Your office is a sacred space. A nook hidden from the chaos of home, where you can close the door and say “I’m working, give me a half-hour” and retreat to solitude and work.

Unless it smells.

The office can turn into a nightmare when unidentified odors float through the air. And even the tidiest spaces are prone to these hidden causes of stench.

In this post, you’ll learn how to find, identify, and eliminate common odor-causing problems in your home office.

Here’s a Hint…You’re Using it Right Now

It’s staring at you, it’s under your fingers, and it’s one of the most commonly forgotten spots in need of desperate cleaning – your computer. If you eat at your desk, you’ll pay a higher price. Apart from sticky keys and crumbs in your keyboard, there may be a foul odor and bacteria, too.

There are different smells associated with computers. Before cleaning, unplug your computer and check for the smell of hot electronics. Is there a cable that overheats and produces a plastic smell? Is the fan on your computer blocked with dust? Check these first.  They may cause – or be the result of – problems with your electronics.

Now that your computer is unplugged, use a compressed air spray cleaner for delicate electronics to clean under the keys and around all sensitive parts of the machine. If you aren’t comfortable doing this without help the first time, ask a computer-savvy friend or relative to walk you through the process. It’s easier than you think.

Next up: grime.

Use cotton swabs (Q-tips makes a special line called Precision Tips for this purpose) to clean between the keys on your keyboard, and along the edge of your computer screen. If your monitor or screen came with a cloth for wiping it clean, use it at least once a month. If not, pick up a microfiber cloth designed to be used on electronics for this job.

Do NOT use paper towels or tissues to clean your monitor. They don’t work, but they do leave streaks and fuzz behind.

Caffeine Habit?

Coffee makers, cups, and wet coasters can smell when left to sit. Easily forgotten among pressing duties for work, family budgeting, and the like, they can even mold – which is when the real stench starts.

If your office has a lingering coffee odor that smells a little off, clean your coffee maker thoroughly and check around for mugs and coasters that might have been overlooked. Spilled coffee grounds, moisture deposits under a leaky carafe, and dried coffee stains can also cause a bad smell.

Clutter

If you’ve ever walked into an antique book store, you know that paper has a distinctive smell. If your office is starting to smell like an old book shop, it’s time to say goodbye to your piles of paper. Use a scanner to help remove the clutter. Get rid of all unnecessary papers, and keep electronic copies of vital records. For those of you with dust allergies, your office will soon be a much more inviting space.

Clean your office’s filing cabinet out once a month. Look through the papers you have filed and see what can (and should) be thrown out.

Once you’ve placed your paperwork in electronic format, make sure to back it up on an external hard drive for safe keeping. Look into cloud storage solutions if you have a hefty pile of papers on hand.

Your Office Chair

Office chairs get a lot of love – and not a lot of cleaning. If you’ve searched high and low in your office, but can’t find the source of a rotten smell, check your chair. Dust it, wipe it down, and look for any spills that may have happened without your noticing.

Coffee and food spills on office chairs are fairly common, and often overlooked.

Once you’ve finished wiping up any obvious stains or spills, deep clean the upholstered part of your chair. If the seat is leather or pleather, follow the manufacturer’s instructions carefully. Microfiber can be cleaned with a little powdered oxygen cleaner and water. Gently scrub the mix onto your seat with a brush. Let the mixture work for a few minutes, and then brush with plain water until the brush leaves behind clear fluid when rinsed.

For cloth office chairs, use a vacuum to get out any loose dirt or dust, and then clean the chair with a hand-held rug shampooer. Let the chair fully dry before using it again.

That’s all it takes to get rid of what stinks in the office.

If you’re still having a tough time eradicating odors, let me know. I’ll send them fleeing from your home, one room at a time.

Until next month, happy cleaning!

Image Labeled For Reuse On Google

The post What Stinks…in the Office? first appeared on Upstairs Downstairs Cleaning Service.

The bedroom is your place to relax, a safe haven from the chaos of daily life. Unless, of course, it smells musty. Don’t worry, musty smells in the bedroom are fairly common, although they can mystify homeowners. When the house smells, it’s time to check out the tips in this article that share with you simple ways to get rid of the musty smell in your house!

Where You Rest Your Head

One place where funk is never appreciated is in the bedroom. The bed is the heart of this sacred den of relaxation and fun. But if you don’t change your sheets often enough, your nose pays the price.

Air out the sheets and comforter every day.

That’s right. Don’t make the bed right away.

Overnight, you sweat. You stink. Just face it, you’re human. Pull back the covers in the morning and let your bed air out while you shower and get ready for the day. Make the bed on your way out the door.

The average American changes bed linens once every 3 weeks. Gross. Kill the musty smell by washing and changing your sheets and covers at least once each week. And don’t forget to wash your pillows – they harbor oils, germs, and dust mites.

A clean house makes the home smelling fresh and inviting. Make sure yours is so luxurious you never want to leave it!

What’s Underfoot?

If you keep a neat bed, but you still notice lingering odors in your bedroom, look at your floors.

Say goodbye to carpet!

Carpeted floors are a big no-no in the bedroom. Sex, showers, and illness all carry odors that get trapped in carpet fibers. Stinky feet, muddy shoes, and spilled nighttime treats add to the stench. This is prime breeding ground for musty smells.

If removing the carpet isn’t an option, pour baking soda onto your carpet – lightly, of course – all over the room. Let it sit on the carpet for a few hours, or better yet, overnight. Vacuum in the morning. The baking soda will absorb smells.

If you can’t stand the idea of bare or hard floors in your bedroom, consider area rugs. Washed once per month, they walk the fine line between stinky carpet and serene, clean hardwood or tile. Enjoy warm floors, without the smell.

Look Behind You

Even a hardwood floor and clean sheets won’t solve all bedroom odors. One surprising source of lingering odor is the spot behind your pillows. If you don’t use a headboard, hair and skin oils build up on the wall, and can eventually cause the surface to shine or take on a greasy, gray look.

Clean it!

Clean the area behind your pillows – wall or headboard – 2-3x per week. Use warm soapy water and a soft microfiber damp cloth, or cleaning wipes with disinfectant to finish the job quickly and effectively.

As an alternative, you can use vinegar to clean. It does a great job eliminating musty smells no matter the source. If the vinegar scent is too strong, dilute it with water and keep it in a spray bottle for fast and easy cleaning.

Ventilation

The last source of musty odor we’ll mention is one that is easy to fix. Overnight, your body releases odors. Stinky breath, sweat, sex, and even flatulence. Not exactly an appetizing aroma.

Clear the air by making sure that your room is properly ventilated. If necessary, use an air purifier with a HEPA-type filter to help trap musty odors. If the weather cooperates, open your windows to let as much fresh air in as possible. Ideally, leave the windows open for at least 30 minutes.

Consider running ceiling fans throughout your home to keep air moving throughout the entire house. Run your ventilation fans in the bathrooms to help remove moisture after a shower, too. This helps prevent mold growth and musty smells.

Regularly check your HVAC filters to make sure they’re clean. If you can’t see the filter media, it’s time for a change. Dirty filters aren’t cleaning the air as it comes into your home.

WARNING: Do NOT Try to Mask the Odor

Using potpourri or other scented products to make your room smell nicer can actually do the opposite. Without proper & thorough cleaning and ventilation, your bedroom could develop a lavender-tinged musty smell. Like a locker room in summer.

Skip the fragrances, unless you do the cleaning first! If you want a natural air freshener to help, boil lemon peels with water. The lemony fragrance is sure to delight. You can also add orange or lime peels for some variety.

Do you have a plumbing problem? See our top 10 plumbers list.

photo credit: jinkazamah via photopin cc

The post How to Get Rid of Musty Smell In Your House & Make Your Home Smell Good first appeared on Upstairs Downstairs Cleaning Service.