Every house has its own smell. You’ve likely noticed it when visiting someone’s home for the first time or returning to a family member’s home you haven’t visited in years. You may have even noticed it upon returning to your own home after a vacation or long business trip. That smell of a home is really a combination of the odors of everything in the house. In most cases, its pleasant and familiar. But when its not, you want it fixed fast.

An unpleasant smell in your home can be caused by mildew, pets, smoke, cooking, and untold other sources. But you don’t just have to live with it. In this article, we will break down how to identify the cause of the odor invading your home, how the Sams team can help you eliminate it, and how to prevent future problems.

My House Stinks: Identifying the Source of the Odor
You may already know what’s causing the unpleasant smell in your home. If that’s the case, you can skip to the next section on odor elimination. But if you haven’t yet figured out what’s causing your home to smell, here’s how to identify it.

Step 1: Approach it with a Fresh Nose
Your senses can play tricks on you. Reset your sense of smell by stepping outside for a few minutes before returning to the house to track down the odor.

Step 2: Isolate the Source of the Smell
If the smell is pervasive enough to be present in every room, this can be tricky. But with patience, you should be able to move through the house and identify which room or part of the home the smell is strongest in.

Step 3: Investigate and Eliminate the Cause
Once you have the scent cornered, it’s time to dive deep. Is there a pet accident that’s gone undetected? Is there a water leak? Has a teenager been stashing food or dirty dishes? Are shoes or sweaty clothing the culprit? Some of these causes are a bigger deal than others. But once you’ve identified what’s causing the scent, mitigate the cause. In some cases, throwing out the source of the smell will eliminate the odor on its own. But sometimes, the damage is done and the odor lingers.

Eliminating Odors in Your Home
Depending on the type of odor you’re dealing with, Sams Carpet Cleaning & Repairs has several tools at our disposal to help you eliminate it. Here’s how we use our three most powerful ones to stop odor at the source:

Thermo Fog: Fine particles of fog penetrate contaminated surfaces and reach into cracks, crevices, and voids to neutralize smoke, food, pet, and other odors. This treatment is incredibly effective, and treated areas need to be vacated for 2-4 hours after the process is completed.

Ozone Machines: These machines don’t simply mask or filter the air in your home. They change it. We use ozone machines to convert normal oxygen (O2) to ozone or activated oxygen (O3) that breaks down odors at the source instead of just temporarily covering them up. You’ll need to leave your home while the machine is running.

Dehumidifiers: for smells with a root cause related to moisture, we turn to powerful dehumidifiers to reduce humidity and create an environment where mold and mildew are less likely to grow and cause problems.

Preventing Future Odors
Once the smell is gone from your home, you can turn your attention toward preventing future issues. We suggest these six tips for avoiding future home odor situations:

Avoid anyone smoking inside your home. Create an atmosphere that is comfortable outside for those who choose to smoke.

• Avoid anyone smoking inside your home. Create an atmosphere outside that is comfortable for those who choose to smoke.
• Clean regularly. A clean home smells better and will help you identify odor causes sooner.
• Have your air ducts professionally cleaned. You would be surprised what we can find in Air Ducts!
• Have your upholstery furniture and carpets professionally cleaned regularly.
• Clean your walls, cabinets, and ceiling. Detailed cleaning of hard services in your home will also give it a fresh new look!
• Address pet accidents quickly to minimize damage and scent.

Home is supposed to be your happy place. If a pervasive odor is preventing that, call the experts at Sams Carpet Cleaning and Repairs. Our technicians will help stop the smell at its source.