Bad odor can turn off guests, especially if the house smells when you walk in. Funky smells can come from different sources, such as mold, tobacco smoke, cooking odors, pets, and the like. These awful smells are more than just unpleasant – they sometimes cause health problems, such as nausea and headache.
We care about you and that’s why figuring out ways on how to reduce bad smells at home is important for your well-being. Not only that – some people are very sensitive to smells so it will help them in the long run, even if they are just a guest at home. Whether it’s the kitchen, bathroom, bedroom, or living room, keeping your house smelling fresh as much as possible is tied to maintaining its cleanliness.
Why does my house always smell?
If you don’t know where the smell comes from, here are some likely suspects that you might find around your house:
| Pets | If you have a dog or a cat, there is a big chance that your house will smell bad. This is because you can’t control where your dog or cat lays around, even if you do bathe and groom them regularly. |
| Dirty laundry | You might have forgotten to regularly dump your dirty laundry stash into the washing machine due to being busy. Dirty laundry accumulates bad smells due to mold and bacteria that cause the bad odor, as well as human sweat. |
| Bad ventilation | Rooms that are not properly ventilated will gather dust and it will settle down. This causes the room to smell dirty since air is not moved. This is also why kitchen smells tend to stay longer in homes with poor ventilation. |
| Mold | For those who live in homes that often have mold problems, it could be your climate. However, mold can be managed by properly cleaning, else it will cause a smell so bad it can give you headaches. |
| Leftover food | Spoiled food from yesterday or dishes that haven’t been done overnight can also cause a stench in the kitchen. If you don’t practice proper food disposal or handling then it will affect your indoor air quality. |
| VOCs | Volatile organic compounds caused by household chemicals can also disrupt the air’s freshness so think twice before using harsh chemicals indoors. For instance, insect repellents should be used when everyone is outside. |
Does a fan help get rid of the smell?
Yes, a fan can help get rid of bad smells, but it needs a ventilation outlet to drive air out of your house. Moreover, fans best work with air purifiers because while fans can blow air in a certain direction, they do not have the same filters that air purifiers have so they cannot clean the source of the bad odor.
For instance, air purifiers have HEPA and true HEPA filters that get rid of dust while their carbon filters remove the bad smells. If you want to maintain fresh air indoors, the best way to do so is to combine a fan, an air purifier, and proper ventilation (such as using windows) so that air can circulate healthily.
What is the best thing to absorb odors?
To ease your worries, we’ve rounded some best products to make the house smell good – air purifiers that are worth looking into – since they can neutralize smells from inside the house:
Whirlpool Whispure WPT80P True HEPA Air Purifier
You might like this air purifier if you want a tall (tower) design for your room or living. It has an activated charcoal pre-filter to handle bad odor plus it has a true HEPA filter and 3 fan speeds to choose from. This allows you to tweak the amount of power you need depending on whether only a portion of the room smells bad or you need to purify a large area.
Ideal for rooms up to 220 square feet can save energy due to the timer (you can set it to 2, 4, 6, or 8 hours) and the Energy Star certification. Moreover, it even has a sleep mode so you can rest peacefully when you use this air purifier. In this mode, the fan speed is at its lowest, which also lessens your electric bill.
Blueair Blue Pure 211+ Air Purifier
This 3-stage filter air purifier can clean up to 540 square feet, this one is made up of a fabric pre-filter, a particle filter, and a carbon filter for bad odors such as smoke. Because it is a bundle, you can save money since this one already comes with a recyclable filter.
You can choose from the 3 fan speeds depending on how severe the bad smell is. Since it has a compact design, it might be more applicable to rooms with minimal spaces, such as bedrooms, nurseries, and the like. The filter life is about 4 to 6 months depending on usage.
LEVOIT Core 300 Air Purifier for Home
If you want to try medical-grade HEPA filters (H13) then you will like this one. It also comes with a replacement filter so you don’t have to buy it from somewhere else. The air purifier is applicable for rooms up to 219 square feet, which may include a bedroom or a kids’ room, as well as a home clinic.
The noise level is only at 24 dB so you will not feel disturbed when you sleep and use this air purifier. The unit also allows for the installation of custom filters, which can depend on how bad the smells are in your home (or specific allergen concerns).
Winix 5300-2 Air Purifier
A large unit for removing odors, it uses a carbon filter and true HEPA to filter out allergens and unpleasant smells in the air. It has 3-stage cleaning and can be set to 3 different speeds. What’s more, it has PlasmaWave, which is a permanent filter without the use of ozone and can target not just allergens but also VOCs.
It is rated for use in 360-square-feet rooms, which may include offices, bedrooms, kids’ rooms/nurseries, and the like. The noise level is at 27.8 dB so it is not too jarring for taking a nap or relaxing at night. There is also a smart sensor and an auto mode so you don’t have to constantly fiddle with the speed and waste valuable energy needed for sleeping.
Conclusion
So, do air purifiers help with smell? Apparently, yes, thanks to their activated carbon filter and true HEPA to get rid of dust (which can also accumulate bad odor eventually). We hope that the next time your house smells bad when you walk in, you can try our tips and use an air purifier to lessen the bad smells while also properly ventilating and cleaning every room.
