Get rid of unpleasant odors in your home

Removing unpleasant odors from the home

An unpleasant odor in the home can have various causes. Think of cooking smells, pets, cigarette smoke, marijuana odor, moisture, waste, or other smells that keep returning to a room. Sometimes proper ventilation and cleaning are enough, but stubborn odors can also become embedded in furniture, curtains, carpeting, and other materials.

Anyone who wants to remove an unpleasant odor is therefore best off first looking for the source. Clean soiled surfaces, wash textiles where possible, and ventilate the room well. If the odor persists, a malodor neutralizer can help to neutralize the remaining unwanted scent in the room.

Removing or masking odors: what is the difference?

A standard air freshener primarily adds a new scent to the room. As a result, an unpleasant odor may be less noticeable temporarily, but the original odor often remains present.

When neutralizing odors, the focus is precisely on reducing the unwanted odor itself. This is especially relevant for recurring or stubborn odor problems where perfume alone is not enough.

A good approach therefore usually consists of a combination of:

• removing the source of the odor;
• cleaning surfaces and textiles;
• ventilating the room;
• neutralizing remaining odors;
• preventing new odor formation as much as possible.

Which odors can you remove from the home?

Not every odor originates in the same way. That is why the best approach can also vary.

Pet odor
Dogs, cats, and other pets can leave odors in beds, blankets, furniture, and carpeting. Regular cleaning remains important. A pet odor neutralizer can then help to neutralize remaining dog and cat odors in the room.

Smoke and tobacco odor
Cigarette smoke can become embedded in curtains, furniture, walls, and other materials. With older smoke odors, thorough cleaning is therefore extra important. Afterward, a malodor neutralizer can be used for the smoke odor that is still present in the room.

Cooking odors
Strong cooking smells from, for example, frying, deep-frying, herbs, fish, or garlic can linger for a long time. Ventilation and cleaning kitchen surfaces are the first step. For odors that have spread through an open living room or kitchen, additional odor neutralization can help.

Musty and general unpleasant odors
A musty smell can arise in rooms that are poorly ventilated or due to materials that have absorbed odors. If there is a persistent musty smell, always check first whether it is caused by moisture or another underlying issue. A malodor neutralizer does not solve a moisture problem itself, but it can help with remaining odors after the cause has been addressed.

Removing marijuana odor from the home

Marijuana odor can also be particularly recognizable and stubborn. The smell spreads quickly through a room and, if smoked indoors regularly, can become embedded in curtains, sofas, clothing, bedding, carpets, and other materials.

Opening a window can reduce the smell in the air, but when the odor has been absorbed into materials, it can become noticeable again later.

If you want to remove marijuana odor, start by ventilating well and cleaning materials that have absorbed the smell. Wash textiles where possible, clean hard surfaces, and clean furniture or carpeting when necessary.

Afterward, a malodor neutralizer can help to neutralize the remaining marijuana and smoke odor.

For a strong or older marijuana smell, the same applies as for cigarette smoke: the longer and more often smoking has occurred indoors, the more important it is to address both the source and the materials in the room.

Masking marijuana odor with perfume often works less well

Using a strong home fragrance or air freshener over marijuana odor can cause two scents to blend with each other. The room then does not necessarily smell fresher, but rather like a combination of perfume and smoke.

That is why, with a clear odor problem, it is wiser to first look at neutralizing odors and only then, if desired, at the preferred scent experience of the room.

Which malodor neutralizer do you need?

Which solution is the best fit depends on three things:

1. Which odor do you want to remove?
   For example, pet odor, smoke odor, marijuana odor, cooking smells, or a general unpleasant odor.
2. How large is the room?
   A small bedroom requires a different distribution than a large living room, shop, or office space.
3. Do you want a noticeable scent or something as neutral as possible?
   Some people find a fresh scent pleasant after neutralizing, while others want to experience as little perfume as possible.

By first answering these three questions, it becomes much easier to choose the right malodor neutralizer and diffuser.

Electric malodor neutralizer for continuous operation

An electric malodor neutralizer works continuously instead of only at the moment you use a spray. This can be useful for odor problems that keep arising, for example, due to pets or smoke.

The Ambielectric diffusers from GeurFris are refillable. This allows you to keep using the same diffuser and choose the refill that fits the specific odor problem or the scent experience you want to create afterward.

Address the cause first

Even when using a malodor neutralizer, one rule remains important: where possible, address the cause of the odor first.

A malodor neutralizer is not a substitute for cleaning, ventilating, or solving, for example, a moisture problem. It is precisely the combination of tackling the source and odor neutralization that provides the best starting point for a long-lasting fresh room with stubborn odors.

Help with choosing a malodor neutralizer

Do you not know exactly which solution fits your odor problem? Use the Odor Compass or request free personal scent advice.

This allows you to search specifically based on the type of odor, the size of the room, and the desired scent intensity, instead of randomly choosing an air freshener.