Have you found your dream home only to realize it has a bad smell?
Maybe you were so excited you didn’t notice the lingering scent of cigarette smoke. Maybe you fell prey to the classic cover up of too many sea-breeze-scented candles. Whatever the reason, new homes come with previous owners…and sometimes, those owners have certain habits.
Whether it’s the smell of smoke, pets or cooking oils, banishing lingering scents from your new home can be a pain. Here are some tips for making it smell clean and fresh again:
Open those windows. If it’s not the dead of Canadian winter and it’s warm enough outside, opening the windows and letting fresh air work its magic is sometimes all you need.
Scrub those walls. Sometimes scents and oils can get trapped in wall paint. Try giving your walls a good scrub with some TSP, a phosphate powder that can be mixed with water. You can find it at most Canadian hardware stores and it’s great for getting grease out of walls.
Scrap the carpet. As nice as they may feel on bare feet, carpets are notorious for trapping both scents and stains. If you’re moving into a new place and you just can’t get the smell out, you might want to consider removing any rugs or carpets.
