To get rid of unpleasant smells, the first thing to do at home is to ventilate your house properly, to prevent them from increasing and persisting.
Your olfactory comfort and your health are at stake: a low rate of air renewal increases the concentrations of particles produced by the chemical reactions between the various pollutants in the house.
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How to remove a strong smell in the house?
Ventilate for a few minutes a day at the least polluted times (early morning or late evening) and do not block your air inlets.
Clean them once a year, as well as the bars of the window frames.
Clean the exhaust vents regularly.
Some double-flow VMC (controlled mechanical ventilation of recent housing) can be fitted with an anti-odor carbon filter which absorbs odorous molecules from outside (Optimocosy HR Atlantic, VMC Vital'Air 90 QAI Autogyre, Aldes InspirAir) .
Remember to change them if necessary.
Attention
Beware of air fresheners and scented cleaning products that saturate the air with volatile organic compounds.
The smell of clean is no guarantee of quality air.
Read alsoWhat essential oils are useful at home?
Where do bad smells come from?
For the nauseating pipe odors are due to the accumulation of residues (grease, hair, food remains...).
Regular maintenance with a preferably ecological product avoids these inconveniences: pour a capful in the evening once a week into the siphon or place a stick in it once a month (Laco).
Drainage of sanitary fixtures is another cause of bad smells: if they are not used, the seal that blocks the rise of sewage odors ends up evaporating.
To remedy this, simply run water regularly through each device.
In the toilets, in addition to daily cleaning, direct ventilation is the best option if they have a window.
Some wall-hung toilets are equipped with a system that eliminates unpleasant odors directly in the bowl (Geberit DuoFresh).
Air is sucked in through the tube and the flush mechanism before being purified by a ceramic honeycomb filter and then returned to the room.
In the kitchen, mechanical extractor hoods are the most effective against cooking odors because they exhaust them outside.
Recirculation hoods have activated carbon filters which should be changed approximately every 6 months.
A new generation of hoods (Falmec) is equipped with a highly efficient combined carbon-zeolite filter.
Household appliances also give off odors when they are not maintained.
Remember to regularly clean the dishwasher filter, the washing machine detergent box, the refrigerator (inside and water collection tray behind the appliance), set the thermostat to the right temperature to avoid too rapid deterioration of your foodstuffs and the odors of decomposition, and place smelly foods in airtight containers.
Read alsoHow to unclog a sink?
How to absorb bad smells?
The textiles retain the odorous particles for a time and then release them into the air again, and so on.
Some can persist for up to 10 years in a couch.
Activated charcoal-based odor absorbers
can
help, as can air freshener sprays like Febreze, formulated with cyclodextrin from cornstarch, which traps odor particles (the company has 40 patents on this molecule ).
If the problem is recurrent, you can repaint your surfaces with Onip Clean'Odeur, the only anti-odor paint on the market.
This is effective against cooking, humidity, cigarette and animal odors.
It contains an additive that breaks down odor molecules when they come into contact with the paint film.
The larger the painted surface, the more effective it is (treat walls and ceilings).
The film must be renewed after a few years, because it ends up being saturated.
This paint also works after water damage.
Projects carried out on dwellings that have been flooded have yielded very good results.
Good to know
Some air purifiers contain activated carbon filters.
They are very effective, provided they are well maintained, changing them regularly.
