12 Ways to Prevent Odor in Your Apartment

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There are several advantages to living in an apartment, but one thing that you may run into is unpleasant odors. Whether it is cooking odours, pet smells, or the mustiness of a closed-up space, fresh air can vastly improve your living environment. Thankfully, there are a few easy ways you can help ensure that your apartment always smells sweet and inviting.

Properly identifying and eliminating odors in its earlier stages can help keep your home a happy, healthy space.

Clean Regularly

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Odors will disappear if you clean, and that is the most obvious way to rid your apartment of them. Wiping down surfaces, vacuuming carpets, and mopping floors regularly are solutions to lingering spills that can cause unwanted smells.

Also remember to get into the those hard-to-reach places, like under furniture and behind appliances, where dust bunnies tend to congregate and can create unpleasant smells.

Take Out the Trash Frequently

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One of the most common causes of foul odours in apartments is the trash. The more food waste or stronger-smelling items there is, the more frequently your garbage needs to be hauled off.

Invest in a small trash can with a lid so you can contain smells until it’s time to empty the trash.

Use Natural Air Fresheners

Rather than using synthetic air fresheners, choose natural methods like essential oils or houseplants such as lavender, eucalyptus, and jasmine, which will filter your air (and smell incredibly good).

You can also bake your own air freshener using a spray bottle with water and lemon juice.

Open Windows Frequently

To prevent odors, make sure to let in fresh air through your apartment. If we keep the air flowing within our homes, opening windows daily for a few minutes, then it would automatically decrease pollution intake in our bodies. This helps to eliminate stale air and any odors that are present.

If you live in a place with pollution or even noise, you might want to invest in air purifiers that will keep the apartment air clean and fresh.

Address Moisture Issues

Mold and mildew can easily grow in this area, leading to an awful fetid stench around your apartment! Deal with any other moisture problems quickly, such as repairing leaks, venting bathrooms and kitchens properly, and using a dehumidifier if necessary.

Use Baking Soda

Baking soda neutralizes odors in many ways throughout your apartment. Mix it with water to use as a paste to clean your cleaning surfaces and remove odors.

Clean Your Drains

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As time passes, your drains can collect debris and retain unpleasant odors. You can also regularly clean the drains using hot water, vinegar, or drain cleaners to remove smells.

Reduce Clutter

Mess creates restricted air circulation and harbors disagreeable scents. Make sure that you clean out the things in your room once a while and clear surfaces to avoid stale smells building up.

Keep Pet Areas Clean

If you have animals, clear their rooms frequently, washing pet bedding, toys, and litter boxes as necessary. In those spots, you can use baking soda or natural air fresheners to absorb the urine smell.

Be Mindful of Cooking Odors

Cooking smells may not be able to leave your apartment if it is not adequately ventilated, so you must always open your windows to dispel the smell. If you are cooking with powerful-smelling ingredients like fish, always open the windows and use bathroom exhaust fans to circulate them before they become part of the featured menu.

Clean the surfaces after cooking and dispose of the trash that contains waste food afterward to prevent the food from smelling bad.

Use Fresh Linens

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Soiled linens are a leading cause of funky apartment smells. To smell like sunset again, you must cleaning and changing your sheets, towels, and other linens.

Consult with Your Landlord

If you have tried all these techniques and are still battling odors in your apartment, contact your landlord or property management. Issues such as mold or even ventilation problems could need to be addressed, which is why calling a professional is the best advice.

Disclaimer: This list is solely the author’s opinion based on research and publicly available information.