Be Aware of Lurking Odours

Be aware of lurking odours in your house during the winter months especially when you are trying to sell it.  What you can't smell, others might, as all houses have their own particular odour as a result of how people live in them. 
With the heat on and windows and doors closed most of the time, cooking odours, pet odours, and (yes) people odours linger and get into the fabrics of the house.  This can be a real turnoff to prospective buyers and leaves an unfortunate negative first impression.
Tips to eliminate or even prevent nasty odours:

• Pets
• Change letter boxes for cats daily
• Change bedding for caged pets frequently
• Groom and bath pets regularly
• Better yet, send Fido or Spot to their local animal spa or relative for a short while
• Wash pet bedding and toys
• Carpets and Furnishings
• Have all carpets, drapes and cloth furnishings professionally cleaned
• Wash bedding linens and towels frequently (I am amazed how many people don't do this anyway)
• Clean, clean, clean
• Bathrooms need to be pristine
• Kitchens spotless
• Keep the laundry up (nothing worse than smelling someone elses dirty laundry)
• Use Eco friendly cleaning products with little or no scent
• Think about where you are storing stinky, wet boots and running shoes!  A container away from the main living area might be the answer or wear them when leaving!
• Watch out for mildew and mold formation as a result of too much moisture
• Change filters on your furnace as recommended by the manufacturer

Now is not the time to experiment with new exotic dinner recipes or cook highly odoriferous foods.  You don't want prospective buyers guessing what you had for dinner two nights ago!  If you smoke, do so outside and hide the evidence.  Also, if you like to have a before dinner cocktail, wine with dinner and beers watching the game, watch out (for many reasons) for the residual smells they leave behind.  Again having your house smelling like a tavern may be a deal breaker!
When you are selling your house at this time make a habit of airing out the house daily by opening a few windows and doors for about five minutes.  This allows all the stale odours to escape and fresh air to come in.  A fresh smelling house is worth the few extra dollars it might take in increased heating costs.  If you have a scheduled showing again air the house out for a few minutes before you leave.  Perfumed candles (never leave on when you leave for a showing), air fresheners and pot pourri are not the answer and sometimes leave the buyer wondering what you are covering up.  The baked bread and cookie smells are now a bit cliche and besides, they are a lot of work.  As a last resort use an electronic air cleaner, but this should not be necessary if you follow the above suggestions.
Our sense of smell belongs to the oldest part of our brain and can conjure up many emotions at the unconscious level so be very conscious about how you deal with household odours. 

If you want some more specific ideas about preventing or eliminating lurking (and not nice) odours in your house when selling contact HomeReady Home Staging for more ideas.