Why Does My Bedroom Smell Bad?

You need an appealing, calming bedroom for relaxation and restful sleep after a hard day of work. Odd or unpleasant smells quickly ruin your sense of sanctuary. Bad smells spread into your bedroom through a number of ways, and the cause may be difficult to pinpoint. Start by reviewing a few common causes for a foul-smelling bedroom.

Dirty, musty clothes leave a disgusting smell lingering in your bedroom even after you've washed your laundry. The smell can settle on your bed linens or stick to the carpet under the clothes. If your bedroom smells like body odor, try hanging a sock full of charcoal in the room, says Good Housekeeping. Activated charcoal absorbs airborne odors. Launder everything that came in contact with the clothes, and wash out your hamper regularly with a deodorizing surface cleaner.

Each night you lie on the same mattress and sweat, drool and shed skin flakes into it. No wonder a mattress eventually begins to ruin the air of your bedroom. Nighttime bed-wetting also leads to smelly mattresses. Enzyme cleaners dissolve tough stains that smell like urine, according to the Bedwetting Store. Getting the sweat and skin flakes out is nearly impossible, so you may need to replace it.

Spills and piles of dirty clothes seep their scents into the carpet fibers and underlying foam pad. Dirty carpets release these offensive odors for years after the initial cause is gone. Try deodorizing your bedroom carpets with baking soda, recommends Annie B. Bond at Care2. The baking soda absorbs odors and vacuums up easily. Next, if a thorough shampooing doesn't kill the smell, the carpet and pad may need replacement, or they will continue to foul up your bedroom.

Hidden bits of moldy food and a pet's out-of-sight accident both lead to unwanted smells in your bedroom with no obvious cause. Even if you keep your bedroom clean, trash and dust accidentally finds its way under the bed or trapped below a dresser. If you have furniture that is low to the floor and difficult to lift up, move everything out for a deep clean. Pets often return to a spot they've used as a bathroom before, so keep pets out if you undercover an accident until you've cleaned it up.