How to Make a Teenage Boy’s Room Smell Better
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Have you ever walked into your teenage son’s room and thought, “Woah! What died in here?” If you have, you’re not alone. Maybe your son is playing sports, maybe the house has been really hot and he’s been sweating a lot, or maybe there’s simply no reason that you can think of that your son’s room smells so bad. Lots of parents have encountered this issue, so I conducted some online research to see how other parents solved this problem. Read on for the recommendations.
Air Fresheners & Wall Plug Ins & Soaps
If it’s been awhile since you’ve taken a walk down the air freshener aisle, then do yourself a favor and visit it NOW. There are so many scents to help repel the variety of smells coming from your son’s room. Febreze has some great options. Besides the classic Febreze scent, the two scents that many moms swore by were Febreze Air Heavy Duty and Febreze with a Tide scent.
Walton Wood Farm creates soaps called “Men Don’t Stink” and “Boys Don’t Stink” that have some great reviews.
If air fresheners aren’t your thing, then check out the wall plug ins or disposable sitting units. Febreze offers a small spaces disposable unit with Gain. These work great in closets and on desk tops.
Several others suggested using Bath and Body Wallflowers plug ins, Scentsy plug ins, and even Scentsy mini fans with the pods in front of it works wonders for improving smell.
If you’re more into essential oils, a few people said that thieves is good to spray on everything and will kill germs. Diffusers from Thymely Solutions with a package of pads and essential oils also help with the smell.
Give Their Shoes Some Love
Be sure to pay some attention to the boy’s shoes! Putting some baking soda in their shoes can help pull out odors. Spraying shoes with Febreze or an odor reducing shoe spray that you can get at an athletic store will help. Some people even said they would remove their son’s insoles, spray both sides of the insoles with Lysol, wash the shoes, and then stick them on the boot dryer. The boot dryer is great for killing any remaining bacteria that is left behind in shoes.
Washing Dirty Clothes and Bedding
Boys sweat A LOT! Make sure your son has at least two sets of sheets for his bed, and then wash his sheets twice a week. Add a capful of Lysol Disinfectant Laundry Soap to help remove any bad smells. Others swore by adding Odoban Spray with eucalyptus to their son’s laundry. While the sheets are off the bed, sprinkle baking soda on the mattress, let it sit for about a half hour, and then vacuum it up. Baking soda helps absorb bad smells.
While you’re at it, be sure to have him check his bedroom for any dirty clothes. Make him look underneath things in his room as well. A pair of dirty socks under a bed can create an awful smell!
Find a Place to Keep Smelly Items
Don’t let them leave their smelly items in their bedrooms or another room in the house. If they play sports, have them throw anything that can be washed immediately into the washing machine and wash it.
Then find a place to keep things that can’t be washed or are too difficult to be washed every day. Some suggestions on where to keep these items included storing them in the garage or a mudroom that isn’t used by guests. This helps keep the foul smell out of the house. Placing charcoal bags in rooms where smelly items are stored will help absorb the smell.
Clean the Carpet
While this might seem extreme, it really can work. Sprinkle baking soda all over the top of the carpet and let it sit. It will pull the smell out of the carpet. After about an hour, vacuum it up. Use a carpet cleaner to finish cleaning the carpet.
Keep the Trash Picked Up
Teenage boys are great at throwing trash all over their room. From candy wrappers, chip bags, pop cans, to dirty Kleenex, it never seems to find a way into a trash can. Trash will create unpleasant smells and attract mice and bugs. Get your son a trash can for his room, then set an alarm on your phone to check his room once a week to make sure the trash has found its way into the trash can. Throwing trash away will also help your son see any dirty clothes that need picked up and washed.
An Uphill Battle
There’s no question it takes A LOT of work to keep a teenage boy’s room smelling clean. However, if you make a consistent effort to follow the advice of the veteran moms above, you will make headway into the never ending battle.
Do you have a different method for keeping your teenage son’s room from smelling? If so, please share it in the comments below. Happy cleaning!
