What to Do When You Have a Smelly Apartment
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by Ice Artificio
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Feb 12, 2019
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General
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"Why does your house smell musty?"
"Your place has a funky smell"
These are phrases you never want to hear about your condo.
You want to know something your nose doesn’t know? How your apartment smells to visitors when you’ve been in your house for a while.
This is because you get used to smells. Olfactory adaptation is how your nose deals with the same scents after a prolonged time.
This means, it can be difficult at times to tell if your home smells bad. Especially if you've been staying at there for a while.
That doesn't mean there aren't ways for you to ensure that your condo smells good all the time, even if your nose cannot tell.
Here are seven things you can do to keep your home smelling fresh and clean before using fragrance sprays.
Throw all your garbage, open all your windows and doors, turn on your fans, and let the old air out.
It can be as quick as 5 minutes, is simple, and won't cost you anything.
One of the cons of condos is that, ventilation isn't the same as homes that have large breathing spaces, especially for smaller-sized condominiums.
Allowing the space to "refresh” the air inside, can have a huge impact on how fresh your home smells
A stale, stuffy, or moldy smell come from a humid environment where air does not circulate properly.
This is typical with poorly ventilated areas like your cupboard, rarely visited storage room, or closets.
To neutralize the musty smell, you can use a dehumidifying machine to regulate the humidity, silica gels or desiccant packets for cupboards and closets.
Want an extremely cheap option? Charcoal is excellent in absorbing moisture and odors.
After showering, make sure your bathroom has a chance to completely dry out.
Keep the exhaust fan on or use a fan to help move the air around and dry your bathroom.
This will not only keep it smelling good, it will avoid mildew growth or those slimy patches on your floors.
Mold and mildew not only contribute to a funky smell in your home, it can also be damaging to your health.
If you are frequently getting sick (a recurring sinus problem, sty, cough or frequent bouts of asthma), mold may be the culprit.
Mildew is easy to clean with a detergent and some scrubbing. Mold on the other hand, will need a specialist.
Even the non-fancy ones will work. Turn off your air-conditioning and let your candles do their magic.
Flames use up oxygen, including the odors attached to it. See? Candles can be romantic and pragmatic.
Freshly cut flowers, lemongrass and certain indoor plants can help add fragrance to your condo.
A pot of Rosemary not only adds fragrance, it's also a handy spice in the kitchen.
Local flowers such as Sampaguita or Ylang-Ylang smells amazing and are affordable.
A personal favorite that I always use for special occasions are Stargazer Lilies.
When you cook dried fish or other pungent food, it wafts all across your apartment and even next doors.
So it follows, that sweet or nice smelling food will fill your home with the same pleasant scent.
Bake some cookies or brew coffee.
Having people over but don't want to cook? A good life hack is to boil orange peels with some lemon.
Tada! Potpourri!
Condo living is more susceptible to kulob or stale and other pungent smells as the breathing space isn't the same with houses.
This doesn't mean you're doomed to live with bad smell, only that you need to take a different route and sometimes more steps in ensuring your place maintains a pleasant and fresh environment.
What's your secret in keeping your condo smelling amazing? Share it with us in the comments below!
"Your place has a funky smell"
These are phrases you never want to hear about your condo.
You want to know something your nose doesn’t know? How your apartment smells to visitors when you’ve been in your house for a while.
This is because you get used to smells. Olfactory adaptation is how your nose deals with the same scents after a prolonged time.
This means, it can be difficult at times to tell if your home smells bad. Especially if you've been staying at there for a while.
That doesn't mean there aren't ways for you to ensure that your condo smells good all the time, even if your nose cannot tell.
Here are seven things you can do to keep your home smelling fresh and clean before using fragrance sprays.
| 1. | Air it all out |
It can be as quick as 5 minutes, is simple, and won't cost you anything.
One of the cons of condos is that, ventilation isn't the same as homes that have large breathing spaces, especially for smaller-sized condominiums.
Allowing the space to "refresh” the air inside, can have a huge impact on how fresh your home smells
| 2. | Use Dehumidifiers |
This is typical with poorly ventilated areas like your cupboard, rarely visited storage room, or closets.
To neutralize the musty smell, you can use a dehumidifying machine to regulate the humidity, silica gels or desiccant packets for cupboards and closets.
Want an extremely cheap option? Charcoal is excellent in absorbing moisture and odors.
| 3. | Give Your Bathroom Time to Dry |
Keep the exhaust fan on or use a fan to help move the air around and dry your bathroom.
This will not only keep it smelling good, it will avoid mildew growth or those slimy patches on your floors.
| 4. | Check and Treat Mold and Mildew |
If you are frequently getting sick (a recurring sinus problem, sty, cough or frequent bouts of asthma), mold may be the culprit.
Mildew is easy to clean with a detergent and some scrubbing. Mold on the other hand, will need a specialist.
| 5. | Light Up those Fancy Candles |
Flames use up oxygen, including the odors attached to it. See? Candles can be romantic and pragmatic.
| 6. | Get Help from Nature |
A pot of Rosemary not only adds fragrance, it's also a handy spice in the kitchen.
Local flowers such as Sampaguita or Ylang-Ylang smells amazing and are affordable.
A personal favorite that I always use for special occasions are Stargazer Lilies.
| 7. | Cook Good Smelling Food |
So it follows, that sweet or nice smelling food will fill your home with the same pleasant scent.
Bake some cookies or brew coffee.
Having people over but don't want to cook? A good life hack is to boil orange peels with some lemon.
Tada! Potpourri!
Condo living is more susceptible to kulob or stale and other pungent smells as the breathing space isn't the same with houses.
This doesn't mean you're doomed to live with bad smell, only that you need to take a different route and sometimes more steps in ensuring your place maintains a pleasant and fresh environment.
What's your secret in keeping your condo smelling amazing? Share it with us in the comments below!
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