Don't let the "Smell" stop the Sale!

If the reason you're reading this article has something to do with the picture.... Got Ya!

Spicy cooking can taste great. Some of your favorite ingredients may be cayenne pepper, garlic, cumin or peppercorns, but others may not find these smells so appealing. People will try to associate the smells of you home with living there with their families. If spicy cooking isn't their thing, this may tell potential buyers that this isn't their house. This doesn't mean you should stop cooking your favorite foods, though. Keep your kitchen's exhaust fan on and keep the windows open to let the air circulate. Also, boiling lemon or orange peels will help neutralize the odors.

House odors are number one on the home selling uh-oh list. And narrowing it down, odors from cigarette smoke and pets take top billing, with food odors and mildew not far behind.

If you smoke indoors--the house smells like cigarettes. If you have pets, the house might smell bad--even if you don't notice it. Ask someone who doesn't live there to take a sniff, and don't get angry when they tell you the truth.

Here are a few other tips to have a clean smelling and fast selling home:

1. Take out the trash before showing. That simple.

2. Tell the children to keep stinky shoes in the garage.

3. Sprinkle baking powder on the carpet before vacuuming.

4. Vinegar - your new best friend. Use vinegar to clean floors, countertops, and bathrooms. (1/2 cup to one gallon of hot water.) A stronger vinegar mix dissolves hard-water scum on shower tile and glass enclosures.

5. Add essential oil drops to final rinse for floors.

6. Use essential oils in a diffuser instead of artificial sprays that some home shoppers may find offensive; they may think you're trying to mask a bigger problem like mildew, or even worse, they may be allergic to the artificial product and think your house makes them teary-eyed and sneezy.

7. Keep up with the laundry. Wash sneakers with a half-cup of added vinegar.

8. Wash all bed linens, even blankets, which hold odors. Use non-allergic scented fabric softener.

9. Check window coverings for musty smells.

10. Run a grapefruit or orange skin through your garbage disposal for a refreshing clean smell a few minutes before showing.