Owning or renting a house or apartment has its fair share of interesting issues or complications. Some are more concerning than others, some are incredibly costly.
However, one of the most annoying problems that you can encounter is a mysterious smell or odor in your home.
Smells in the home are common. There are so many different things in our homes that can cause smells. Some of them are nice and some, not so much.
Smelling an odor that has no obvious cause can be disconcerting and frustrating. If you have an unusual smell in your home, you want answers, and we might have them.
In this article, we will look at what causes a pepper smell in your home, how to identify the cause, and how to remedy the situation.
There are a few things that can cause a pepper smell to occur in your home. Thankfully, there are ways to avoid the smell reoccurring. Simple home maintenance and ventilation can help to restore your home to a haven.
What Causes A Pepper Smell In My House?
Smelling an unusual smell in your home can be incredibly unsettling. Thankfully, there are a few possible reasons why you might suddenly smell pepper in your house.
It is important to note that all of these causes are a possibility and that you should investigate all potential causes to rule them out.
Sinus Infection
There are some causes of pepper smells that have nothing to do with your house. If it is only you who can smell pepper and no one else in your household can, it may be a sign that you are developing a sinus infection.
However, if multiple people can smell pepper, it is unlikely that you are all developing sinus infections.
Plants
If everyone in the house can smell pepper, it is possible that the cause is in or around your house. There are certain plants that give off the smell of pepper at certain times of the year.
If you can only smell pepper when the windows are open, it could be the aroma of a plant in your backyard that is seeping into your home.
Damp Or Mold
If the smell is definitely originating from inside your home, it could be due to the development of dampness or mold in your home.
It should be noted that dampness or mold won’t always smell like pepper but it can. You might not always be able to see the mold if it is hidden behind a fixture.
Bacteria
In a similar vein to dampness and mold, bacteria can also cause a pepper smell to develop in your home. This can also be a hidden cause that you have to search for a bit.
If bacteria is the cause of the pepper smell, it is most likely to occur where there is likely to be a development of bacteria such as in kitchens, areas where food is consumed, or even bathrooms.
How To Identify A Cause
Now that you know what can potentially cause an unexplained pepper odor in your home, you will want to find out exactly what is causing it.
You cannot begin to remedy the smell properly without finding the cause. There are a couple of ways that you can find the cause at home.
Follow The Scent
If you or someone in your household has a keen sense of smell, it may be possible to follow the scent to find the cause.
To make this easier, you should avoid using strong scented candles, air fresheners, or cleaning products for 12-24 hours before. This will give you the clearest pepper scent to follow.
Simply walk around your home to determine which room the scent is originating from. Once you have pinpointed the room, you can begin to look more in-depth to find the source.
This will likely involve moving furniture or emptying cupboards to properly find the scent.
There is a chance that the odor is emanating from an area that you are unable to access yourself such as behind a wall or a blocked-off fireplace.
In these instances, you may need to contact a professional or your landlord to gain access to the source of the odor.
Deep Clean
If you do not have a sharp sense of smell, you might need to be a little more in-depth and methodical about finding the source of the pepper smell.
If you are able to pinpoint the room that the smell is coming from, you can focus on that room. If the odor is more general, you will need to focus on the whole house.
Moving through the house or room, deep clean all accessible areas. This will include moving all movable furniture.
As you move through your home, cleaning each room, you will eventually come across the source of the smell.
When using the deep clean method, the source may not be visible. However, with proper cleaning, the pepper smell will still be eliminated.
How To Remove A Pepper Smell In The House
Whether you can pinpoint the source of the smell or not, there are a couple of surefire ways to remove the pepper smell from your home.
Ventilate
The easiest way to get rid of the pepper smell from your home is to ventilate the space. This is done more easily during the summer, but it may also need to be done in colder months.
To properly ventilate your home, open as many windows and doors as possible. This will be less when it is cold outside but every little helps.
The longer that you can leave the windows and exterior doors open, the better airflow you will get.
Ventilating your home regularly can help avoid any unpleasant or unwanted odors from developing within your home.
Deep Clean
Deep cleaning your home regularly can help to remove and avoid any unpleasant odors. If you have used this method to find the source of the odor, you don’t need to repeat it for a couple of months.
However, if you pinpointed using the smell alone, deep cleaning can help to avoid the smell returning.
Summary
There is nothing worse than an unwanted odor in your home, especially when you don’t know what is causing it.
Thankfully, a pepper smell in your home is quite easy to deal with and you can prevent it from returning with basic home maintenance.