Home Staging 101: Simple Steps to Help Ensure Your House is Stink Free
No one wants to think for a second that they have a stinky house but all too often when you spend time in the same place every day you actually become immune to the odors in it, especially if you have pets or are a smoker. This is, of course, a bad thing in general, but it’s an even bigger problem if you are staging your Waterloo Region home for sale.
Removing less than desirable smells from your home does not have to involve emptying an entire can of air freshener into the general atmosphere every day though. Here are a few simple ways you can keep your home smelling fresh, clean and inviting every day, basically stink free, as well as a little safer and more efficient too:
Have carpets and rugs professionally cleaned at least a few times a year and certainly, if you are selling, right before the home officially goes on the market. Regular vacuuming picks up dirt and dust but does little to remove lingering odors that build up over time. Carpet powders help but they only mask the problem. Regular deep cleaning will help your carpets stay better looking for longer as well.
Open a few windows occasionally to help “air out” the place, especially in smaller rooms that are not used very often, for example, a spare bedroom.
Improve the ventilation in moisture-rich areas like the bathroom. Improperly ventilated spaces like this are magnets for mildew and mould and that stuff not only looks awful but it smells terrible too. If you have been noticing the odd patch of mould or two don’t ignore it or simply scrub it away, call in a plumber to see what is causing the problem as remediating a mould problem will be far more expensive if the situation is ignored and any sign that one may exist is likely to be a deal breaker for any potential home buyer. Something as simple as a small leak in the corner of your shower can, over time cause all kinds of water damage (and odors) and the fix may be as simple as a bit of re-caulking.
Another place you may want to improve the ventilation is in the kitchen. The meals you cook there may taste delicious but cooking odors have a tendency to linger and the smell of last night’s curry hitting your nostrils – or those of someone viewing your home – first thing in the morning is less than pleasant. The damp in the air can also lead to mould and mildew and as we’ve mentioned that’s just not something you want to deal with.
Pets are great companions and according to scientists can even help you live longer, but odor free is not a word that could be used to describe the family dog or cat. To minimize their impact on the overall clean fresh smell of your home wash their bedding on a regular basis and make sure that cat litter-boxes are cleaned on a regular basis, even if you do use the odor absorbing litter.
Use subtle air fresheners like scented candles or incense sticks to add a pleasant smell to your home instead of spraying a ton of chemicals in the air a couple of times a day to mask odors that just won’t seem to dissipate fast enough.