Whether your home smells musty, like the grandparents, or last night’s fish fry every home has an odor. The same can be said of your car, and I digress!
Whether you are buying or selling a home, when someone enters the home their senses are engaged…eyes are looking at the curb appeal, ears are listening for road noise, many touch a wall, and the nose knows. I’ve never seen anyone take a bite of a home!
Odors accumulate in the walls, carpet and furnishings of a home. Some are easy to pinpoint and eliminate – like a stinky litter box. Others can be more difficult to pinpoint. For example, if you treated for mice with a rodenticide it’s possible there’s a dead mouse in your wall….or dead mice. While you could punch a hole in the wall to remove the carcass identifying the location can be challenging. (FYI That specific odor typically dissipates in a couple weeks.)
Odor coverups are rarely effective. Some sellers like to bake cookies, and clients with diabetes can be offended. One client put garlic in a shallow pan of water and baked to produce the smell of a cooking roast…making vegans and vegetarians bristle.
The universally acceptable odor in a house is the scent of clean! Everyone likes clean. A diluted vinegar solution (1:1) can be used to clean walls and bathrooms. Get those carpets clean! Make everything smell fresh!
If the walls still have a scent, a fresh coat of paint should help, with the side benefit of giving a chance to update to a neutral color if needed.