how do you get a clean fresh smell in an old house?

Question

no matter how much cleaning i do, my house just smells kind of musty or damp all the time. i can't get that clean fresh air smell you get in new houses. any solutions?

Answer 1

on a fine day open all the windows and wash down all the walls as you go

Answer 2

Look at the back and behind cupboards for anything that might be rotting, dead mouse, mould or rotten food!

Then the best thing to do is to clean all woodwork (not polished wood) with bi-carb soda and water and a little oxy bleach, (not chlorine bleach)

This will neutralise any bad smells, use the solution of window cills, frames and kitchen tiles etc

Also check for rising damp and condensation within the property which can cause a musty smell.

Place scented candles where the strong is the strongest (they don't have to be lit) or place an air freshener in that area

Answer 3

All the answers you have received are well meaning, but I also have an old house (62 year old government reservation) that we have remodeled. Yet, when we go away for a few days and the house gets warm and closed up, we smell the "old" when we return. I really believe that old wood in the attic and inside the walls is a place that can't be cleaned and freshened and is the true source. I'm ticky about smells and cleanliness but when I open small spaces that expose the inside, the "old" smell is strong. I use the room freshener's that are electric, I burn candles and I wash my floors and bathrooms and occasionally the walls with Pine Sols Sparkling Wave scent cleaner. It lasts for days. I do my laundry with Downey and put it into a spray bottle with 1/2 water and spray it like Fe breeze. Hope this helps. I totally understand! :)

Answer 4

Sounds like you need a dehumidifier, especially with the musty and damp smell, if you have a basement put one in the basement and one upstairs...if you have no basement just put one in your living room or in a central location in the house. You can also set out lumps or charcoal in areas of the house as it will absorb odors and dampness, chage them at least once a week. You may also want to shampoo your carpets after you get the dehumidifier...

Answer 5

making a house scent sparkling? listed decrease than are some assistance that i'll bear in mind my mom doing when we moved right into a sparkling living house. a million) reckoning on the carpet's concern, taking baking soda and spreading out throughout permitting it to sit for twenty-four hours then getting all of it up through shampooing really than vacuum. If the carpet is actual previous....new carpet is the further constructive answer. 2) Washing down all the wall with "Pine Sol" options. If the former proprietors were those who smoke, i'm particular the walls have absorbed an excellent type of smoke over the years. 3) Any timber contained in the living house?? ruin out the sprucing OILS not purely the spray, even with the undeniable fact that the oils!! The oil will penetrate deep into the timber for a protracted soaking of sparkling scent. 4) examine the A/C ducts to ensure in the journey that they are sparkling. and ultimately..my fashionable.... 5) There are some large scented candles from bathtub & Bodyworks, Yankee Candles and/or Wicks & sticks. a lengthy shot position for some actual large candles will be Walgreens.....certain....Walgreens. i became in that save about 2 weeks in the past and they'd the "knock off" variations of yank Candles and DAM ARE THEY good!!! wish it helps! good success!

Answer 6

Get a dehumidifier it will take out moisture and dampness. Just remember to dump it once a day. Also I sprinkled backing soda in every room let it sit for 24 hrs and vacuumed it pulls musty odors out. I have enclosed some links I found useful when I was getting my home ready to move in to.

Answer 7

Replace the carpets and check the damp proofing is sound. The smell''s not just because the house is old, its got to be coming from somewhere.

Answer 8

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Answer 9

When my house starts getting a bit wiffy in the damp months I always find that cutting a lemon in half and putting it on the window sills works a treat, and its cheap!!

Answer 10

cuts of lemon in the garbage disposal will be a quick fix. But you really need to find the source of the smell. You may have mold. If so, that will need dealt with fast.

Answer 11

Buy candle warmers and buy some home making scents (baked goods, clean linen, etc.)

Gold Canyon Candles are the best scented and I love them.

When I have my seasonal cobbler candle or birthday cake on the warmer....my hubby's friends think I am baking!