Sometimes when you walk around your home, you might catch a whiff of something stinky. Now and then, a bad smell might linger and permeate your home. Often, it’s a simple fix—just a matter of cleaning up, taking out the trash, or performing some other bit of basic maintenance. At other times, you must put on your Sherlock Holmes hat and track it down. Here’s how to handle any bad smells in your home. Keep them in mind the next time something stinks!
Follow Your Nose
Tracking down a stinky smell should be easy. Just follow your nose. Generally, you should be able to find a bad smell by sniffing away and slowly homing in on it. But, sometimes, a smell can elude you. If you can’t find the source of the smelliness in the open, think outside the box. Bad smells can turn up in the inner workings of many household devices. HVAC systems with ducts have hiding spaces where dust and other allergens can build up and small animals can crawl in and die. Even mini split units can smell bad because of mold, melting wires, and the like.
Follow the Critters
This is a little more unpleasant, but a good way to track down the source of a smell is to look for animal evidence. Flies and other flying insects tend to congregate around a stinky source. Watch for them over sinks, spots on the rug or carpet, or other hidden places. Sometimes the critters are the source of the smell. Many little mammals, insects, and other animals can leave behind traces of urine and feces. Stink bugs, as their name already announces, can also be a source of bad smells since they give off a cilantro-like or burning-rubber-like stench when frightened or squished.
Reset Your Sniffer
When you’re trying to sniff out a bad smell, your nose may not always be able to guide you. The smells can get to be too much, and the sensory overload can make it harder to track the source down. In that case, step outside and take a few deep breaths. Better yet, take a walk and hit the reset button on your nose. This will help you return refreshed. It’s also wise to remove any strong smells competing with the bad ones. Take out the trash, run the laundry, clean the dishes, and generally remove the other odors so that you can focus on the bad one. This will make it easier to identify.
Next Steps
Once you locate it, here’s how to handle any bad smells in your home. Put on your rubber gloves and a face mask and get it out of there, then give the area a deep clean. Unfortunately, if the source is inside the walls, bring in an expert. You should investigate moldy smells since black mold can cause serious health issues. Likewise, burning odors could be evidence of bad wiring and burning or melting insulation. Once you find and remediate the smell, invest in an air purifier to further clear the air!