The best time to purify air in your home is during the warm and cool-weather months. It’s a lot harder during the winter months because smells and odours tend to get trapped because we keep windows shut. When our furnaces are running around the clock, bad air gets trapped and circulated with warm air.
But now that the weather continues to warm up, we can open doors and windows and let the cool outside air circulate throughout our homes. Since we can’t keep all our windows open 24 hours a day, there are many options for purifying air within our homes.
We can take the easy way out and buy the raft of commercial sprays and cleaners sold at home-supply stores or use natural methods free of chemicals. I prefer the latter approach.
First, common foul and musty smells may come from the following sources:
1. Dead or sick animals
Smells emanating from dead or sick (often rabid) animals are more common in rural areas, but they’re also found in suburban areas. For example, a very sick possum decided to make the crawl space underneath my home his last resting place. And a rabid raccoon chose an old carton box as his home. The smell from both animals was sickening. Rather than try to extract the animals myself, I called a local wildlife society who sent someone to take the animals away.
2. Burning electrical components or wires
They emit a distinct fishy smell. Its origin is often a burning electrical component or plastic component. Find the source, possibly a piece of electrical equipment that looks burnt or melted. Disconnect outlet and make sure it’s far from any heat source.
3. Sewage
If there is sewer smell, it could be a dried up P-trap. P-traps create an air block for sewer gases by trapping water. Keep in mind that if you don’t use your drain, the water in the P-trap might evaporate, opening a path for noxious sewer gases to get into your home. Solution: Run water about once a month in your drains to prevent this.
4. Mould and must
If a musty mould odour is present, go through you home and check for damp items, water leaks and moisture, which is the source of the problem. Mould is to be taken seriously because it varies in intensity from just cosmetic to dangerously toxic.
5. Rotten eggs
The horrible smell is a telling sign that you have a gas leak or possibly a plumbing issue. See if the smell is coming from one of your drains. You might have a dried out P-trap or water seal in a floor drain, sewage tank or water pipes. Wherever it’s coming from, have it checked out. Second, here are three natural solutions that you ought to try.
Get rid of musty smells coming from trash receptacles in the bathroom or kitchen and cigarette, cigar or pipe odours by doing the following:
1. Ventilate your home with fresh air.
This is a quick way to improve indoor air quality.
2. Natural ways to purify the air in your home:
Beeswax candles; activated charcoal; salt lamps; houseplants and essential oils.
