You cannot "cover up" an odor in an apartment with an air freshener: it comes back as soon as the scent fades. To really remove an odor, you need to find and eliminate its source. Let us look at where the problem most often hides and how to deal with it.
Find the source
Before you wash anything, work out where the odor comes from. Most apartments have only a few sources, and you can check them all in a couple of minutes.
- Trash can: even empty, it smells if the can itself is not washed.
- Refrigerator: spoiled food and stains on the shelves.
- Sink and bathtub drains: buildup and residue in the pipes give a musty smell.
- Textiles: curtains, rugs, the sofa and bedding absorb everything.
Kitchen and trash
The kitchen is a frequent source of odor. Wash the trash can itself regularly, not just change the bag, and do not leave waste overnight, especially fish and meat.
Every couple of weeks, wipe the inside of the refrigerator and check expiration dates. You can freshen a drain with baking soda and boiling water, which removes the odor from the pipes without harsh chemicals.
Textiles, the sofa, rugs
Soft surfaces absorb odors the most and hold them for a long time. Curtains and bedding are easy, you just wash them, but a rug and a sofa cannot be freshened that simply.
If the odor has soaked into upholstery or pile, surface cleaning will not help. You need rug cleaning with deep extraction, which washes the odor out of the fibers instead of masking it.
Pets
Pet odor builds up in beds, rugs and corners. Wash bedding regularly, wash the bowls and clean up "marks" right away: dried stains smell especially stubborn and draw the pet back to the spot.
Airing out and prevention
Once the source is gone, air out the apartment: fresh air carries away the remaining odor faster than any air freshener. After that, prevention does the work: regular wet cleaning, clean textiles and a dry bathroom. If the odor does not go away even after cleaning, we will help find the cause: message us on WhatsApp.