Selling a smelly house is very difficult even in a strong seller’s market.  The most common odors are from pets and cigarette smoke. The fastest way to get rid of smoke and pet odors is to remove anything that has been exposed like carpet and furniture.  And of course get the pet perpetrator out and stop smoking in the house.  Paint over any surface that can be painted.  If it can’t be painted the seller should try washing the surface down with vinegar and water.  There are some great spray products that will remove some level of odor.  ZEP has a smoke odor eliminator, and Powerhouse Foam No Vacuum Carpet Refresher works on pet odor.  If the carpet is in good shape some carpet cleaners have odor neutralizers.  They will fog the interior and then run an ozone machine for 24 hours to further neutralize the odor.  All these efforts will help but the HVAC duct work is a lot harder to clean.  

 

I listed a condo and the owners had replaced all the flooring and painted the entire house including the cabinets.  Despite all these efforts the condo still smelled like smoke based on the feedback from buyers and their realtors.  I purchased some ZEP and it seemed to help until the power went out during a storm.  The AC stopped working and the smell of smoke came back with a vengeance.  I finally figured out the smell was in the ductwork.  Once the AC was back on I sprayed ZEP over the filter and by the cold air returns.  This helped and the condo sold.  But I was still in search of a better solution that would also remove odors from ductwork.  

 

I found a company called SmellFresh Arizona.  They use a three-step process to eliminate odors and they clean the duct work. Their pricing is flat fee based on the size of the house and results are guaranteed.  The best way to have the odors eliminated is the get out of the house for a couple days so the chemicals and equipment can do their job.  Once the house smells good it will sell a lot faster and for more money.