Why do some houses always smell good, even without room fresheners? |
There are some houses which seem to emanate a feeling of freshness and cleanliness the moment you enter them. Even without the aid of a room freshener, a diffuser or a strongly-scented candle, they automatically feel nice to be in.The reason for this may not lie in the scents intentionally introduced to the environment, but rather in the ones deliberately kept out.
Proper air circulation keeps smells out
One of the leading factors in a house smelling unpleasant is improper air circulation.Foods, bath products, cleaning supplies, pets and even people can emit odours that can linger in enclosed spaces. The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) reports that increasing the amount of outside air entering a building reduces odours, humidity and other pollutants, with enhanced ventilation being one of the three key ways (with pollution control and filtration) to improve indoor air quality. This is why houses with good circulation, be it in the form of natural or mechanical ventilation, are often refreshingly less odorous.
Their kitchens don’t emit lingering smells.
One of the biggest sources of odour is the kitchen, as cooking is a major contributor to dampness and smells in the home. The key to limiting these are the exhaust ventilators, which are supposed to actively remove the generated moisture and foul air from the house, rather than letting it permeate through the other rooms.Consistently good-smelling houses tend to have one or more simple techniques up their sleeve to ensure that cooking smells are swiftly dealt with. These can range from switching the extractor fan on while preparing food to throwing away food waste immediately after use, as well as ensuring that the kitchen is cleaned regularly before the smell has time to properly settle in. The same advice can be applied to bathrooms, with the exhaust fans being used while showering, and then switched off as soon as it is over – in order to prevent the water vapour from lingering too long after the shower is over.
A good-smelling house tends to have control over humidity
The musty aroma that often pervades older houses and is frequently associated with dampness originates from water sources that have not been dealt with properly whether that is showers, baths, cooking or laundry. These contribute significantly to the overall level of humidity, which, if left unchecked, can lead to the appearance of mould and mildew, which further add to the smell of the room.The World Health Organisation highlights excessive dampness and the risk of mould growth as indoor environmental hazards, making it imperative to ensure that any dampness is controlled. This might take the form of dehumidifiers, good ventilation, or even fixing a leaking pipe.
The materials inside a good-smelling house tend to be clean.
Though smells in the air contribute greatly to the overall impression, the surfaces and objects that absorb these also play a part. In particular, sofas, carpets, curtains, cushions, bedding, rugs, towels and other similar items often accumulate dust, moisture, food particles and even pet hair, which means that they can retain and amplify the scent in the room.This is why regularly cleaning the things that are used often and washing the towels, bedding and other materials helps immensely. House using cleaning and vacuuming helps to keep the air clean – the same goes for reducing humidity in order to avoid the growth of mould spores and other biological contaminants.
A good-smelling house doesn’t leave wet things lying around.
The accumulation of moist things in the house can often result in an even more unpleasant smell than the ones mentioned above. A damp towel tossed over a chair, wet clothes left to fester in the house after a wash, the mop sitting in the bucket, or leaving the excess water under the sink can combine into an especially putrid scent.One of the simplest ways to reduce a musty aroma in the home is to simply dry things thoroughly after they have gotten wet.A good-smelling house often cleans the places you didn’t think of.Even if everything in the house seems clean, there are often certain places which are sources of unpleasant smells. These can include bins, drains, fridge interiors, washing machines, shoe racks, pets, sponges, and other overlooked corners. This is essentially the difference between a house that seems clean, and one that actually is. Simply put, the places where an unpleasant odour can develop need to be dealt with more often, as trying to mask it with something stronger will prove to be ineffective in the long-term.When it comes to air conditioners, it is suggested that they are regularly maintained and their filters changed or cleaned according to the manufacturer’s guidelines in order to prevent indoor pollutants. This can be especially important in enclosed areas or when the house is closed for long periods of time.
The good-smelling house even has its own unique scent.
Each house tends to acquire a unique set of smells due to the materials used, furniture, the food, laundry detergents and other products – as well as the people that live in it. These combine into a complex mixture that can be pleasant or not depending on the circumstances. The thing is, when strong, unpleasant smells are removed from consideration, most houses tend to have a general pleasant scent that defines them.This may also be due to the fact that people tend to get used to the smell of the house they live in, meaning that they may not be aware of it. This is why someone who visits may notice it immediately and even be put off by it, whereas the residents will not be able to pick it up at all.Also read:As the sun goes down, ‘Moon garden’ begins to glow against the dark: 5 most beautiful white flowers to grow in your gardenSpraying white vinegar on towels once a month: Why people recommend this laundry hack
What about plants?
It turns out that the ability of many houseplants to ‘clean the air’ of odours has been greatly exaggerated. While some research suggests that the plants can be beneficial in a controlled environment by breaking down certain volatile organic compounds, they cannot be relied on in an average household. In fact, it is better to prevent the formation of smells in the first place, whether that is through adequate air circulation, source control, reducing humidity levels, or using a HEPA filter.The real secret to a good-smelling house lies in preventing bad smells in the first placeAs it turns out, the key to a house that always smells good is that it doesn’t necessarily have a scent at all. In fact, the reason why it may smell good is that it has nothing strongly unpleasant in it that needs to be masked. Fresh air from the outdoors is encouraged to enter, the cooking smells are prevented from lingering, the bathroom is left to dry out after use, laundry is dried before being put away, the bin is emptied regularly, the things that absorb the smells are kept clean, humidity is controlled, and air conditioners are well-maintained. Only then do additional measures come into play to introduce a pleasant scent.
