Seller Tips: Eliminating Odors in your Home

Your property can be as neat as a pin, clean as can be, and yet the odors can scare off even the best of potential buyers. Your fish dinner last night, Fluffy’s litter box, and the cigars from last week’s poker game are still lingering about - and you have an open house tomorrow! What to do?

The following tips will have your Highland Park real estate smelling less like last night’s dinner and more like a fresh, clean home:

  1. Take care of the cat’s litter box. Scoop and change the litter at least a few hours before an open house, and place the litter box in an inconspicuous place so that potential home buyers won’t have to view it.
  2. If your carpets smell like Fido, try sprinkling baking soda on them, letting them sit for about a half hour and then vacuuming it up. You can also try a carpet deodorizer made specifically for pet odors.
  3. Baking soda is also great on stinky garbage disposals, refrigerators and garbage cans. Pour a bit of baking soda down the garbage disposal drain, let sit for at least 10 minutes and then run the disposal. Place a box of baking soda in the refrigerator to eliminate odors.
  4. Open the windows and air out your home, is possible, at least a few hours before your showing or open house. Or, if possible, keep the windows open during the showing. There is nothing like a fresh air smell throughout your home to excite buyers and eliminate stubborn odors.
  5. Empty the garbage cans at least a few hours before your showing.
  6. Use scented candles, reed diffusers and air fresheners to freshen up any room in the home.
  7. For a quick fix of the air (especially after a strong-scented dinner), try boiling water with a few sprigs of lavender or other herbs to infuse the air with a light scent.
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