I intentionally wrote the title of this post as a sentence. I could have used "House Aroma" or "Sense of Scent"…but, no! I wanted to get your attention!
If you walk into a space: home, restaurant, park, etc there are smells. Some smells are good and we want more. Some smells are awful and can induce a physical reaction. Every place has a smell, and while some are more obvious than others, I can say that you are probably oblivious to the smell of your own house. I recently read an article that explained the way olfactory receptors are desensitized over time. (If I find the exact article again I will post it, but you can also google the topic on your own and find many resources.)
Your house smells.
Ok, it does. Good, bad or ugly, before you put that house on the market, you need to know what it smells like. You need to ask an outside, impartial source to give an opinion.
Invite a friend, family member, or neighbor over, and ask your real estate agent to be brutally honest! Have them take a tour and give you the low down. Different spaces in the home might be better or worse than others.
Make sure to minimize odor causing offenders:
What to do to make it smell better?
If you walk into a space: home, restaurant, park, etc there are smells. Some smells are good and we want more. Some smells are awful and can induce a physical reaction. Every place has a smell, and while some are more obvious than others, I can say that you are probably oblivious to the smell of your own house. I recently read an article that explained the way olfactory receptors are desensitized over time. (If I find the exact article again I will post it, but you can also google the topic on your own and find many resources.)
Your house smells.
Ok, it does. Good, bad or ugly, before you put that house on the market, you need to know what it smells like. You need to ask an outside, impartial source to give an opinion.
Invite a friend, family member, or neighbor over, and ask your real estate agent to be brutally honest! Have them take a tour and give you the low down. Different spaces in the home might be better or worse than others.
Make sure to minimize odor causing offenders:
- Dirty laundry/shoes-- Anywhere, but especially the bedrooms! Keep up with laundry to keep the stink down.
- Indoor and outdoor garbage cans-- Do not let garbage pile up. (Don't have the bin right outside the door to the garage so they open the door and smell a dump.)
- Kitchen-sinks-- Keep garbage disposals clean by dropping some lemon and ice down there to freshen it up.
- Refrigerators-- Keep perishables fresh and dispose of appropriately.
- Diapers-- Use a good system to get dirties taken out to the trash or washed. Keep up with it!
- Basement moisture-- We live in the midwest with basements. If there is any sign of dampness make sure to get the dehumidifier running.
What to do to make it smell better?
- Address the offender from the list above, or another source if you find it. Get it out or cleaned up!
- Make a plan to avoid reoccurrence! (ex. Every morning before leaving the house, put dirty laundry in the washer and press go!)
- Open up those widows and get some fresh air in!
- DO NOT mask! The smell needs to go away, not be covered up.
- Use simple scents such as lemon (dual purpose garbage disposal cleaner and fresh scent!!!)
- A box of baking soda can help too!
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The two images directly above are from an article:
"Using Smell to Make a Sale. What scents move property best. Think Simple."
February 14, 2013 by Sanette Tanka
Here is a link to the article from the Wall Street Journal. http://online.wsj.com/news/articles/SB10001424127887323696404578298513849141412
"Using Smell to Make a Sale. What scents move property best. Think Simple."
February 14, 2013 by Sanette Tanka
Here is a link to the article from the Wall Street Journal. http://online.wsj.com/news/articles/SB10001424127887323696404578298513849141412
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