Use This Cheap Trick to Remove the Stinky Smells Coming From Your Walls
Have you ever wondered about the source of hidden odors in your home? Vacuuming, mopping, and cleaning doesn’t always eliminate these unwanted scents. You might think your house simply has a smell and there’s nothing you can do about it — but that’s not necessarily the case. It might be time to try a neglected trick: cleaning your walls.
Instagram user Chantel Mila recently shared three inexpensive cleaning hacks to make your house smell good. Our favorite at First? Using a flat mop to clean your walls and get rid of hidden smells.
You might not realize it, but odors often cling to wall paint. Doing a simple wipe down once every one to two weeks can be enough to fix the problem. Check out Chantel’s video below for a DIY guide.
How To Clean Your Walls
To clean your walls, Chantel recommends that you mix 2 cups of warm water, 1 tablespoon of white vinegar, and 1 tablespoon of dishwashing liquid. Pour the mix into a spray bottle or wet the base of your mop with the solution.
If you’re using a spray bottle, spray down walls in vertical columns and use your mop to wipe up and down. If you’re using just the mop, wipe up and down and add more solution as needed.
A word of caution: Certain wallpapers and paints might not respond well to cleaning and may become discolored. Before trying this trick, perform a patch test by spraying a little solution on a small area of the wall that isn’t visible (such as a low corner) and then rubbing it with the mop or a cloth. Let it sit for about 12 hours to see if it has any effect.
Vinegar Versus Disinfecting Wipes
I was curious to see if this trick would work not only with vinegar, water, and soap, but with disinfecting cloths. On one half of a room, I used the vinegar solution, and on the other half, I used a bleach-free Clorox Scentiva Wet Mopping Cloth (Buy at Target, $5.99 for 24, prices vary).
Neither product discolored my walls, and I noticed a much fresher smell after rubbing down the entire room. The vinegar solution didn’t leave much of a pleasant scent, but it did leave the room smelling better overall. The Clorox Scentiva wipes reduced the stuffy smell and added a clean scent to the space. This scent lasted for a little more than two days. (I have a feeling that if I also did a deep rug cleaning, as opposed to a routine vacuuming, the room would smell even better.)
I haven’t yet tried the two other tips Chantel mentioned — cleaning the dishwasher filter with vinegar and boiling lemons, rosemary, and vanilla on the stovetop — but given my success with her first tip, I will definitely test these, too.
Looking for other ways to make your home smell great? Check out these 10 natural fixes and five ways to bring fresh outdoor scents into your living space.
