You might be tempted to light a bunch of candles when a room smells musty. It takes more than just covering up a bad smell to fix a musty room. You have to go straight to the source.
Many things can cause a weird smell in a house, like appliances, furniture, carpets, fabrics, or mold and mildew.
There are times when odors come from sewer gas, natural gas leaks or dead animals in attics, walls, or under decks.
The most common culprits are mold and mildew, dust, dirty laundry, stains and spills, pet accidents, and leftover food.
Why Does My Room Smell Weird?
You’ll need to find the source of a lingering odor or a bad smell in your house to get rid of it forever.
Some smells (such as natural gas leaks) will need additional assistance, but most can be dealt with using ordinary household items. You can eliminate bad house odors using our guide to finding and removing them.
Frist Find The Source Of That Weird Smell In Your House
It doesn’t always take a lot of effort to find a source of bad smells, but sometimes it’s as easy as taking out the garbage.
It can be challenging to diagnose other smells, especially if they appear and disappear intermittently.
In order to find out where the weird smell is coming from, you’ll have to identify the room that is emitting it.
After that, you can do some basic detective work to find out why your house stinks and what is causing it.
Your Room Smells Bad For The Following Reasons
In spite of the fact that mold is one of the most common reasons for foul odors, it is not the only source. Your room might also smell stinky from the following sources:
1. Dust
A dust particle is a collection of all kinds of gross things, including dead skin, pollen, pet hair, dander, insects, and insect droppings. There’s more to come.
You may notice a musty smell in your room when you have dust in the air, but it also makes your room look and feel dirty.
2. Stagnant Air
Your clothes become stale when there is stagnant air, which traps dust, mold spores, and even tobacco smoke. A hot, humid day makes this situation worse. The air in your room holds on to these pollutants if you don’t have proper ventilation.
3. Dirty Laundry
Another breeding ground for bacteria is your laundry hamper. The Journal of Chromatography A published a study showing that underarm sweat is odorless until it becomes infected with bacteria on the skin, namely Corynebacterium spp.
As well as some Staphylococcus species. There are six types of volatile organic compounds found on dirty laundry, according to the study. You may be smelling something strange because of your dirty laundry.
4. Leftover Food
Containers that have been used for food or drinks may start to smell over time. It is possible for old stains or spills in your room to create an odor even if there is no food or drink visible in your room.
5. Pet Related Accidents
There are times when even a well-trained pet has an accident. The smell can linger for weeks or even months after an accident, whether it’s a hidden one or one you clean up immediately.
The urine of pets can seep into carpet padding if left too long, causing mildew or mold to grow.
How Do I Make My Room Smell Fresh?
Now that you know where bad smells originate, as well as that indoor air quality is poor regardless of whether you can smell them or not, it is time to revamp your room to make it feel as fresh as a spring day (minus the pollen).
If you want to improve the air quality in your room and bring a fresh feel to it, follow these steps.
1. Determine The Source Of The Smell
You may be tempted to use candles or air fresheners to mask an unpleasant smell in your room. The problem is, though, that’s only a short-term solution.
Your health may also be affected. It is possible to release harmful VOCs into the air of your home when you use commercial air fresheners.
It doesn’t matter how hard you try to cover up a bad smell, it will still come out. Finding and removing the source of an odor is the first step to making your room smell fresh.
Ensure your room is free of mold, mildew, leaks, condensation, and moisture by thoroughly inspecting it. If you want to find mold and mildew, look in dark, damp places.
Start by checking the following places in your room for mold and mildew:
- Air conditioning and heating vents
- Laundry baskets
- Any upholstery, including furniture and curtains
- Potted plants
- Windowsills
- Carpeting
- Furniture like dressers and beds that aren’t moved often should be swept behind and under
You should check for mold or mildew growth if you have an adjacent bathroom:
- Around the sink and toilet, on top of them, and under them
- Bathtubs and showers
- Curtains and liners for showers
- On the walls and the floor
It’s important to remove any obvious mold or mildew immediately if you find them.
In addition, you should inspect your room for water leaks and areas where condensation or moisture accumulates. It doesn’t matter whether mold or mildew is present yet: damp areas are perfect hosts.
2. Make Sure Your Room Is Thoroughly Dusted
Next, dust your room to make it smell fresh. From pet dander and insect droppings to dead skin and pollen, dust combines both indoor and outdoor particles.
Your home may naturally contain it or it may be brought in from outside. The different components of dust may cause allergy symptoms, though dust itself may not be an issue.
Whether you are allergic or not, making sure your home is dust-free is a top priority. You will not only breathe easier if you keep your room dust-free, but the particles found in dust will also keep your room smelling fresh.
The obvious places like tables and shelves are obvious to dust. But you shouldn’t forget the blinds, ceiling fans, and light fixtures; the tops of doors and windows, and upholstery; and electronics and baseboards.
If you are dusting your home (or a room), you should keep these things in mind:
- Make sure you dust from top to bottom. If you clean from the bottom up, dust will settle back on your previously cleaned surfaces.
- The dust will be less likely to be stirred up in the air if you dust hard surfaces with a damp cloth.
- Also, wear a face mask. If you do not use a damp cloth to remove dust, you’re going to end up with dust in the air. A face mask can offer some protection from this.
3. Clean Your Floors
The next step is to clean the floors after you have finished dusting. Your floor is the catch-all for all the activities in your room. When you have pets, they will also collect their accidents, dust, spills, and crumbs.
For Hardwood Floors
Your bedroom should be relatively easy to clean if you have hardwood floors. For this, a damp mop is best. Dust and other particles will get stirred up into the air when you sweep or mop, making it difficult to thoroughly clean a room.
For A Carpeted Bedroom
If your room is carpeted, you may need to do more work, but once you’re done, you’ll notice a noticeable improvement. Your carpeted floors will benefit from a deep clean if you follow these steps:
Check for particularly bad smelling spots. A pet accident could have soaked into your carpeting, or a water spill could have dampened the carpet and caused mildew.
The affected spot on the carpet should be sprinkled with baking soda. It would be better if you let it sit overnight, or even two days, if you can. Using baking soda will allow the odor to be absorbed.
Cleaning the carpet with baking soda is as simple as vacuuming it. If there are any mild odors, that should eliminate them. To break through bacteria in carpet, use a mixture of white vinegar and water. The acid in vinegar will break through bacteria in carpet.
Vacuum the carpet thoroughly. Adding baking soda to your carpet before vacuuming is an extra measure you can take.
Make sure you clean those hard-to-reach areas under furniture and in the back of closets, no matter what type of flooring you have in your bedroom.
4. Open Your Windows
A plethora of pollutants can be found inside your home, all condensed into a very small space.
Even when you take into account outdoor pollutants such as pollen and smog, it’s still possible to breathe healthier air outside than inside your home.
When you open your bedroom windows, fresh air can break up stagnant air that traps unpleasant odors.
Before opening your windows to let the breeze in, check the air quality report for the day if you are allergic to pollen or live in an area with a lot of smog.
5. Bathe Your Pets
There is nothing more frustrating than finding pet hair everywhere in your home if you have furry friends. Bathe your pets regularly to prevent them from contributing (even more) to the smell in your room.
6. Wash Your Sheets And Laundry
Washing your bedsheets at least once a week is a good idea because you spend a lot of time on them.
Empty your laundry hamper regularly while you’re at it. In the process of breaking down oil and sweat left behind on your clothes, bacteria release gases that emit unpleasant odors.
Make sure your laundry basket is never full of clothes that are excessively sweaty in order to prevent this problem. Instead, wash them as soon as possible.
7. Make Sure All Upholstery Is Clean
Dust, dust mites, and other indoor pollutants are attracted to all kinds of upholstery, just like your sheets and dirty laundry. The following tips will help you keep your room’s fabric clean and smelling fresh:
- Make sure your curtains are clean
- Spot smells on couches and other upholstered furniture can be removed with white vinegar and water
- Remove dust and dirt from upholstered furniture by vacuuming
- Consider hiring a specialist to clean specialty or antique items
- It’s fine to clean them once a month; you don’t need to do it every week.
8. Turn On A Dehumidifier
It’s no secret that moisture can be a major problem when you’re trying to make your room smell good. Getting mold and mildew on damp surfaces and in moist air is easy.
It may be difficult to keep your home from getting too humid depending on your region’s climate. It is important to invest in a dehumidifier since humid air traps pollutants and foul odors.
You will reduce the chance of mold and mildew growing in your room by removing moisture from the air. Additionally, you will notice your room feeling less stuffy, which is an essential part of making your room smell wonderful.
9. Use An Indoor Air Purifier
Pollutants found in your home are trapped and destroyed by indoor air purifiers. It is possible to eliminate some sources of foul odors by eliminating indoor air pollutants.
In order to get the most out of an indoor air purifier, you should choose one that removes mold spores and other pollutants. When they are simply trapped, they can be released right back into the air.
10. Use An Odor Absorber
As a last resort, you can use a natural odor absorbent such as baking soda to eliminate lingering odors in your room. In order to keep your home smelling fresh, you will need to replace odor absorbers frequently.
Does Vaping Smell Up A Room?
Vaping can produce a noticeable odor, but it is generally less strong and dissipates more quickly compared to traditional smoking.
The scent from vaping depends on the type of e-liquid used and the device itself. While some people may find the odor from vaping to be minimal and less offensive than cigarette smoke, others may still detect and be bothered by it.
It’s important to note that certain flavors of e-liquids can have different aromas, and some may be more noticeable than others.
Additionally, the amount of vapor produced can vary depending on the device and settings.
If you are concerned about the smell of vaping in a room, it’s a good idea to be mindful of your surroundings and the preferences of those around you.
Vaping indoors may still be subject to rules and regulations, and it’s courteous to consider the preferences of others in shared spaces.
Final Words
It is frustrating to deal with unpleasant odors, but there are steps that can help, such as those listed above.
The air quality in your room will improve by reducing the levels of air pollutants in your room, which can potentially harm your health. Making the room smell good may be subjective at heart, but we believe which steps you take will improve the air quality.
You will need to invest some time up front to follow these easy steps, but once you do, you’ll just have to keep up with regular cleaning and ventilate your room properly. You will have a healthier nose and a happier body!
