Cigarette or marijuana smoke, pet excrement, mold, and garbage can produce a lingering scent that sticks to the porous surfaces of carpets, linens, and even walls. Understandably, you and prospective tenants would want to get rid of those smells, but some scents can seem almost impossible to eliminate. To help you oust these offending odors, this article will review how to get rid of foul smells in your rental property.
Pet Odor
Getting your rental property rent-ready is no easy task, but don’t jump to extremes and cover the whole house in bleach. Before you start cleaning every single nook and cranny of your property, grab a UV light and wait until it’s dark. This way, you can pinpoint the stains and the most likely odor source. For mild odors, use a half-and-half mixture of water and vinegar to scrub the walls, floors, carpets, and linens. For strong odors, you’ll need to use an enzymatic cleaner.
If the smell still doesn’t dissipate, it’s likely the scent has clung to areas that weren’t directly soiled. In these cases, contacting a professional is best, so you don’t have to throw away linens and replace carpets.
Rotten Garbage
Rotten garbage is typically an easier scent to get rid of, as opening the windows and throwing out the garbage usually do the trick. But if the odor is still sticking around, you should throw away the garbage can or give it a good scrub and clean the surrounding floor and walls with soap and water. Afterward, a healthy spray of Lysol should finish the job.
Strong Spices
Occasionally, stronger-smelling spices will cling to surfaces, and although these spices may smell good, not every tenant will agree, and it can indicate an unkempt space to them. In these cases, keep the windows open, replace the HVAC filters, and clean the kitchen. Again, a half-and-half mixture of water and vinegar should do the job, but leave a wet layer of the mixture to sit on surfaces and allow it to dry. You can wipe off the mixture with a damp sponge if it leaves mineral spots.
Cigarette Smoke
To eliminate foul odors in your rental property, you will have to put in some serious elbow grease, especially if your previous tenants were indoor smokers. If the tenants smoked for many years in the property, there’s no point in trying to contend with the resin and tar that probably now permeates everything. You should replace curtains, carpets, and other fabrics. You may even need to repaint the walls and use smoke eliminator paint.
Additionally, you’ll want to steam clean whatever you can, such as couches and carpets, and scrub down doors, walls, ceilings, ceiling fans, doors, and blinds with vinegar and hot water. You can also leave out bowls of activated charcoal as the micropores on the surface of the charcoal absorb odor and toxins. Lastly, replace the HVAC filters, and if the smell is too severe, have the ductwork cleaned out.
