What Are the Common Causes of Odor in Your Home?

In a home, there are many ways for unpleasant smells to infiltrate and linger. Below, we’ll discuss some of the most common causes of odor in your home and what you can do to keep your household smelling fresh!

Trash Cans

Trash cans are a home’s most obvious source of foul smells. We all need trash cans, but they can also be odor nuisances that stink up kitchens, bathrooms, and other rooms.

One strategy for avoiding the trash can stink is to use a can with a lid and have a scented candle or incense air freshener nearby to mitigate escaping smells. Also, placing the trash cans out of sight in an enclosed space, like an under-counter cabinet or the pantry, will also reduce smells.

Oven

Do you notice a burning or smoking smell from your kitchen every time you use your oven, even if the food you’re cooking isn’t burning? It’s most likely coming from dripped or spilled food on the bottom of the oven that’s getting recooked and burned every time you use the oven.

When your oven is cool, clean the bottom to remove any leftover food spills. Consider using the cleaning function on your oven to completely eliminate any odor-causing stains.

Refrigerator

If you notice a smell in your kitchen that seems to come and go, it could be a lingering odor from your refrigerator. Many people think their fridge is clean because it’s organized, but it can be a hotbed of lingering odors from spilled food and drinks over the months or years.

If it’s been a while since you last cleaned your fridge, the smell could be coming from a stain or spill in the nooks and crannies. Remove everything from your fridge and clean every surface to eliminate persistent odors.

Dirty Carpet

Carpets can be comfortable additions to any home, but they can also be magnets for dirt, dust, mold, and more. Even if you regularly vacuum your carpet, odors can still linger from stains in the fabric.

You should dry steam the carpets in your home at least once a year to give them a full cleaning that eliminates any lingering odors.

Pets

If you’re a pet owner, you understand that pets are one of the most common causes of odors in a home. We love our pets, but they can be smelly friends and introduce new odors through slobbery toys, bathroom mishaps, kitty litter, and more.

Pet owners can contain these odors by keeping pet toys and related items in one room with an air freshener to keep the rest of the home pet odor–free.