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.

Can you quietly get rid of a few of your husband's coats via a charity shop?

I think if you have a dog and litter trays you are on a hiding to nothing - especially if you have carpets.

so if possible, get cat flaps installed and litter outside, remove all carpets and replace with laminate, every else needs airing and washing regularly. Maybe replace sofa.

As someone else mentioned, your house maybe also be too small for the number of pets which also makes a big difference.

But I do think if you have a dog in a small house and really don’t want to smell (both your house and YOU and your children) then it will mean a lot of cleaning every day.

@Abfab63 @Heyhoherewegoagain why on earth do you think I'm on here at 8am on a Saturday morning if it's not to do something about it.

And actually not 'your poor kids'. My eldest son died, so I really haven't been on top of my housekeeping game, and as a family, we've been through a lot, the least of which is the cat litter.

So please stop with your judgey/shaming comments when I'm just asking for some help and advice.

Luxury Waffle Mink Honeycomb Faux Fur Warm Throw Over Sofa Bed Soft Blanket, Natural Beige - 150 x 200cm amzn.eu/d/255SiFT these match my sofas exactly So I tuck them in tightly, easy to strip off and wash weekly.

I light scented candles in my kitchen after cooking.

Wash dog bedding regularly.

Cats STINK. Even if there's no litter box! You can tell a cat lives in a house as soon as you walk in.

No they don't @headcheffer. Just admit it, you just hate cats.

Maybe the friend shouldnt be so rude

I don’t think cats smell, unless they have issues with incontinence. Cats hate being dirty.

It sounds as though it's a combination of laziness and losing your sense of smell after living with animals for so long. I agree that you need to get up off your backside and do some cleaning!

I’m so sorry to hear that your son died. Anyone would be struggling with housework in your situation.

My advice would be to prioritise the animal smells and getting as much fresh air into the house as possible. Clean the litter trays every day if you can and remove any wee/poo immediately. That will make the biggest difference. Buy a couple of cheap fleece throws for the sofa and wash them every day or so (they only take 15 mins to wash and dry almost immediately). Keep windows open as much as you can and definitely air every room for at least 30 mins every day. Be very kind to yourself, you have been through such a lot.

OP I mean this kindly (as a cat and former dog owner 🌈) you cannot be unaware that your house smells, even though you won't smell it yourself! And stop blaming coats and shoes! Whilst I'm sure they are not helping, especially if the shoes have lingering foot odour, the overwhelming bad smell that will immediately assault any guests to your home is the pets! And no amount of candles or sprays will eliminate this unless you scrupulously clean your home! Pets smell! You allow your dog on the sofa, have litter trays upstairs and one of the cats urinates on your sons clothing! For a start...keep the dog off the sofa. Dogs can be trained...you're the boss, not the dog!

Someone unthread said that cats don't smell! This isn't true...they do if their litter isn't clean and they don't go out much (and they urinate on fabric!) I can definitely smell 'cat' when I go into a home.

Clutter smells, bodies smell, pets really smell, fabric clings onto odours for a long time, cat litter stinks and if you're not on top of ALL of this ALL of the time, your house will smell really badly to guests. Your clothes will also hold onto the 'general smell' of your house so even when you're out and about, you may be unaware that you also smell of your house!

If I'd been told that my house smelled, I'd be mortified too, and would be spending a week or so completely gutting and organising my home in such a way that this would never be an issue again. Starting with decluttering...NOT storing! Get rid of it! Minimise, then scrub everything that's left properly with an appropriate cleaner (I use the Method cleaners), hire a carpet shampoo cleaner and do your carpets and sofas, wash all your soft furnishings incl cushions and curtains, and pull out all of your furniture to thoroughly clean in every nook and cranny. In every room. Get the dog in for a professional grooming and do this at least 3 times a year.

Sounds intense...it is...but if you seriously want to get rid of this smell it's the only way you're going to do it. You can't simply disguise it with artificial deodorisers before you've actually tackled the source.

Once it's properly clean, make sure you only ever use quality odour free cat litter and clean this daily. Use litter trays that are covered not the open ones. I personally wouldn't have litter trays but if you have no choice then you have to be absolutely impeccable in litter hygiene. And keep on top of the cleaning and clutter...always!

Disclaimer: obviously this is not just your job OP...your entire family need to be on board and involved in Operation Smell Expulsion! Make a job list and start today...good luck 👍

sounds like it!

You’ve answered your own question really- dogs and cats inside the house which are allowed on soft furnishings, litter trays, shoes and coats hanging about, not being on top of litter clearing and washing/placing of dog blankets, hoarding husband which makes cleaning more hassle, etc. You and your DH have made a few lifestyle choices which come with an odour unless you’re very on top of cleaning and maintenance, which you’re not. That’s not a judgement, I’m not either, but it’s also one of the reasons why I don’t have pets and try to keep “stuff” within reasonable limits.

You need to clear the decks with a big clear out, air the house and deep clean what surfaces you can. An acquaintance uses bath mats for her dogs on the sofa- the rubbery grip on the bottom means they don’t slide about like normal blankets and they’re easier to flop down again if they’ve been moved.

@fruitstick I’m so sorry about your son, and yes that would have a huge impact on things like housework-pretty sure it would be a good way down my priority list too

Easily fixed !

• Blankets on the sofa for the Dogs.
•If you can afford it get the self clean cat trays - if not you can get enclosed ones with a flap, also the litter makes a difference, Catsan isn't cheap but way better at controlling smells , I wouldn't use anything else.
•Glade do automatic air fresheners that can go off every few minutes, even the every 38 mins is highly effective pop one in the hall with the shoes and one in the living room.
•try candles, incense, or diffuser/ humidifier with oils are great!

By all means up your game if you know things have slipped. There's been loafs of advice already given, so I wont add to it.

All I wanted to say is that my best memories as a child was playing at a friend's house that had last week's dishes still piled up, no where to sit unless you moved stuff and your shoes sometimes stuck to the carpet (!)
BUT it was the most welcoming of homes. My friends mum always had time to do stuff with us, always had a jam sandwich to hand and never freaked out over spilt juice and biscuit crumbs. We loved it there, so cut yourself some slack if you have the same welcoming attitude to anyone coming in to your home x

So, your cat pisses on your son’s clothes, the dog sleeps on the sofa and sheds, the cats don’t go out and shit in a litter tray upstairs, your husband is a hoarder, all the stinking shoes and coats are by the front door, and ‘no fucker’ ever cleans? It’s becoming a bit clearer why the house is whiffy…

We'll have to agree to differ.
The vast majority of cats in themselves really don't smell at all.
Some dogs however do have quite a strong body odour.

@RampantIvy I’m interested what on that list is too much?!

assuming the poster had a leather sofa she’s washing down and is not going a full upholstery clean, that sounds pretty normal.

It’s the cats.

op the litter trays and all their gubbins needs to be cleaned and sorted everyday.

Sounds like you need a top to bottom deep clean/declutter and then get some good routines in place.

Sorry to hear about your son, the death of a child is an almost unbearable loss.

Vacuum up some dried lavender or make a little cloth sachet and fill with drowns lavender and hoover up and that makes a lovely smell in your home.

If you raw feed cats the litter tray won't smell. Anything else will stink. If you can get rid of carpets downstairs it'll also help. I have leather furniture with blankets on for east cleaning. Previous sofa was upholstered and I used to use the laundry spray things but still felt dirty and smelly.

The very worst thing is to get air fresheners in a house that smells. She has already said that it's not clean and she doesn't empty the cat litter often enough. She needs to get the family sorted to clean the house.

Hmm 'smells' can mean anything though. Especially when it's kids saying it - all they really mean is it doesn't smell like my house. In reality most (all?) houses have a smell whether pleasant or not. One of my friends houses smelled growing up - of the cleaning products they used, it wasn't an objectively bad smell and the house was clean, it just wasn't a fragrance I liked.

One of the houses I most dislike being in now is my obsessively clean friend, whose house stinks of those reed diffuser things. I just long for fresh air when I'm in her house.

I'd ask a trusted adult friend/relative for their opinion, and take it from there. Opening windows I think is a must in every house though.

I’m so sorry for your loss 💐

I think it’s most likely to be the litter trays and the cat weeing on clothes. I had a neighbour with an incontinent cat, the smell was very strong.

Can you install a catflap? If you have glass doors, a double glazing company will quote you to replace a pane with one which has a hole installed, then you just fit it in the hole. Once that’s done, the cats will probably go to the loo outside and also be outside more in the day, which will help.

In addition (and definitely if a catflap can’t be done) consider a Hepa filter in the room where the litter trays are, and covered trays too

You have been through a lot and while it is upsetting, this is a job to do, not a judgement.

There is a cat litter called San cat and it has a deodoriser in it. It you remove the poop you could just completely change litter completely every 3 days. Cats only like to use a clean litter tray. If the litter tray is not clean that is why your cat is weeing on DC clothes. Much easier to keep litter tray cleaned every 3 days.