13 Habits That Are Secretly Making Your House Smelly, According To Experts

Everyone loves a fresh smelling home, but what if your home smells anything but fresh? Unfortunately, there are some lifestyle habits that may be contributing to a funky scent in your house and if you're struggling to find the cause, we found a few places to start.

We spoke to two residential cleaning experts for insight on the secret habits that make your home smell, plus ways to fix the situation so you can get back to enjoying nice smelling interiors.

Not Taking Out The Garbage

Is your kitchen trash can overflowing? Have you throw away any rotten foods recently? If so, your kitchen garbage could be the culprit behind the foul smell. "If you don’t throw away your trash the right way, like, if you leave the lid off the trash can or let food sit in there, it can start to smell really bad because bacteria loves to grow on food," says King.

While you're taking out the garbage and putting in a fresh bag, this is a great time to clean your trash can to remove built up odors. Spray your favorite cleaning spray on the outside and inside before using a paper towel or cleaning cloth to wipe your trash can down before inserting your new bag.

Not Bathing Your Pets

We're sorry to say your beloved pooch might be a reason your house doesn't smell all that fresh at the moment. Both of our experts agree that household pets are one of the leading factors home can have an unpleasant scent, especially if you can't remember the last time you gave them a bath.

"While pets are a welcome and loved addition to most households, they sometimes contribute to bad smells in the house—especially during potty training stages," says Barton. "The best way to eliminate odors that come along with pet accidents is to promptly clean the messes and treat them with a bio-enzymatic cleaner."

On top of accidents, King says that pet dander, fur, and feathers can accumulate on surfaces and create a musty smell over time. To get rid of these odors, both experts recommend using enzyme-based cleaners on your floors and to bathe your pets at least once a month.

Keeping Poor Ventilation Indoors

Home smells build up over time. The foods you cook, trash that sits, clothes left unwashed, dust particles, and unbathed pets form a stuffy, musky scent that worsens if your home isn't properly ventilated. "If your place doesn’t get enough airflow, like when you keep the windows closed, smells can get trapped inside and get worse over time," says King. "This is especially true in places like the kitchen or bathroom where smells from cooking or moisture can stick around."

Without ventilation, smells in your home have no where to exit and continue to develop, especially when you're forgetting to take out the trash, turn the hood ventilation on when you cook, or clean your home to lift the scent.

Not Cleaning Your Garbage Disposal or Sinks

Along with trash, your garbage disposal or sinks are another top area in the kitchen known for causing a bad smell in your house. That's because leftover food particles or grime gets stuck on the blades and develops bacteria that causes a scent to linger. You should clean your garbage disposal at least once a week to once a month, depending on how frequently you use it, while kitchen sinks should be cleaned weekly to prevent odors from occurring.

"My favorite natural solution for making drains smell better is to dump a pot of boiling water down the drain and then the drain cool for a few minutes. Then, dump a cup of baking soda in the drain, followed by one cup of white distilled vinegar. Place a rag over the drain and let the solution fizz for ten minutes before following up with a second pot of building water," Barton says.

Neglecting Cleaning Chores

Simply put, if you're not cleaning your home on a routine basis, odds are this is what's contributing to your home's foul odor, and both of our experts agree. "A simple cleaning routine that includes dusting hard surfaces, washing bed sheets, cleaning toilets, disinfecting sinks, and sweeping and mopping the floors at least once per week will keep a home looking good and smelling fresh," Barton says.

The good news is that your weekly cleaning checklist doesn't have to be anything drastic. Washing clothes, dusting surfaces, spraying down furniture with linen spray, and disinfecting your bathrooms all do a world of good for lifting the air in your home. To give your home's fragrance an extra boost, choose cleaning products with scents like lavender or citrus fruits.

Letting Towels Mildew

Notice a musty smell in your bathroom towels? Sounds like a build up in mildew. As water sits in the fibers of your towels for a long time without being properly washed, they start to mildew and form this musty odor. This happens even easier if you don't spread your towels out to dry after each use or if you have a smaller bathroom. Small bathrooms tend to see mildew more frequently since it builds high levels of humidity.

To get the mildew scent out of your towels, throw them in the wash and add a cup of vinegar before running the cycle on warm to hot water. It's recommended that you wash your towels every three to four uses or once a week to prevent the build up of mildew and keep your towels smelling fresh.

Not Washing Carpets and Rugs

Speaking of washing, your carpets and rugs are likely another factor for your home's smelly scent if you're not washing them. Carpets and rugs impact the air quality (and smell) in your home since they harbor odors from dead skin cells, pet fur or dander, spills, and standing water.

Vacuuming tends to do the trick by sucking up some of the particles, but it doesn't hurt to let a carpet deodorizer sit on your carpets or rugs for at least 15 minutes before vacuuming them up. Ideally, you should deep-clean your carpets and rugs once a year by shampooing them for optimal results. Not only does this bring the colors of your carpet and rugs back to life, it dramatically lifts the fragrance and sanitizes them as well.

Not Washing Your Clothes

Think about it: you sweat in your clothes, get dirty from the day, and toss them in your hamper. Who wouldn't expect a stench to develop the longer they sit? Lingering laundry can certainly cause a foul odor in the home, especially if your clothes have food stains on them, so it's wise to keep up with a laundry routine at least once a week.

Similar to your clothes, your hamper might be due for a cleaning too. Depending on what the inside of your hamper is like, either toss the liner in the wash or wipe down with cleaning products to disinfect and remove any odors.

Leaving Out Smelly Shoes

Just like your clothes, shoes have an extremely bad smell, especially if your feet are prone to badly sweating. Leaving smelly shoes out in the open may be one of the root causes for an unwanted scent in your home, but thankfully, there's way to rectify the situation. Use shoe deodorizers or consider tossing them in the wash to get rid of the funk for a better-smelling shoe and home.

Not Watering Plants

Plants and flowers make gorgeous home decor, but if you start to neglect their care and let them die, the once-fresh-fragrance will vanish. Plants and flowers that are starting to wilt need to be tossed immediately so the foul odor doesn't stand a chance of taking over your home.

Neglecting The Fridge

Your trash can isn't the only place that can form a bad smell due to rotting food. Your fridge can, too. King recommends going through your refrigerator to throw away any expired or rotten food before cleaning the inside with soap and hot water.

The best way to clean the interior of your fridge is to remove all shelves and wipe them down thoroughly with soap before rinsing with the hot water. It's also recommended that you use white vinegar and baking soda while deep cleaning your fridge to disinfect and lift the air.

Not Washing Your Bedding

Just like your clothes, your bedding is another breeding ground for funky odors due to skin particles, oils, dirt, and sweat from when you sleep. By not washing your bedding routinely, these scent drift into the air and provide a musty smell that is easily removed with a toss in the wash. You should wash your sheets and pillowcases every week or bi-weekly and your comforter every month to two months.

Not Regulating Humidity Levels

"If your home has excess humidity, it can lead to mold or mildew and give your house a musty smell, which is especially common in the summer and in areas like the basement," Barton informs. Some of the leading causes to irregular humidity levels is poor ventilation, your surrounding climate, or home's AC unit. Whatever the case may be, if you know your home experiences irregular humidity levels and you're not regulating them, it's not uncommon to have a musty smell in the problem rooms.

Tips For Making Your Home Smell Fresh

For a quick fix in lifting your home's air, try one or a combination of these methods.

Clean Routinely

It goes without saying that implementing a weekly cleaning routine can do wonders for the smell of your home. Clean your most-used areas like the kitchen, bathrooms, living rooms, and bedrooms to keep your home smelling fresh. Don't forget to dust, wash dirty clothes, and take out the trash to remove any odors that are contributing to a smelly scent.

Light a Candle, Wax Melt, or Air Diffuser

One of the quickest ways to mask a smelly odor is to light a candle, turn on a wax melt, or air diffuser. As you wait for your home to smell better after taking out the trash, washing clothes, or opening a window, use one of these fragrance boosters to get a fresh smelling home quicker.

Use Fabric Spray

Does your upholstery get used often by you or pets? Pet dander or skin particles can seep into the fibers and form a small. Use a scented fabric spray on your furniture to add a fresh smell.

Open a Window

Keep your home ventilated as your cook or to remove any odors from the trash and other areas by opening a window or nearby door. This will allow scent to exit the home instead of staying trapped inside and getting worse over time.

Run a Dehumidifier

If humidity is the culprit in your home's musty scent, run a dehumidifier in the room to regulate levels. You don't have to let it run all day, just 8 hours should do the trick in rooms such as the basement to eliminate the must.