Tuesday, August 26, 2014

What is that odor?

    In the great race of life, sometimes things get a bit...well ...ripe.  When you find your house smelling not quite as fresh you would like, pause, just a moment and rethink your next move.  I know there are a lot of commercials nudging you to spray a magical solution that will make your world all roses or lemons or pine fresh again. 

   The commercials advertise:  "Just spray our  ___________  on your  __________  and no matter what stench exists, your life will be happier-fresher-smoother."  hahaha   

    Oh, if life were really that simple.  Of course it isn't and if you take a little pause maybe your good old fashioned common sense will kick in.  

   We as living creatures,  should breathe healthy air- it is kind of essential.   We don't thrive from breathing in chemicals.  

   The 1st 3 steps in odor removal:  
    1.  Pause!  Don't panic!
    2.  Investigate, go CSI on discovering- what is the source of this stench?
    3.  Remove the source of this unpleasant smell. 

   Yesterday, I was in our 2nd bathroom and was a bit horrified by the odor I smelled.  So I yelled for Dallas-my husband- that is kind of like pausing isn't it?  He was busy but did suggest I check the drain in the tub and run a little water.  (This bathroom doesn't see much shower activity- hint hint)  I did run water in that drain and sure enough that is where the stench was coming from.  All it needed was a good flushing. Spraying brad x all over me, my shower and home was not near as effective at removing this odor as was running a little water.

Here are some possible odor locations worth checking next time your nose goes on high alert:

8 Odor Sources to check: 
      Beware this list isn't to be read before dinner...
   1.  Drains- Unused drains can become quite irksome
                        Over used drains call also become quite irksome- hair and soap build up

    2.  Rotting produce- There is nothing as bad as a rotting potato on top of your microwave
                                         I guess rotting garlic isn't that great either
                                         Food that travels, will hide where you would least expect it...

   3.   Trash bins- sometimes things get thrown away with a little too much time before trash day.  A fish wrapper will get mighty flamboyant by about day 3

   4.  Grease filters- when was the last time you cleaned your grease filter over your stove???

   5.  Dirty diapers, litter boxes and pet accidents- these are rarely a good dinner smell.  Babies and kittens are super cute- what comes out the other end... well....

   6.  Moldy socks, moldy towels, moldy anything- dig deep and see what hides under beds, in corners, seals to dishwashers or washing machines.  
    Make sure to check against exterior walls - closets, behind beds or furniture with little air flow - condensation forms here and this is a common area for unexpected mold growth.

    7.  It could be cleaning issue.  Soil, bacteria, soap, mold all come together to for a bio-film on your home- clean it up.  Check pets beds, bathroom's, walls, blinds, under refrigerators etc...

   8.  Sometimes you just have a case of stale air. Make sure your home is getting renewed, fresh air everyday.  And on the flip side make sure the stale/stagnate air is being venting out

   OK my work is done for the day.  But keep this in mind, when a company recommends you should spray their chemical/product everywhere, what they are mainly doing is selling you a lot of chemical!!!

  Happy investigating!  As always, wishing you a healthy, happy and sweet smelling home.
         Denise Frakes
   

No comments:

Post a Comment