, under sinks, behind the toilet.

How do you get rid of the smell?

• Wash the trash can with hot water and dish soap, dry it, and sprinkle a little baking soda in the bottom before the new bag goes in.
• Clean the drain: hot water, then baking soda and vinegar, then hot water.
• Empty the fridge of old food the night before trash day, every week.
• Vacuum the couch with the cushions off, and wash the throws and pillow covers.
• Sprinkle baking soda on rugs, leave it 30 minutes, and vacuum it up slowly.
• Wash the curtains if the label allows. They hold more smell than you'd think.
• Run the washer's cleaning cycle and wipe the door seal dry after each load.
• Mop the floors, especially in the kitchen, where grease settles on them.

Why does a rowhome basement smell musty?

Basements in older Philadelphia rowhomes can be damp, and damp is what makes that musty smell. Look for the wet spot: a sweating pipe, a leak by the back wall, laundry left in the washer, a sump area. Dry it with airflow and a dehumidifier, empty the dehumidifier often, and wash anything fabric that's been sitting down there. If you see mold or the dampness keeps coming back, that's a job for a contractor, not a cleaner.

Why does the house smell like burning dust when the heat comes on?

That first cold morning in the fall, when the radiators or baseboard heaters come on for the first time, dust that settled on them over the summer burns off. In a house with cast-iron radiators, it can smell like a hot iron for the first few days.

Clean them before the heating season: wait until they're cold, lay a towel underneath, work a long radiator brush between the sections and vacuum up what falls. If the smell is strong, smoky, or doesn't fade after a few days, have the heating system checked.

What about summer smells?

Window units are the summer version. If the room smells stale when the AC kicks on, pull the front panel and clean or replace the filter, and wipe the vents. Do it before the first hot day and once or twice through the season. Keep the trash going out on schedule too, because heat speeds up every smell in the kitchen.

How do you add a good smell once the house is clean?

Once the source is gone, a light scent goes a long way.

• Simmer pot. A small pot of water on the stove with orange or lemon peels, a cinnamon stick and a few cloves. Keep it on low, top up the water, and turn it off when you leave the room.
• Open windows. Ten minutes with two windows open on opposite sides of the house does more than a spray. In a narrow rowhome, front and back windows give you a straight cross-breeze.
• Fresh laundry. Clean sheets and throws make a room smell clean.
• Homemade spray. Fill a small spray bottle mostly with water, add a tablespoon of vodka or witch hazel so the oil mixes, then 10 to 15 drops of essential oil. Lavender, lemon, peppermint and eucalyptus are common picks. Shake it before each use and spray into the air.
• Sachets. Dried lavender or rosemary in small cloth bags for drawers and closets.

Before you diffuse or spray essential oils around cats, dogs or birds, check with your vet; some oils aren't good for pets. Test any spray on a hidden spot before using it near wood or fabric.

Want the source cleaned for you?

Book House Cleaning or Deep Cleaning online, and put any problem spot in your booking notes. For the couch, rugs and the rest of the room, see how to deep clean a living room.

FAQ

How do I make my house smell good fast? Take out the trash, run the disposal or flush the drain with hot water, open two windows on opposite sides for ten minutes, and wipe the kitchen counters. Then simmer a pot of water with citrus peels and a cinnamon stick on the stove while you're home.

Why does my house smell musty? Usually damp: a basement, a bathroom without a working fan, or laundry left in the washer. Find the wet spot, dry it out with airflow or a dehumidifier, and wash the fabrics that soaked up the smell.

Why does my house smell like burning dust when the heat comes on? Dust that settled on radiators, baseboard heaters or in the ducts over the summer burns off the first few times the heat runs. Cleaning the radiators or vents before the heating season cuts it down. If the smell is strong or lasts, have the heating system checked.

How do you make a homemade air freshener spray? Fill a small spray bottle mostly with water, add a tablespoon of vodka or witch hazel to help the oil mix, and 10 to 15 drops of essential oil. Shake before each use and spray into the air, not on wood or fabric you haven't tested.

Book a cleaning

Our service area: every Philadelphia neighborhood, plus the Pennsylvania suburbs within about 30 miles of Center City, in Montgomery, Delaware, Bucks and Chester counties. Book online at phillyscleanteam.com/book-now, or call or text (215) 798-7576, 9 AM to 9 PM, every day.