. Are we the smelly family?: My son has a buddy who lives across the street. My neighbors’ house has a distinctive, clean laundry smell about it. The interior of their house smells like it, as do all of the human people in their family! After my son spends some time there, he also comes home smelling like their home and family. Which is fine! It’s not a bad smell! But it’s got me wondering what OUR home smells like and what THEIR children go home smelling like after hanging out at our house. I’m sure it’s dog. Wet dog, stinky dog, hairy dog, all dog. But I don’t know. Am I panicking for no reason? I just don’t understand how their house smells so good. They have a dog too! Is there some grown-up, good-smelling house secret I don’t have? I’m a terrible adult.
A: My official ruling is this: If you are sufficiently panicked about what your home smells like that you write to an advice columnist, you (this “you” extends to the other members of your family as well) should clean your house. Give your dog the occasional bath if it smells; dry your dog off with a towel if it’s wet. The secret to a good-smelling house is to clean it semi-regularly; there are no special house-smelling secrets that the rest of the world is keeping from you.
Yes, febreze. There was a period when #2 was throwing up a lot. And we had carpet. And no matter what I used to clean the carpet, if you got down there and sniffed, you could still smell it. (Now I know, no one gets their nose in the carpet to smell it, but it still bothered me.) A couple squirts of Fabreze and the smell went away and stayed away. At least for the couple years until we replaced the carpet with hardwoods.
Not going to lie, this is my biggest household concern. I hate houses that smell like animals. Since we have two dogs and a cat, I am hyper vigilant in my cleaning.
The dogs get bathed twice a month (once by the groomer - who shaves the shedder and trims the buttocks of the furry pup and once by DH or I) and a dry shampoo if they are extra smelly. I vacuum every day. I wash the floors twice a week. And I clean out the kitty litter every day.
And I use a combination of Frebreeze and Plug-ins along with candles. I tried diffusers, but I would need two difussuers for my living room and there just wasn't anyplace to plug two in.
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“One day, you will be old enough to start reading fairytales again.”
C.S.Lewis
But unless you saw them smoking, you couldn't tell in their house.
Mawmaw cleaned daily.
She washed the curtains every month, the bed clothes was washed bi weekly, everything got vacuumed daily, floors mopped daily, bathrooms cleaned daily, dusted daily.
She also worked full time so the "had time cause she stayed at home" isn't a factor.
She just did it.
Their cars didn't smell of smoke.
Cleaning makes a big, big difference.
-- Edited by lilyofcourse on Wednesday 7th of September 2016 01:05:08 PM
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A flock of flirting flamingos is pure, passionate, pink pandemonium-a frenetic flamingle-mangle-a discordant discotheque of delirious dancing, flamboyant feathers, and flamingo lingo.
Yes, febreze. There was a period when #2 was throwing up a lot. And we had carpet. And no matter what I used to clean the carpet, if you got down there and sniffed, you could still smell it. (Now I know, no one gets their nose in the carpet to smell it, but it still bothered me.) A couple squirts of Fabreze and the smell went away and stayed away. At least for the couple years until we replaced the carpet with hardwoods.
Well crap! Now i want to rip out all my carpets! lol
We keep the animals in the basement - our family room is down there. The basement was finished with laminate floors, and my FAVORITE thing to freshen the smell down there is Swiffer Wet cloths with Febreze in them. It makes the whole basement smell good.
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LawyerLady
I can explain it to you, but I can't understand it for you.
We have one pet. A Doodle. We just got her in April so she's still a pup. I bath her whenever she needs it, which is usually at weekly, depending on much walking and playing she gets outside.
As for smells, i try to vacuum and keep the house clean. But, honestly, with 5 people living here and coming and going then there times of dirty
I want to rip out the last few rooms of carpet we have.
I'd rather have ugly 70s vinyl linoleum than carpet.
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A flock of flirting flamingos is pure, passionate, pink pandemonium-a frenetic flamingle-mangle-a discordant discotheque of delirious dancing, flamboyant feathers, and flamingo lingo.
I will use an old knee high stocking, fill it with Arm and Hammer and shake it over my carpets.
Leave it for an hour, or even all day, then vacuum it up.
Doesn't hurt the carpet or the Monster.
No perfume smells.
Just absorbs any odor.
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A flock of flirting flamingos is pure, passionate, pink pandemonium-a frenetic flamingle-mangle-a discordant discotheque of delirious dancing, flamboyant feathers, and flamingo lingo.
I have to keep my carpet upstairs. When you are in the basement, you can't hear anything upstairs in the rooms with carpet, but the hard floors? Sounds like elephants running through constantly.
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LawyerLady
I can explain it to you, but I can't understand it for you.
A flock of flirting flamingos is pure, passionate, pink pandemonium-a frenetic flamingle-mangle-a discordant discotheque of delirious dancing, flamboyant feathers, and flamingo lingo.
They can put down a soundproofing barrier under the hardwoods, LL. We didn't go with that, as it was more expensive and I wanted to hear what was going on upstairs.
They can put down a soundproofing barrier under the hardwoods, LL. We didn't go with that, as it was more expensive and I wanted to hear what was going on upstairs.
Eventually, when we replace the floors, we will do that - but we have no reason to replace them right now.
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LawyerLady
I can explain it to you, but I can't understand it for you.
