House doesn't smell fresh. Ever.

[retreatingheadlights]

I clean my mum's bungalow top to bottom weekly and hoover most days. It never smells fresh when I walk in. There's an odour that I can't put my finger on. Like unwashed clothes or bedding except they are washed regularly. I change the bed every other week as there's only mum in it. The duvet is a couple of years old and looks new. New pillows. Mum showers every other day and washes her hair. The rubbish is put out every day that I'm here which is 4-5 days a week. She's not incontinent. It's a little bit old person house smell but not quite.
I've put Zoflora on the radiators this morning and did it at the beginning of the week too. It's not the drains. It's not the carpets and the windows are opened daily.
It's driving us mad and upsetting mum that her house smells.
Any ideas what it could be and how to fix it?

Damp? Can be hard to track down.

Does your mother open windows?
I know some people never open windows but personally I feel a house never feels and smells fresh unless at some point in.the day/ night fresh air is let in.

"the windows are opened daily."

There is damp yes but it's more a musty clothes smell. Like her washing never smells fresh but I do a lot of her laundry. The windows are opened daily and the dehumidifier runs if clothes are being dried inside.

There's no pets either.

Sorry. I totally missed that.

If the washing doesn't smell fresh, have you cleaned the washing machine? Like run a 90c cycle with appropriate products? All thebshort cool washed people do csn leave a residue of slimes mildewey muck inside the machine where you can't see.
And I add white vinegar to the fabric softener draw, it's supposed to help with odours and stripping out the soap apparently.
And get a dehumidifier running in there, damp smells sour.

Just saw you have a dehumidifier, I'd run it more, not just when when drying laundry, assuming it has a sensor it will turn off when it has reached an appropriate humidity so just leave it ticking over.
How sure are you it's not the carpets? They might look clean but if theybsve been damp at any point and it's soaked into the underlay it would be a hard smell to shift.
Have you bleached all sink and toilet drains, including the overflows? Especially if there's a sink or drain that isn't used often. Sometimes a smell isn't strong enough to smell when you sniff but sort of permeates through the air so you only notice it when you come back in.

Could it be that the clothes aren't totally dry before they're put away or worn? It can give a kind of 'wet pig' smell that's not really awful but certainly not nice

Shampoo the carpets
Works wonders.

I agree that the carpets, along with all soft furnishing like sofas, cushions, curtains) and so on are like to end up absorbing any smells over time, and hold the ‘smell’ long after the source has gone. So I think I’d do a proper ‘spring clean’ and have carpets and furniture (if fabric) steam cleaned, wash cushion covers and replace pads and, if possible, dry clean the curtains. And maybe it’s time to redecorate as well, depending on when that was last done?

Could it be this? I find the term “old person smell” a bit unnecessary, but this page sums it up I suppose.

en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Old_person_smell

Also, is there a door between the kitchen and the other living areas? As otherwise cooking smells sink into everything.

How old are the carpets, curtains, sofa etc? I think over time they absorb aromas. Hire a rug doctors, they remove a huge amount of dirt even when you think the carpet is clean!!

Agree with pp that carpets and mattresses hold on to smells

How much do you put in the drum? you should be able to push the load down so the washer looks half full. If its too full there is no room for detergent to get round and the clothes need movement for friction to clean properly. My husband rams the washer full, think he just does it to piss me off, but it never smells clean, there is like a musty smell to it

Could she have dropped food anywhere? Sides of couches, down the back of things?

Things for the smell you could try shake and vac, Fabreeze fabric refresher. Some sort of smelly for the bathroom.

Have you cleaned out the dehumidifier filter and give the water container a wash and scrub? My dehumidifier was chugging out some musty smells and it was because the air filter hadn't been cleaned for some time. Also the water container got a bit manky so I just washed out with fairy liquid.

Could it be the sofa? Curtains, blankets and cushions also absorb odours.
Also, does she hung her coat/scarf/hat in the hall/living and maybe they need a wash? It's items we tend to forget

I agree with PP regarding washing the carpets but I would avoid it at this time of the year. It will be a nightmare for to fully dry and may intensify the smell if left damp for too long. The other culprit could be the washing machine, if it’s very old I would look into a maintenance service or replacing it if possible.

It could be the gutters if they are blocked or the washing machine.

Also check the fridge drain, and actually it would be worth pulling out and cleaning behind anything movable like fridge, washing machine, dishwasher. Could have damp back there festering, or also could be food or a dead mouse hidden away somewhere.
Basically a proper deep clean.

Wash the clothes at 40C a few times.
Use washing powder and not the liquid or pods. It's surprising the difference this makes.
Add a laundry sanitiser.
Give the washer a 70C empty wash to clean out any residue. Mine automatically reminds me to do this after every 40 washes.

Carpets might be okay until they get damp and release the musty smell. Sniff them after you have had damp washing and showers. It could also be the underlay not drying out sufficiently as it's blocked from airflow because of the carpet on top.

Clean out the hoover thoroughly and pop an airfreshner inside the collection tank.

Edit - pp made a good point. Get the curtains cleaned as they are close to a source of damp (condensation) and could be not drying quickly enough in the sunlight.

I think you need to put your sniffer dog nose on and investigate properly. Get down on the carpet and sniff it in various places. Sniff all the upholstery.

Clean/service the washing machine. Mine gets minging and I have to scrub the rubber drum seal.

Does she have much polyester clothing or furnishings? Those are impossible to make smell nice once they get stinky.

Thank you!
The washing machine is new.
The dehumidifier is ancient but doesn't smell.
The sofas do smell a little but she has them cleaned.
The dining room carpet is awful and there is a condensation issue. She's got decorating lined up along with a new carpet for the dining room.
The curtains were new last year.
Living room and hall carpets don't smell.
I have a VERY sensitive sense of smell.
The sofa doesn't smell.
The bed is new.
The plumber is coming out to sort a dirty fish tank smell in the kitchen sink that bleach doesn't remove.