Garbage disposal
Given that the word garbage is in its name, it should be pretty obvious that the garbage disposal can be the source of some funky aromas.
Waste food is scraped away, and without adequate and regular maintenance, the food can begin to rot and fester leading to a pungent smell.
New furniture
Ever noticed that a brand new sparkly sofa or carpet totally reeks? Well, that’s because of all the volatile organic compounds in the air.
These are gases such as formaldehyde and toluene and, in addition to smelling, can cause headaches and dizziness. The best way to shift the smell is to air the room well.
Dirty carpet
Vacuuming alone might stop the carpet from being dirty, but it won’t stop it from developing a bad smell.
Some people have carpets for decades and never wash or shampoo them. This means that smells from spillages and accidents seep into the fiber and generate a fusty scent.
Old food
Even refrigerator doors can’t block out the truly pungent smell of a fridge full of rotten food.
Every time the door is opened, the scent of rotten cheese or meat will linger in your whole home. Combat this by keeping a bowl of baking soda in the fridge.
Wet towels
If not washed often enough after drying your wet body, towels will start to breed bacteria and can start to smell rather rancid.
To avoid the bacteria build up, it is important to wash towels at least once a week. Also, always dry them on a towel rack rather than a hook.
Dead animals
If you notice a rotten smell that gets progressively worse as the weeks go by, it might be a sign that there is a dead animal trapped somewhere in the building.
Key places to check are the attic, basement or crawl spaces. Any animal corpse should be removed immediately as it presents a health hazard.
Cigarette smoke
Cigarette smoke is one of the most disgusting smells. It's also famously hard to shift, hence why you can immediately tell if a smoker smokes inside.
Smoke seeps into fibers of fabrics and cakes the room in an awful stench that's almost impossible to remove. If you have to smoke, do it outside.
Mold
With so many dark and damp places to grow, mold in the house can go undetected for a long time.
Leave it too long and your whole house will start to smell. A mixture of bleach and water should kill the mold and remove the musty stench.
Burnt food
It's easy to get distracted while cooking and, if you’re not careful, burn your food. This can set your fire alarm off, as well as leave behind an acrid smell.
Burnt toast is the worst, and the smell lingers far beyond a simple airing of the kitchen. Vinegar and baking soda can combat the stench.
Pets
Pets can make the house a home, but they also make it smell. From goldfish to cat, lizard to dog, all animals stink in their own ways.
Whether it be their food, poop or bedding, pets can bring horrible smells into your home. Scented products can help, but mostly you'll just have to accept it as part of having a furry friend.
Duck fat
While cooking any oil, fatty or fried food can produce a nasty scent, duck fat is by far the worst offender.
Rendering the fat is key to crispy skin, but fat splatters everywhere during cooking, leaving behind both a greasy stain and pungent stench that can take a lot of work to get rid of.
Dirty diapers
Naturally, having a baby means your home suddenly becomes full of dirty diapers. All babies do for their first few months is eat, sleep and poop, the latter causing quite the stink.
Rather than sticking dirty disposable diapers into the regular trash can where the smell can linger, either take them straight outside, or invest in a scented diaper bin.
Fresh paint
Whilst some paints claim to be ‘no-odor’, the smell of fresh paint is hard not to notice, and the chemical scent can be overwhelming to many.
The rule tends to be, the cheaper the paint, the worse the smell. Either way, it is very important to keep the room you are painting well ventilated.
Mothballs
Mothballs are a necessary evil in order to keep your closet in pristine condition. Without them, moths will feast on the fabric and leave you with hole-covered clothes.
The downside to mothballs is that they smell. Unfortunately, they have to smell in order to deter the bugs from chowing down on your favorite sweater.
Overflowing garbage
Garbage within the home should be emptied regularly to ensure that any nasty smells are eliminated. But the cleaning process is more than just switching the bags.
Smells can fester if not cleaned properly. Trash bags are one thing, but the garbage can itself also needs to be cleansed too.
Bird nests
When looking for a place to build a nest, most birds opt for a tree. However, some have been known to set up camp in extractor fans and similar areas of the house.
While it might initially be cute to hear and see the young chicks, once they have hatched, their afterbirth begins to rot and the disgusting smell will permeate your house.
Stale sheets
If your bedroom is starting to smell funky then it might be time to wash your sheets. Each night you shed dead skin cells which, when allowed to build up, can cause your bed sheets to smell.
Add night sweats into that mix and you have a cocktail for a rather unpleasant smell. Wash bedsheets at least every two weeks to combat it.
A dirty dishwasher
Dishwashers take the hard work out of washing dishes, but many people forget that they also have to be cleaned and maintained regularly.
Failure to keep on top of the cleanliness of your dishwasher, especially trapped food in the filter, will result in a stinky kitchen.
Fish
From preparation to grilling, cooking fish and seafood is always a smelly task. But the smell doesn’t stop when the hob is turned off.
Depending on the type of seafood, the scent can linger for days after. This is due to fish particles being absorbed by your clothes and hair, as well as any household fabrics in the room.
Hot water heater
Some rotten smells around the house can be an indicator that there is something wrong. For example, hot water heaters can smell of sulfur when starting to break.
An easy way to work out if the smell is due to the heater is if the scent only appears when using the hot water. To fix the smell, call a plumber.
Cat urine
Although this could technically be classed under general pet odors, the smell of cat urine is strong enough that it needs to be addressed on its own.
Not only is it a horrible smell, it also soaks into fabrics and is near impossible to get rid of. Treat any accidents immediately with an enzyme cleaner, otherwise the cat will get confused and continue to claim the spot as a toilet.
Vomit
The smell of puke might be one of the worst in the world, but parents should get used to it as, in addition to being mess machines, children are also vomit factories.
Depending on their age, the child might not be able to use a bucket or get to the bathroom. Instead they will re-decorate the room and, with splatter getting everywhere, it can be hard to fully defeat the smell
An open fireplace
As picturesque and cozy as snuggling in front of an open fire might be, the reality is that using a fireplace regularly will make your house smell.
Although the chimney will suck up a lot of smoke, some will still linger. The ash also has a very distinctive smell that isn’t hugely pleasant.
Garlic
Cooking garlic-heavy meals may help to keep the vampires away, but it also stinks out your house.
The garlic smell clings to surfaces and absorbs into fabrics. Its pungent aroma then seeps into everything and leaves a house smelling grim.
Old shoes
Sometimes it can be hard to let go of a beloved pair of shoes, but when worn too often, and without thorough cleaning, bacteria can easily build up.
This bacteria begins to smell and as most people keep their shoes in the hallway, the stench is the first thing that greets your visitors.
Excessive incense
Not all difficult-to-banish smells around the house are unpleasant. Sometimes, even a pleasant smell can turn ugly if there's too much of it.
Incense is a popular method of trying to mask stinkier scents, but, when used in volume, the smell is overwhelming and irritating.
Mildew
Although mildew is similar to mold, the two have different scents. Mold has a musty smell, with mildew described as more of wet, tangy and earthy aroma.
However, like mold, it can be hard to track down the source. The best way to avoid mildew growing is to ensure that bathrooms are well ventilated and free of excess moisture.
Fried onions
At a funfair or carnival, the smell of fried hotdog onions is delicious, and easily one of the greatest smells on Earth.
However, the same can’t be said about fried onions in the home. When trapped in an enclosed environment, the scent is eye-wateringly intense and could put someone off their food altogether.
Drywall
Drywall is a common component of most houses. It is a sturdy structure that helps keep the roof over your head, but it is also very porous.
This means that any and every smell in your home can be sucked into the material and leave you with horribly whiffy walls.
Sewage blockage
The sewage system is a modern miracle. All the nasty stuff from the toilet is taken cleanly away via an intricate pipe system - but a blockage can cause many problems.
If a pipe is blocked, the stinky stuff can't escape. It will then fester and populate your bathroom with a rancid smell until a plumber has resolved the issue.
Popcorn
Your house smelling like popcorn might sound rather nice. Unfortunately, if you haven't been enjoying a movie night snack, the smell can indicate something concerning.
Mouse pee can smell like popcorn. However, in order for the human nose to be able to recognize the scent, there has to be a lot of it, meaning mouse infestation.
Dirty laundry
The task of washing laundry can seem never-ending, especially if you have a house full of kids. However, if you want a stink-free house, it is imperative you stay on top of the loads.
When left uncleaned, the dirt and sweat trapped within the fabric takes root and allows bacteria to breed, leaving behind a nasty smell.
Wet dog
Similar to cat urine, the scent of wet dog deserves highlighting on its own. After being out in the rain, a dog’s fur becomes damp and can smell pretty unpleasant.
The best way to combat this is to make sure that your furry friend gets a hot, soapy bath as soon as they get home. Crucially, then make sure they're totally dry.
Clogged gutters
In a similar way to sewage pipes, drains can also become clogged. Fall leaves are a key contributor to blocked gutters.
If these leaves are not adequately removed they will begin to rot, which in turn causes an unpleasant aroma that can be smelled both inside and outside the property.
Curry spices
Curry is a versatile and delicious dish, but no matter your heat preference or curry of choice, one thing remains consistent - the smell.
Most curries are made with a pungent spices like turmeric or cumin. If not handled correctly, these strong smells will completely overpower every other scent in your house.
Skunk spray
It's common knowledge that skunks stink, but unless you've experienced it first hand, it can be hard to imagine just how badly they smell.
Should a skunk spray in your house, be prepared to smell it for months, even with deep cleaning. Baking soda can help, but not much.
Outdoor odors
If you’ve driven yourself mad trying to find the source of a bad smell coming from inside the house, it might be time to consider if it is actually emanating from your home at all.
Outdoor smells can be so potent that the scent drifts into the house. These odors can travel very long-distances and so, not being able to see the source, people assume it's their house that stinks.
A dirty gym bag
Whilst you might keep on top of the maintenance of your whiffy gym shoes and ensure that all clothes inside are clean, bad smells will remain unless you also look after your gym bag too.
A dark, zipped up gym bag is the perfect breeding ground for smelly bacteria. Make sure you're regularly airing it out, and washing it too.
Boiled eggs
Along with cooking curries and frying onions, making a boiled egg can cause your kitchen to smell particularly gross.
Whilst cooking them once in a while will cause a temporary pong, making them daily will strengthen the sulfuric scent. Adding vinegar to the boiling water can alleviate the smell.
Mustiness
Of all the smells that can populate a home, the most overwhelmingly common one is a scent that is musty.
The cause of mustiness can be an indicator of something broken such as a pipe, or could just be the overriding aroma from a mixture of any of the other scents on the list making it hard to pinpoint the origin of.