DS's friends say our house smells

[fruitstick]

I know it does but I'm mortified. DS's friends are also quite a bit wealthier than us with bigger houses etc but I don't want DS to feel he can't bring people round.

We keep the house clean but have a dog and two cats. The cats have litter trays upstairs which don't help.

I blame our hallway as no fucker puts their shoes away (DS & DH) and there are loads of coats (mainly DH's).

I have the next week off work so was planning on a big clean up anyway.

What do I need to be doing.

I know the dog on the sofa means we need to wash the cushions more regularly than we do. I'm not as religious about cleaning as I could be.

But tell me what I need to be doing.

Who wants to smell of rich people?

I know one who had free range rats running around her house, mu bing on her hand bags and leaving the whole house smelling like a dirty… rat crate but… she was not rich, she was just weird.

All middle class and rich people I know have houses smelling like “the cleaner has just been”, fresh flowers or Yankee Candles.

The only aristocrats I know, have a huge menagerie of animals including 7 labradors, who sleep in kennels and are never allowed on the Chippendale furniture.

If you have children or pets, you need to hoover and sweep up every day - have you ever had a meal with kids? They drop things (like food) on the floor, so the floor needs sweeping/hoovering afterwards. I’d say minimum to sweep and hoover would be once a day - takes ten minutes to run the hoover round the busiest areas of the house. Most people can manage that around work.

A lot of diffusers (if you mean the plugins) aren't particularly good for pets

Nope. Once a week if we’re lucky.

Each to their own - personally I like the floor clear of food, dust, hair etc which everyone has in their home. 10 minutes a day around 2 parents working really isn’t even a chore.

Well you definitely need to sort out the litter tray problem but I’m with the poster who thinks they’re disgusting things to have in a house, and you’ve got two. But it isn’t all just down to you, everyone should be helping to clean up, and keep it clean. Your DS has told you there’s a problem so he should also get stuck in - and have a rota to sort out the litter trays.

@fruitstick what @Fartooold said! It’s reminded me I had a friend who house wasn’t exactly conventional without going into detail, and they definitely struggled financially, but the family were lovely and I always liked going there. I had the best fun with her ever. And I’m desperately sorry about your son, no wonder things have got a bit behind.

UPDATE

I've bought new rugs, blankets for sofa and given them a regular wash. I've also tidied all of our bookcases and moved some furniture around so I think the house looks a lot nicer.

Cats still an issue but working on the cat flap.

However, thanks to some vigilance, and another thread on here, I've realised it's not the cat wee that is making the house smell, especially when walking in, it is indeed DS's football boots - even when they are in the shoe cupboard.

I've gone to desperate measures and bought a garden storage box to keep outside the front door to put them in, along with the rugby boots.

Also, DS is no longer friends with the particular girl who commented because he said (unrelated) that she wasn't very nice.

Hopefully things are on the up.

Excellent update. Ds1 has pungent feet so I can sympathise.

Smelly sports shoes can really remind me of cat's pee. They can absolutely STINK!

it is indeed DS's football boots - even when they are in the shoe cupboard

I put these on window sill in garage to dry off - if they stay damp they get worse. You can buy banana boot things which help dry them off.

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Boot-Bananas-Original-Shoe-Deodorisers/dp/B00CFM8DI2/ref=ascdff_B00CFM8DI2/?tag=googshopuk-21&linkCode=df0&hvadid=309981954457&hvpos=&hvnetw=g&hvrand=9877464284411854186&hvpone=&hvptwo=&hvqmt=&hvdev=m&hvdvcmdl=&hvlocint=&hvlocphy=1006886&hvtargid=pla-349501458391&psc=1

Scoop out the litter boxes daily.

Wash the dog weekly. If he gets wet outdoors, dry him off thoroughly. Put a blanket on the couch for him.

Steam clean all carpets.
Clean your curtains.
Of your cushions have removable, washable covers, remove and wash.

Find a place for shoes and boots.
Wash the coats and jackets once a month, also hats, scarves, etc.

And make sure everyone using the loo doesn't miss it.
It should also be flushed every time.

Though if you ever lost a child, I'm surprised you can even get up in the morning to face the day.
I'm sorry for your loss. It must have been very hard to hear what you heard about your house in those circumstances.

My DS always has football boots in the utility. They stink like cats pee too. It's revolting
DH puts tea bags in them to absorb the smell

Hi OP, I haven't read every post, but I have read all yours.

If you are able, I would recommend a steam cleaner. They are a game changer at getting rid of smells. I have two, a small karcher one, and a larger one the make of which escapes me at the moment. Dupray I think. I go over the dog's bed every couple of days as, annoyingly, the cover doesn't come off to enable easy washing.

Also, a carpet extraction cleaner of your own is useful. A few hires of a rug doctor and you have spent what you would have on buying one. There is a small adapter that can be used on furniture and the dog's bed after steaming.

Karcher have an outlet centre where they sell refurbished units very reasonably. I can recommend the Puzzi 10/1.

For pretty much all surfaces, buy white spirit vinegar from amazon (about £6 for at least 5 litres, maybe 10), and isopropyl alcohol also amazon for similar money. Put 200ml of vinegar, and 100ml of IPA into a spray bottle and then top up to 500ml or so with water. Add a few drops of your favourite essential oil and use this on all your surfaces, especially kitchen and bathroom. It will cut through limescale and grease with ease leaving your surfaces sparkly and smelling nice. You can get a 1 litre foaming spray bottle from a car detailing supplies shop for under £10 and they're excellent as they pump up and foam when they spray which saves product.

If you can space out the coats, air flow around them will minimise any odours, but a quick wipe over with the steamer will help here too. I use a steamer for everything.

If your dog is a labrador, try not to wash it too often, just brush it. They produce lanolin and excessive washing makes them produce more. Lanolin has a particular smell, reminiscentof sheep.

Super recommendations there ^

I'd also invest in a spray bottle of pet odour enzyme spray, which you can buy in any good pet supply shop. I believe they come in cat and dog formulations- not sure if there's a difference in the ingredients or strength.

The enzyme spray can also be used in smelly shoes, and you can buy a can of disinfectant spray (Lysol, etc) for the shoes too.

I forgot to say to put a few drops of fairy liquid in with the white vinegar / IPA mix. I use orange cleaner for this as it smells nice. And I use a magic sponge on shower screens. And you can adjust the amount of water depending on how strong you want it

Also, IPA has gone up a bit since I last ordered. It's still great value for money and lasts ages.