It’s a moment almost everyone has had. That time when I clean the house, I think it’s fresh and tidy, I leave for a few hours and then I come back only to realize that my house smells bad! Sometimes it’s because of a meal I’d been cooking a few hours before. Sometimes it’s because the cat’s litter has been left sitting a little too long. And sometimes it’s a result of the kids making one too many messy spills. But either way, realizing that my own house smells bad is not a fun experience!
It’s called going noseblind, and as silly as the name is, it is a very real phenomenon. In fact, living in an older house with odd circulation, I’ve even noticed it in different areas of the house! Zackary’s room is directly under the kitchen and for whatever reason the smell of the food I’m cooking seems to seep up right into his room. It’s lots of fun when I’m baking cookies but if I’ve been frying onions, I’ll often find his room still smells hours after I’ve stopped noticing the odour in the rest of the house!
And being noseblind isn’t just annoying to the person suffering from it; it’s annoying to others as well. Febreze recently surveyed Canadians to get the smelly truth about how they react to odours and here are the results:
- 93% of Canadians would like to know if their homes smelled bad. Wouldn’t you?!
- But we’re just too nice: only 63% of us would tell someone if their home smells
- 48% of Canadians believe that a smelly home is the sign of a dirty, lazy homeowner. Ouch!!
- So, what are the worst home smells? Garbage, pet odours and smoking smells
- Back on the dating scene or have a teen who’s trying to impress? For 61% of Canadians, the smell of their date’s home is a deal breaker, and 28% would make a quick exit if their date’s home smelled.
- Excuses, excuses: 36% of Canadians have either avoided visiting friends with smelly abodes or make it a quick stop.
- Doorbell or warning bell? 37% of Canadians panic when unexpected guests drop by. Is your home always ready for guests?
- 45% of us dread visiting homes with pets because of the smell. Don’t let Fido take the blame, take action!
- Pull over, driver! 58% of people have wanted to get out of someone’s car because of its smell

Luckily, there is a solution for anyone that is worried they may be noseblind! I have been a Febreze devotee for years now because instead of just covering up odours, it actually eliminates them from the air. In fact, on a recent trip to Cincinnati, I even learned just how Febreze was developed. By slightly altering a doughnut-shaped molecule used in Bounce dryer sheets, scientists learned that the doughnut-shape actually pulled surrounding scents into the center of the molecule, removing them from the air!
Need to cure your own case of noseblindness? Febreze is here to help with a fabulous giveaway! One lucky Mommy Kat and Kids reader is going to win a Febreze prize pack containing Febreze Air Effects Meadows & Rain, Febreze Set & Refresh Starter Kit, Febreze Fabric Refresher Meadows & Rain, Febreze Car Vent Clip Air Freshener Meadows & Rain, Febreze NOTICEables Duel Scented Oil Warmer, Febreze NOTICEables Dual Scented Oil Refill Meadows & Rain and a Febreze Stick & Refresh Fresh Meadows Air Freshener Starter Kit, a $50 total value! To enter to win, just leave a blog comment about a time you went noseblind or a time you encountered somebody else that was!
Visit noseblind.ca to learn more about combatting the phenomenon known as being noseblind, and don’t forget to stock up on Febreze for those times that you’re just not sure what scents your house is hiding! Personally, I tend to use the Febreze Air Effects air freshening spray every time somebody arrives at the house…just in case! Being noseblind may be a pain, but at least Febreze makes the problem easy to combat!
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I lived in an apartment with some mold for awhile and I got used to it. When I had visitors they noticed the smell! So glad I moved.
When I have visited family in Nova Scotia, I feel like they are noseblind to their compost bins in their yards!
Home of one of our relatives smells like cats. I am sure she is noseblind to it.
One of my buddies apartments smelled so bad like cat pee. It was disgusting.
I am noseblind to some of the food smells in our apartment. We don’t notice the smells after a while, but if we step out and come back in side it can be overwhelming.
This happened to me when I accidentally put a bag of garbage in the closet and forgot about it! Oops!
I live on a farm where there are many smells! I’ve become “noseblind” to some of them as they are just a part of everyday life now.
I am noseblind when I cook with garlic or with onions!
I’m pretty much noseblind to my cat’s litter box odors; others, however, are not!
I was noseblind to the musty smell in my home.We had some loose duct work under the air vent in the living room and, even though it had been repaired the musty odor still lingered I noticed that when I have left my home and returned and opened the door that I could smell it.