How to tell if your house smells bad?

[Shootingstar1115]

A bit of a daft question. But how can you tell if your house has a ‘smell’. I think we all have our own little house smells but how to tell if it smells bad?

I ask because DS always comes back really smelly if he’s visited his Nanna (on his dads side). Even if he just visits for an hour. He stinks. It’s a horrid dirty smell, very over powering. I can smell it straight away even in his hair. He often needs a shower and clean clothes when he comes in. Sometimes his Nanna buys him clothes and they absolutely stink and even after washing they still smell..which makes me believe her house isn’t overly hygienic... his Nana isn’t elderly and is perfectly capable of cleaning and making her house smell fresher surely?

Anyway, They clearly don’t notice the smell because they are used to it.

I get paranoid that my own house smells and I don’t know. We are pretty clean people. I hoover once or twice daily, mop and clean regularly. We have a dog but she’s not overly smelly. Soft furnishings are regularly cleaned. I shampoo carpet every 1-3 months depending on the time of year.

But what if my house smells?

Mil’s house has a unique smell but it’s not a bad smell...

How do you know?

I must add, I’m not with DS’s dad. Mil is my partners mum!

Go on holiday and then come back to it.

I don't think you can. I was house hunting once and went to one place that absolutely stunk of dogs. I have no idea how the owners could not smell it. I had a look round as I am polite but I should have turned round at the door and walked away.

I can tell my house smells because the first thing my cleaner does is throw open all the windows.

I can always 'smell' our house if I've been out for a long walk and walk back in to an empty house. Luckily it still has a 'new' smell. I get a blast of new carpet.
I can smell what someone's house smells like just by sitting near them.
We have a relative who always smells of hot fat from fryer in her kitchen that stinks the house out. My DS left a coat there and it needed washing twice.
An ex-friend was very shady about allowing me into her home. By the smell of her clothes I could tell her home was damp and not very clean.

I was once told that a good indicator is to go to your most little used drawer and have a good whiff of the clothes at the bottom.

We bought our house from dog owners who rarely cleaned. It took replacing the carpet and hours of scrubbing and redecorating to get rid of the smell.

I'm sure your house doesn't smell horrible, as it sounds like you keep on top of housework etc. Can you ask a friend to give an honest opinion if you're really worried?

Being really honest if you have a dog your house probably smells. Even if you think it doesn’t. I was brought up with 3 dogs and my mum always had dogs as I got older and I could always, always smell them no matter how clean she kept things. But- does it matter? People who have dogs won’t care, it’s your house, do whatever you like...!

Personally I like to think my house is super clean and I use a lot of various house fragrance / candles type thing but someone else would hate that too!

I think as long as things are clean that’s the main thing. A dirty house with dirty people living in it is the worst thing ever.

Wouldn’t you pick up the smell if you’re out for the day and come home?
I’m sure if you keep your home clean, open windows regularly, everyone showers and has clean clothes, bedding and towels then it’s unlikely your house will smell bad.
Pets always have a smell though.

We have many animals, including big ddogs. Before going away, I try to get the house into a state I want to find it in when returning from holiday, because of all the post holiday unpacking and laundry, etc. that has to be faced.

I recall last time that I could still smell the fresh floor cleaning fluid when the door was opened after it had been left empty for 2 week holiday.

Whatever bedding our animals have we always throw frequently washed fleeces on them.

The animals smell of washing! Not the other way around. So not every animal havers house stinks of ddogs or animals.

Also, ask your visitors what they can smell. Just say you're testing out a new air freshener or something. Of if someone doesn't have ddogs ask them on next visit to try to detect ddoggy smells!

OP you hoover more than once a day...so unless your hoover is stinky and chucking out gunk your house is super-clean and you are over-worrying.

People have become overly obsessive about house cleanliness, I think.

I bet our house smells of dog.

I bought a Dyson air purifier thing and that's made a difference, and the Febreze pet spray stuff.

In a house with carpets downstairs now, so we'll use the carpet vac stuff and then clean the carpets as often as they'll stand it.

Windows are usually open.

Dogs bathed every couple of weeks.

I'm really hoping the dog smell its minimal! As we don't regularly have spicy foods, and we bathe daily, I'm guessing our house doesn't have any other poo-ing about it. I bet yours doesn't either OP.

I think pets do tend to make a house smell. For me, though, the worst part is their food. We put our cat on dry 'crunchy' stuff because I could always smell the tinned or sachet wet food right through the house.
In the homes of people with pets I think it's not so much the animal itself but its food and its bedding that tend to smell bad to outsiders.

My house smells of me, and (AFAIK!) nobody thinks it's horrible.

However my sister's house always smells lovely. I know she doesn't use any chemical air fresheners or reed diffusers etc, so it must simply be whatever household products she uses, food she cooks etc.

Oh what a typo...

I can tell you my neighbours house smells to the extent of I can't walk through the corridor (flats) after them for about 10 minutes 😷 I'm sure if your house smelt that bad you would know

I can smell mine when I've been out for a day but people normally comment on the fact they can smell the clean washing - baby so washing machine is on a lot

When I come home from Holiday my house always smells a bit damp and musty. I thought this was because it's old (and damp) and hasn't had an heating or open windows for a week or two.

I regularly clean and I light candles most evenings.

I bet our house smells of dog but I'm always happy to keep judgemental people who don't like dogs away and if my smell does but I dont even notice it, then its a bonus.

I think about this as we’re quite a farty family. When we came off a 2 week holiday it smelt lovely though so I don’t think it can be that bad. I think as long as you clean regularly and open the windows daily you should be ok. I keep the kitchen door shut when I’m cooking and I’ve stopped dusting, I now put warm water in a bowl with some nicely scent red body wash (original source ones are quite strong) then I wipe around with that, actually picks up the dust and smells nice too.

I'm sure mine smells, overly chemical smells make me get a headache so I use very few at home and am not overly bothered with cleaning.

You can tell what your house smells like when you are out for a day or holiday and when you get back.

My house has smelt like nappies or baby puke a couple of times and I was oblivious until I went out even though I have a very strong sense of smell.

I have plug in air fresheners, hoover and clean, use febreeze liberally, use nappy bags (double up too), take the bin out at least once a day, regularly open the windows (and doors too for that matter), use the extractors, have dehumidifiers in damper rooms (bathroom, or where washing is being dried), use strong smelling laundry detergent and softener, light fragranced candles in the evening, wear deodorant and perfume, don't have any pets, wash myself and the children regularly, clean the drains regularly, and yet still the house smells.

This has been the case everywhere I've lived, with everybody I've lived with, forever. Before I had DCs. I wonder if it's a kind of OCD? I have been known to walk around the house at 3am with a bottle of febreeze or air freshener trying to get rid of that "awful smell." Nobody else can smell it and nobody has ever said that me or DCs smell, but I'm still paranoid. When I used to smoke it was 1000x worse. I only did so outside, but I still worried the house or laundry smelt (maybe it did? I'm aware that other smokers even the very clean ones smell of it now so could well be!)

Also, I know my kids are ill by smelling them! I'm like a dog!

What does your son say about the smell at his Nanna's house? Has he mentioned it at all?

Is it possible that you have a particularly keen sense of smell? I know that I have a sensitive nose and can smell things well before most other people can detect them.

Your house will definitely have its own smell; whether it's a good or bad smell I have no idea. Perhaps invite a good friend round and say you want their honest, brutal opinion about the potential whiff.

I think everyone's house smells to one extent or another. But people get used to their own smell. And unless something is wrong, it's not something most people would notice or pay attention to.

We live in a very old house, when we viewed to buy I didn't smell anything unotoward, when we moved in it smelled musty and old. To the extent I was paranoid about it. It took floors, walls, curtains etc being done before the smell went. I'm sure it smells of us now so we can't detect it, but it's clean, and kept clean, so I doubt anything offensive.

And that's the difference. Everyone's house will have a smell. The question is is whether it's a strong or offensive smell. If it's neither it's fine.

I can smell our house only when we’ve been on holiday and come back.

We have stripped oak stairs/bannisters/doors and hardwood flooring everywhere. It smells sort of...woody .

It’s not unpleasant but it’s not how I’d ideally like my house to smell.

Thank you all.

I absolutely definitely more sensitive to smells. I seem to be able to smell things my partner cannot and he thinks I’m mad.

I do think that every home has some form of smell and I have no doubt my own home often smells of dog and other smells. I purposely bought a leather sofa so I don’t have to worry about it smelling of dog (I would love a fabric sofa). I wash blankets, cushion covers, dog bedding, our own bedding (dog isn’t allowed on our beds) quite often but I still get paranoid that there’s some horrific smell I can’t sense! 😂