What’s That Smell? Sources of Odour in Your Home and How to Deal with Them
Key takeways
Persistent household odour usually indicates a source that must be removed rather than covered.
- Check pet areas, damp textiles, bins, drains and hidden moisture.
- Clean contaminated materials with surface-appropriate methods and improve ventilation.
- Musty or recurring smells may indicate mould, underlay contamination or a leak requiring further inspection.

Nothing can be more embarrassing than having a weird odour lingering in your home—especially when you have guests over. And then the most dreaded “what’s that smell?” makes it worse. However, there a number of ways to discover and deal with the culprits causing bad smells in and around your house. You no longer have to drench your home in room fresheners—it’s to get rid of these smells for good.Ahead, we have rounded up some of the most common sources of lingering bad odour in your home, and what you must do about them.
Pet Odour
It won’t be wrong to say that pets are not a part of the family—they are family! But just as we, humans, can generate bad odours at times, pets do too! It typically happens when their cleanliness isn’t taken care of and their hygiene isn’t maintained by the owner. To address this problem, make sure you give your pet a nice warm bath every day and clean their resting spots with a non-toxic soap solution every once a week. Also, vacuuming the carpets, upholstery and under your beds can minimise the hair and odour buildup. For accidents, see 4 ways to remove pet urine stains and smell.










