Everyone likes a fresh, neat, and clean house. To gain this freshness, many of us clean the floor every day. Unfortunately, the floor smells bad after mopping due to the lack of knowledge about the cleaning methods. Some other facts keep freshness from entering the house even after sweeping.
Instead, it leaves a wet, smelly floor which is intolerable sometimes. So here I will show you how to deal if the floor smells terrible.
In my 20 years of experience, I have seen many reasons why a floor smells after moping, inadequate drying, trapping moisture and fostering mold or mildew growth, and residual dirt left behind by ineffective cleaning methods, are the most common of them.
To get rid of this problem, you need to dig up the exact reason and deal with it. But it won’t be possible unless you know all the possible causes and how to deal with them. Let’s go into the article.
7 Reasons For Floor Smells Bad After Mopping:
Floors are the best place for germs to roam around as this is the most usable part, which is hard to keep clean. It can also cause a foul odor if it is not cleaned correctly, so now you don’t need to worry about this step. Here I will share seven reasons for making your floor smelly even after mopping.
1. Mop With Dirty Water:
If you clean your floor with dirty water, it can spread a bad smell after mopping. Polluted water contains different types of germs. As a result, the germs spread the stench. It is also risky for your health, so you should mop your floor with lukewarm water.
2. Cleaning The Floor With Only Water:
So many people clean their floors with only water. The floor can be the dirtiest place than any other place in the whole house. So, your floor with the best water is not enough for a treat. You will find many kinds of washing powder in the market, so buy any of them and wash your floor.
On the other hand, the mixture of baking soda, salt, and soap is also excellent for cleaning the floor. Make a good mixture of those ingredients and spray the whole house. Leave it for 15/20 minutes and clean it.
3. Avoiding The Carpet While Mopping :
The carpet laying place is the dirtiest place than any other house’s place. So naturally, this place is the most polluted, but we forget to clean the carpet laying space when mopping the floor. For this reason, the floor can be smelly even after mopping the floor daily.
4. The Mop Is Not Clean Enough:
If the mop is not clean enough, it will spread the mess instead of cleaning it. Sometimes people don’t wash their mop ideally or don’t dry it after use. As a result, the mop starts to smell bad and spreads the smell. And this can be the main reason for the smelly floor. So, make sure you are not doing this if you want a lovely floor.
5. The Floor Has Some Defects:
Some floors are made of tiles and have gaps, which quickly catch the dirt and don’t get cleaned easily. So it is evident that these gaps will hold germs and bacteria, which can cause a foul smell. So, check your floor first if there is any gap. Then try to fill in the gaps as soon as possible.
6. The Mop Is Unable To Clean The Floor:
Not every mop is good enough to clean all types of floors. So, using the unfit or wrong mop can cause damage to your floor and even spread a kind of awful smell, which indicates a lack of proper Cleanliness. Hence, try to use a quality mop for cleaning the floor.
7. Storing Mop In The Wrong Place:
If you store your mop in a dump, wet place, the mop won’t get enough sunlight or the air to get dry. As a result, it will stay damp and smelly and spread bad smells everywhere.
Also, some people keep their mop moist in the water or detergent water, which doesn’t allow the mop to dry and causes a smelly mop that results in a smelly floor. Therefore, those are the common reasons for smelly floors.
8 Ways To Get Rid Of Bad Smells After Mopping: Perfect Solutions
It’s not hard to get rid of this smelly floor problem if you can detect the exact reason. If the reason behind it is dirt, use soap to clean the floor. There are so many ways to clean the bottom, and below are some of the most effective methods to clean:
1. Deodorize The Floor With Baking Soda:
Spread a few amounts of baking soda on the entire floor and leave it for the whole night. It will create a pleasant smell on the floor. You can also clean the floor by mixing baking soda with water. It will not spread a nasty smell on your floor.
2. Cleaning With The Baking Soda :
On the next day, clean the baking soda from the floor with water. After that, make the same vinegar solution and clean the floor again. Let the floor dry well. After following those steps, you can feel the difference. And I am sure you are going to love it.
3. Need A Change In The Cleaning Method:
Many people use only hot water to clean the floor. But they may not know that hot water is not always enough to keep the house fresh and clean. You may need some detergent, cleaning powder, or liquid to get the perfect Cleanliness. As a result, your floor smells even after the mopping every day.
You should remember one thing: your mopping method can also be the reason for smelling your floor badly after mopping. If you find out that, you need to follow some basic tricks to remove the smells, so here are the steps below.
4. Use Perfect Mop:
Using the perfect mop is very important for cleaning. So try to choose a mop that can clean your floor perfectly and dry off quickly. And remember one thing products bought cheaply are not always good. So, try to buy a good quality mop.
5. Use Of Vinegar And Baking Soda:
The mixture of vinegar and baking soda is beneficial for removing the unwanted odor from the floor. Also, it works great to remove any strong stain sticking to your beautiful flooring. So using this mixture will help you get rid of this stinky floor.
6. Use Of Disinfectant Aromatic Cleanser:
You will find a lot of disinfectant aromatic cleansers in the market. Choose any of them. These will not only clean the house but also spread freshness all around. They have fewer harmful ingredients. So if you are looking for a safe and hygienic cleanser, you can use this cleaner.
7. Storing The Mop In a Dry Place:
Never store your mop in the water. It won’t let the smell go from your mop. Always try to keep the mop in the open dry place, so the mop gets enough air to breathe and dry up perfectly. As a result, your mop will stay fresh and won’t smell anymore.
8. Drying The Floor After Mopping:
Make sure the floor dries up perfectly after mopping, as it will help the foundation stay out of smell and keep stain-free Because germs spread quickly in wet, damp places. As a result, bad smells can apply easily. So always try to keep your floor dry after mopping.
Tips To Smell Fresh And Promising After Mopping:
We all like to keep the house clean and tidy, but in many cases, this does not happen because they do not follow some essential tips. Here are some basic tricks that may help you.
- Keep The Floor Dry Always:
Always try to wipe the dirt right after it falls onto the floor. Let the window stay open, so the fresh air can easily make the floor dry.
Avoid roaming around after mopping the house until it dries up entirely. If water ever falls on the floor, try to remove it immediately.
- Add Essential Oils
If you want to make your floor smell fresh, add a few drops of essential oils to the water with which you will clean the floor.
It will give you a great fresh smell; even essential oils have natural healing properties. They are also free from chemical and unnatural fillers.
- Use Hot Water
Try to use hot water with a splash of bleach and a few drops of dish soap. The bleach scent dissipates quickly. This will prevent odors from spreading from your floor and create a beautiful fragrance throughout your home.
Related Questions:
Why Does Your House Smell Bad Even After Cleaning?
The main reason is you are just cleaning your house, not killing the germs and bacteria. This is the ultimate reason for smelly floors. To avoid this odor, all your need to do is clean all the germs from the floor. Then you can hope for a lovely house or floor.
You don’t just have to clean the floor with water. Since the germs spread the stench most of the time, they should be cleaned thoroughly so that they can be destroyed.
How Do You Get Rid Of The Smell On The Floor?
There are so many ways to get rid of the smelly floor. Also, you will find tons of solutions to this problem. But not all of those will help you. Here I am sharing tips that can help you:
Take Water, Vinegar, Baking soda, Salt, and Dishwashing soap. After that, combine all ingredients in a bowl and mix it well until you see a mild mixture. Take the mixture into a spray bottle and spray it on the floor. Leave it for 30 minutes, then clean the floor with warm water. And let the floor dry well.
Why Does Your Floor Smell Like A Wet Dog?
Most people face this problem just because of carelessness. Sometimes we notice our floor exactly smells like rotten eggs. It feels so awkward. The main reason behind this is not to clean the floor properly.
That means you are not cleaning the corner of your house perfectly. To get rid of this problem, take a tablespoon of bleach and add it to the water. It helps to kill bacteria and keep the floor always clean and sparkling.
How Do You Keep Your House Smelling Fresh?
Adding essential oil with the mop water and mopping the floor. Use vanilla essence and lemon water mixed with the mop water. Spread baking soda on the carpet before sweeping. Take coffee grounds and lemon juice together, spray it in the corner of your house, and then vacuum it.
Using citrus peels in the garbage disposal. Pouring boiling water down the drain and into the toilet. Clean the air vents regularly. Use lemon and salt water to clean extra oiliness. Those things help to smell fresh in your house.
Why Does Your House Smell Earthy Or Unhealthy?
Your house can smell earthy because of excessive humidity. Excessive humidity is a significant cause of suffocation. This water can come from a leaky pipe hidden in the wall, a damp basement, or even a wet towel piled up in the bathroom.
You can eliminate this problem by using essential oils and vanilla essences. They will give you a fresh scent. This will revitalize your home.
Will A Dehumidifier Get Rid Of The Rusty Smell?
A dehumidifier helps to get rid of the rusty smells. It also helps to moisten the air and hold odor. People use it most of the time to remove the rotten odors from home.
Dehumidifiers help make a room feel less damp. Otherwise, excessive moisture can bring a musty smell. The dehumidifier removes excess moisture from the air. This can have a massive impact on your home environment. But the dehumidifier takes so long to work. You have to wait 24 hours to make it work well.
Final Verdict:
Most of the time, people think a smelly floor is typical, but they are wrong. Your cleaning method can be the reason why the floor smells bad after mopping, so you should know how to get rid of the floor’s terrible smell.
You have to find out the reason behind that and also the solution. Because it can be harmful to the children or your loving pets, we have given all possible ways that can help in this article.
I don’t think the title of your article matches the content lol. Just kidding, mainly because I had some doubts after reading the article.
While it is awesome you’ve shared this vast knowledge about smelly floors and the cais3s and fixes, what about sharing what 5o so when it’s the sub floor under tiles that are lifted.if source filling in the gaps and fixing the lifts are imperative but what to do to the floor underneath and do so without completely removing the tiles? I’m renting an old pioneer home and they did some shoddy remodeling efforts including the fake wood flooring laminate and many of them are lifting due to the lack of leveling the subfloor first. The house shifts and the u level floor leaves the laminate lifting. To make matters worse, the walls and foundation have had various leakage that has allowed more than a fair amount of water in and for how long I will never even be able to guesstimate. What I’m going to dedicate is that between the water fermenting along with he dirt and who knows what else that has been blooming from down under for what is likely centuries now, has created a smell that isn’t noticeable all the time, but when it is it is like deathly rot with a splash of mold and feet. I realiz3 sealing it is necessary but I’m not trying to seal the smell in with it. I’ve put down vinegar on the parts that are lifted. But then that’s trapped under there and I’m sure I’m not able to get all of it up even with the most powerful cleaner or vacuum. As I stated, I am merely renting and not wanting f to take on the coat or the duty it would require to pull even half the flooring and start over. I also don’t plan to be there forever but while I am, I would appreciate the smell not residing along with me. It took me months of scrubbing and steam cleaning and ridding of furniture before I realized what the source actually was. Now that i know where it is coming from, well, I’m at a loss of what to do about it.
Hello Meagan,
I understand your concern about the lifted laminate flooring and the persistent smell in your rental home. Dealing with this situation can be challenging, especially when you don’t want to undertake a major renovation project. Here are some steps you can take to address the issues without completely removing the tiles:
Clean and Seal the Subfloor:
Start by thoroughly cleaning the subfloor beneath the lifted laminate tiles. You can use a mixture of warm water and mild detergent or a specialized subfloor cleaner to remove any dirt and contaminants. Be sure to allow it to dry completely.
Once the subfloor is clean, consider using a sealing primer specifically designed for subfloors. This will help seal any remaining odors and prevent them from rising through the floor.
Address the Lifted Tiles:
For the lifted laminate tiles, you can try a simple fix by injecting adhesive or flooring glue underneath the lifted areas. Carefully lift the tiles and apply the adhesive, then press the tiles back down firmly. Use heavy objects or weights to keep the tiles in place while the adhesive dries.
Neutralize Odors:
To combat the persistent smell, you can use odor-neutralizing products like baking soda or activated charcoal. Sprinkle a generous amount of baking soda on the subfloor and let it sit for several hours or overnight before vacuuming it up. Activated charcoal can also be placed in small containers and left in the room to absorb odors.
Improve Ventilation:
Ensure good ventilation in the room. Use fans and open windows regularly to allow fresh air to circulate and help reduce odors.
Consult with Your Landlord:
Since you are renting the property, it’s essential to discuss the issue with your landlord or property management. They may have their own recommendations or be willing to address the underlying problems, such as water damage or subfloor leveling.
Long-Term Solutions:
While you may not want to take on a major renovation, consider discussing with your landlord the possibility of a more permanent solution, such as replacing the laminate flooring or addressing any water damage issues. This would not only improve the smell but also the overall condition of the home.
Remember that these solutions are temporary fixes, and the underlying issues with the subfloor and water damage may persist. Your landlord should be aware of these issues and play a role in resolving them for the long-term benefit of the property.