Whether it’s a smelly dishwasher, pets, trash cans, or cigarette smoke, there are many ways your home can be filled with an unpleasant scent. What’s worse is not knowing where that lingering odor is coming from so you can get rid of it. You don’t want a smelly home when you have guests over or trying to sell your home. If you find an odor that won’t go away, finding the source is key to eliminating the bad smells.
Sources of Unpleasant Smells
Odors are produced by bacteria. Bacteria emit foul-smelling gaseous molecules that are sometimes extremely pungent, while others are more subtle and barely noticeable. Once the smell has been emitted into the air, it can easily permeate all sorts of surfaces. Porous materials can retain odors for weeks, months, or years. The result is a lingering odor that won’t go away.
Some smells can serve as warnings that something is wrong. Identifying a smell or determining its cause can affect the health and safety of the people in the home or building. A gas leak, mold problems, and sewage backups may not be visible, but if their scent is obvious, steps can be taken to address the situation.
Different odors can indicate different origins. Here are some common culprits:
- Food scraps
- Garbage
- Pest infestations
- Pet accidents that weren’t properly cleaned up
- Pet fur
- Mold, mildew, rot
- Dirty carpets that have absorbed scents like smoke or pet urine
- Smelly paint
- Malfunctioning electrical wires
Get Rid of Lingering Odors
You must locate the source of an odor and eliminate it if you wish to make a room smell more pleasant. Once you find the source of the odor, there are different ways to get rid of it depending on the location and pungency of the odor.
- A Thorough Deep Cleaning
Any porous surface that is the source of a bad smell must be cleaned to help rid your space of the odor. Cleaning solutions can include a mix of bleach, baking soda, white vinegar, or industrial cleaning supplies. Also, clean any item affected such as curtains and upholstery. If your furnishings still have a bad smell after thorough cleaning, you may have to remove them for good.
Nicotine leaves stains and a noxious odor. The smell lingers in the air, carpets, drapes, and any porous surfaces long after the last cigarette. The walls and windows need to be washed with a DIY solution. For more stubborn stains, consider a chemical cleaner. For persistent odors, you might want to use an odor-blocking primer and sealant to repaint your walls.
- Neutralize the Odor
This can include the use of HEPA filtration to remove odor particles from the air. Other common-odor removal solutions that absorb bad odors include a bowl of coffee grounds, baking soda, a bowl of white vinegar, or apple cider vinegar.
- Call a Professional
For tougher odors, you may need to call a professional cleaning service. They can apply a Thermal Fogger or Ozone Machine to eliminate lingering smells. If you’ve inspected an area thoroughly and still can’t find the odorous substance, it might be located in the walls or beneath the floors. In this case, a professional plumber or contractor would need to be hired to take a look at the drywall.
Trust Trained Cleaning & Restoration Professionals
Even homes and businesses that are meticulously cleaned can be plagued by lingering odors. Air fresheners temporarily mask bad smells by adding a fragrant smell to the air on top of the original odor. When the limited fragrant smell dissipates the foul odor returns. The key to eliminating odor is to treat its source and chemically alter or eliminate the protein causing the odor. Dealing with the underlying cause of the odor is the real goal.
The professional cleaning technicians at PureOne Services St. Louis have been properly trained in odor removal and in the use state-of-the- art equipment to eliminate extreme odors caused by death, decomposition, rodents, house pets, and smoke. All of the chemicals used by certified technicians in the odor removal process are OSHA compliant and safe for use around humans and animals.
We Can Take Care of Any Smell
PureOne Services St. Louis has the knowledge and solutions to rid your home or workplace of lingering bad odors. We have the necessary equipment and certified technicians to do a thorough inspection of your property and locate the source. Our team will clean your home or office, neutralize the odor, and deodorize the area affected. Contact us today to get your space smelling pleasant again.
