Moms - Stone Mountain,GA

Here are a few odor causers in my house....

-cat litter box. If you have cats, dump all the litter out every few months and scrub it out really good. The smell will get trapped in the plastic.
-garbage disposal. food and other gunk builds up in there. You can google some home ways to clean it but I buy disposal cleaner packets at Walmart and do that once a month as needed.
-trashcans. scrub the inside kitchen trash can once or twice a month. It may look clean, but bags can leak into the bottom of the can.

Good luck!
S.

Hi! A. P,
Open windows on a daily basis to air out your home. This is cost free and effective. Check for rising damp in walls, floors, etc. Wash bins as often, as necessary. Use scented candles or an oil burner with fragrant oil (away from and out of reach of children). A spray that eliminates bacteria in the air is a good buy, as normal sprays may not do the work.
(Store gym shoes in aired laundry, or outside, near backdoor mat).
Hope this assists.
A.

I am certain there is alot of cooking going on with all of the growing young men! My house seems to hold cooking odors and I solved it with using Febreeze on the furniture and draperies, place renuzit "super odor" solids in closets, and use at least two Airwick liquid plug ins on each level of the home. One in the outlet closest to door entrances gives you that nice smell as you enter. If there is a humidity problem, try a product called Damp Rid. Works real well with removing musty smells.

Have you changed the a/c filters and professionally sanitized the carpet? What about prolems with the sewer or hydraulic system? Could it be hidden mildew or holes in the pipes??? Just some ideas-- ;-)

A. - Answer = 4 boys!

I have 3- they are just dirty messy people. I would clean your house-or better yet hire someone to clean it for a real good "one time cleaning" and make sure your bathrooms are always kept scrubbed down- that seems to be where the odor is in my house (boys and thier bad aim)
try using a gentle natural cleaner- or vinegar always works well- yes it smells at first- but only for alittle bit.
hope you find a solution

Our old house used to have a smell to it quite often. We found a couple of different causes. We had septic, and the man we rented from had made an easier access to the septic about a year ago. After that, the septic smelled whenever it got really hot. Another cause was our washing machine. It would occasionally stink and make the whole house stink. I would just run an empty load using just bleach and water, and it would help for a while. We also discovered one time that something had died under the house. Not an easy solution with that one. Believe it or not, one of our most recent causes before we moved was actually from our neighbor's yard. He had left a ton of empty beer cans in an open bin in his yard. The smell of alcohol spread through the yards (lucky us, having our houses so close to each other) and into our dryer and oven vents. Thankfully, none of those have been a problem since we moved, but I am sure I'll run across other smells here. Hopefully this will give you a few ideas of things to check, though.

I've always heard placing little dishes of white vinegar around the house helps. This was in regards to cigarette smoke, but I think it may work for other odors as well since vinegar is a natural cleanser. Whenever our house starts smelling a bit musty, I use Febreeze and vacuum with baking soda -sprinkle the soda down like you would Carpet Fresh and vacuum up. I also love incense. Not all people do, but if you like it and use it regularly, your house will consistently smell more like a Buddhist temple and less like something funky ;-)

I know what you mean and my sister's house always smells good to me. She bought a steam cleaner and cleans her furniture on a regular basis as well she does her carpet. She still has a carpet cleaning company come once a year sometimes twice. She cleans her own furniture. She tells me she thinks that's why I notice a difference in her house vs. mine. There must be something to it I don't think my house smells as nice as hers so maybe she's right...I don't have a carpet cleaner and when mine is cleaned it's done once twice a year by a company.

What does it smell like? Could there be a dead animal in one of the walls or attic? Try buying some household plants..they really clean the air. Also, be careful about the sprays..a lot of them are not so good for you. They do make oils that you can put around the light bulbs that are natural and work every time you have the lights on.

Hello~ I always get compliments on my house smell. Even
my son's little friend, "Says your house always smell good." My little boy just looked at him, but made me smile. I use the Glad Plug In's - Vanilla or Vanilla Breeze. I heard that Vanilla is a good smell and does mask oders. I never ever change. I also burn Vanilla candles. If you keep the smell the same it evenutally works. As far as the trash, I only throw paper in the can and food always in a seperate bag and
take it out all the time. I read some of the other responses, too. Since you have boys, make it a habit to
throw some toilet bowl cleaner in and then wipe the outside with the Clorox or Lysol wipes every 3 days. That way it's constitantly clean. And I use the Vanilla Sray for the bathrooms as well. Try it! Goog luck~

You didn't say what type of smell that is in your house. If you have carpet or rugs, it may be time to steam clean them. Your furniture may need cleaning too. Change your vacuum cleaner bag more often; don't wait until the bag looks like it's going to explode before changing it.
Make sure when you cook anything on the stove that you immediately turn the exhaust fan on and even open a window in the kitchen to help the flow of the exhaust.
With 4 boys in your house, the bathrooms probably need to be scrubbed several times a week to prevent them from smelling like a "public" restroom.
There are all kinds of air fresheners on the market, look for the ones that have a "self-spraying time release" that the time can be adjusted. The stinkier the room, the less time between sprays. Or you could get a room deodorizer w/ the built-in fan that releases two different scents during the day so your nose doesn't get bored.
I hope these suggestions will help you. Good luck!
Milly

Lots of good suggestions already. I have a grease can on my stove from browning burger or cooking bacon. Most of the time it's not a problem but now and then, it reeks and I zip lock it in a quart bag and toss.
Vacuuming, spraying (Fabreeze type) etc, trash out daily, laundry caught up, shoes outside or garage are all great.
I burn a simmering candle almost daily. I do not notice a 'smell' in my house the majority of the time. I also have a large dog-who when wet does smell. We try not to bring her in till slightly damp. But, I find the candle works well. It's on the counter in my kitchen. The flame is rather contained within the container and when I light it, I make sure no flamables are around and there is enough melt in the top for the duration of the burn. They make these in nightlight heat source styles instead of candle styles as well. I find that it is usually enough. I do open my windows as much as possible- it's too hot and humid in the south to do it as often as I would like.
Another thing to check is your kitchen sink and drains. Baking soda and Lemon juice help clean the smell out there but if something is caught in the system, nothing will help until it rots through and drains away by itself. Vinegar in the drain helps as well, I just don't like the smell.
Good luck

I agree with the opening of windows and doors as much as possible. Also try some of those wands that you keep in scented oil. It is a continous scent and doesn't involve any flames!