DOES YOUR HOUSE SMELL BAD BECAUSE OF BABY? 

Does your house smell bad because of baby? How to ensure it remains fresh? House-keeping skills come instinctively to most house-wives. While some have to learn them, a lot of it is just plain common sense.

Taking care of a baby and looking after a house mean a lot of hard work. One of the problems a mother faces is, how to keep a house clean, neat, sweet-smelling and fresh.

In a country like ours, where it is hot most of the year, things do decompose and spoil quickly. Prompt action is required.

NAPPY SMELLS:

I have seen soiled nappies piled up in a corner in some rooms. As soon as you enter the baby’s room, you are hit with the odor of urine and ammonia. Either the lady of the house is too used to the smell or is too tired to care.

It goes without saying, that for the sake of the health and well- being of the family, you’ll need to take an interest.

Disposable nappies are easy to use but they are environmentally polluting. Reusable fabric nappies mean laundry work—but are ecologically sound in the long run. So it is good to use the reusable ones regularly and the disposable ones for emergencies. Empty the contents of the nappies promptly into the pot in the wash room, and soak the nappies  in soapy water and antiseptic solution. You can wash a whole lot of them together and hang them out to dry.

Don’t pile up disposable nappies in the washroom- they raise a very strong bad smell. Get rid of them as soon as possible.

STALE MILK AND BABY FOOD:

Sometimes, because of the demands made on a mother, milk bottles and half empty bowls of baby food are left lying around. They stink. Again, promptness is the key. Obviously, you’ll not feed your baby stale and foul-smelling food!  So empty these containers and rinse them; you can sterilize them later when you get time.

After breast feeding, clean your baby’s face thoroughly- clean his clothing too—promptly.

BED LINEN NEEDS TO BE AIRED AND CHANGED REGULARLY:

If your baby is sleeping in his own cot, the bed linen won’t be so heavy- so you can wash the sheets and hang them out to dry. Put fresh sheets on. The blankets need to be put out in the sun.

The rubber mat and sheet on which you lay you baby for changing nappies needs to be washed and dried very often.

The bed linen and your baby’s clothing needs to be absolutely dry before using – otherwise everything would smell and it would be easy for germs to breed.

AIR THE ROOM:

Open the windows to let fresh air and sunlight in. Even if you have an AC, at least give the room/ house an airing for at least two hours if not more.

Although use of chemicals should be kept to the minimum, sometimes the use of an air freshener helps. Take the baby out of the room while it is being sprayed.