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?

deep far fryer! horrible, stinky, long lasting and totally penitrates clothing, fabrics etc ugghgh

I think I'm a bit weird...I like the slightly doggy smell that our house has! Ddog is very short haired and kept clean, we have throws on all the sofas that are washed regularly and floors are hoovered / mopped a few times a week, but I do catch a faint undertone of dog now and again. It smells like home. If I has to guess I'd say ours smells of a mix of dog, tumble drying, toast, coffee and vanilla air freshener thingy.

All homes have their own smell, nice or nasty. Nasty tends to be loos, old animals, old food and children (children smell very strong to non-parents, think of how overpowering that school smell is).

Nice is toilet cleaner, plants, bath stuff, cooking, freshly washed person and cosy old building smell. That dry dusty smell of a beloved old clean sofa is the best.

Go on holiday. Make sure all the doors and windows are firmly shut.

When you come back from your holiday, you will smell your house.

I did that once when we had a lodger. It was fucking rank because of her. When we went away after she moved out (and I'd spent weeks gutting her old room, binning everything, scrubbing, bleaching, airing and doing all I could to get the fucking stench of her out of the place, having opened her door the day after she left and nearly thrown up), the same friends looked after the cats. We came back, no unpleasant smells. Friend told me that they'd thought it was us, but didn't want to say anything as it might hurt our feelings - they realised on the second catsitting that it wasn't.

*deep fat fryer! horrible, stinky, long lasting and totally penitrates clothing, fabrics etc

This. Not a fryer, but il’s cook everything in lard. I don’t know if it’s because I’m veggie, but i find it so overpowering and it clings- i strip and bath everyone straight after a visit.

I also dislike strong laundry and over fragranced rooms. I once went to view a house where they had plug ins and those sticks everywhere. I couldn’t stay for more than a cursory polite time.

My house sometimes smells. Often if i’ve been to work and come home late, there’ll be a whiff - usually because dh has cooked and put the dc to bed and hasn’t had chance to tidy up.

A good tidy and clean sorts it out. I find no having the house too warm helps too. I do have a dog but he’s tiny and not furry so no wet dog smell. We have a rescue cat who does stink- but i think she has a gut issue from mistreatment which will hopefully improve.

Pet food it’s the cheap stuff that stinks. Whiskas, pedigree chum etc. Mine have biscuits and high quality wet, it doesn’t smell like human food doesn’t.

If you keep your house generally tidy and clean it shouldn’t smell.

Mine smells of damp. Its clean but it still snells of damp. I know this because it hits me when we come back from our holidays or visiting relatives. It also has a hint of cat.

If you have a dog, your house will very obviously smell. Maybe not really BAD bad, but it will without a shadow of a doubt pong in its own special unique reassuring doggy smelly way.

If you have a dog, your house will very obviously smell. Maybe not really BAD bad, but it will without a shadow of a doubt pong in its own special unique reassuring doggy smelly way

^ that is just nonsense . Complete and utter.

I agree with pp about stinking overly fragranced washing smells and plugs in, they are cloying and over-bearing, sick inducing.

DCats shouldn't have a smell, unless they are poorly or weeing outside of litter tray or litter tray not kept fresh.(from experience of sniffing dcats when rehoming rescues and checking).

Ddogs do smell!

Ddogs do smell!

My husband smells worse than the dog. But I have a non shedding small breed which has hair rather than fur. Most visitors don’t even realise I have a dog until they trip over it.

My whippets are low odour but the pug beast has a dog smell about him and as such my home will have that eau de doggie smell.

Downstairs has no carpet so his odour is probably less than upstairs.

I do burn fragrance oils and tarts so it’s probably a mixture! I wear perfume with a strong sillage as well.

However, I rarely have anyone round these days so I couldn’t care less what my house smells like as long as I’m happy!

I agree that cats don’t usually smell (apart from some foods and litter trays). I hope your cat gets better soon @reallyanotherone

I think a smoker used to live in my home. When we moved in I was getting everyone to sniff the walls to see if they could smell it too 😂