How to Get Rid of Odours in Your Home
Most air fresheners and sprays mask odours temporarily without addressing the source — the smell returns quickly. Eliminating household odours requires finding and treating the source. Here are the most common household odours and how to actually get rid of them.
Cooking Smells
Strong cooking odours (fish, fry oil, curry) linger because grease particles become airborne during cooking and deposit on surfaces throughout the kitchen and adjacent rooms.
- Always run the range hood during cooking — not after, during. The hood captures grease and volatile compounds at the source.
- Open a window while cooking — cross-ventilation dilutes and removes particles faster than the hood alone
- Wipe down kitchen surfaces after cooking — including the backsplash, cabinets near the stove, and range hood itself
- Boil water with lemon slices, cinnamon sticks, or white vinegar on the stove for 20 minutes after cooking fish or particularly pungent food — this doesn't just mask the smell, it absorbs and neutralizes volatile compounds in the air
Pet Odours
Pet odour in the home is primarily from dander (shed skin cells), urine, and secondary odours that absorb into soft furnishings:
- Identify and treat urine sources — if the smell returns, there is likely urine in carpet or upholstery that wasn't fully treated. Use a black light to find dried urine stains: they fluoresce under UV.
- Treat urine stains with enzyme cleaner (Nature's Miracle, Rocco & Roxie) — allow to fully saturate the area and dry completely. The enzymes break down the uric acid crystals that cause the persistent smell.
- Wash pet bedding, furniture covers, and blankets regularly
- Vacuum frequently with a HEPA-filter vacuum
- Brush pets outdoors to reduce dander shed into the home
Musty / Basement Odour
Musty smell in basements is almost always caused by excess humidity causing mould or mildew growth, often on surfaces that aren't visible (behind drywall, under flooring, on joists).
- Run a dehumidifier in the basement during humid months — keep humidity below 50%. This addresses the cause, not the symptom.
- Check for and repair any water intrusion (cracks in foundation, water pooling near the foundation from improper grading)
- Clean visible mould with a bleach solution or commercial mould cleaner
- Activated charcoal (not briquettes — activated carbon) placed in basements absorbs musty odours effectively
Smoke Odour
Cigarette smoke deposits nicotine and tar on every surface in the home, including walls, ceilings, and inside HVAC ducts. It's one of the hardest odours to remove:
- Wash all soft furnishings, bedding, and curtains
- Wipe all hard surfaces including walls and ceilings with a TSP substitute solution — smoke deposits are on every surface
- Apply a stain-blocking primer before repainting (Kilz Premium, Zinsser BIN) — this seals the odour into the wall rather than allowing it to continue off-gassing
- Replace furnace filter and have ducts cleaned if the HVAC ran during the period of smoking
- Ozone generators (available for rent) can oxidize and neutralize embedded smoke odour in unoccupied spaces — do not use while anyone is in the home
Book a Maidless deep clean at maidless.ca — 4.9★, 100+ reviews, vetted cleaners across Toronto.