Remove Odours at Home in Singapore: Durian, Smoke, Pets, Drains, Damp

Last updated: 10 October 2026 · By the Sureclean cleaning team

Short answer: To remove odours at home in Singapore, find the source first, then clean and dry it rather than covering the smell. Durian and cooking smells fade with fresh air. Cigarette smoke and pet urine soak into curtains, sofas and mattresses, so those items need washing or professional cleaning. A drain smell usually means a dry floor trap. A musty smell points to damp or a dirty washing machine. For odours caused by bacteria, Sureclean’s disinfection starts from $265*.

Why do odours linger in Singapore homes?

Most stubborn smells in Singapore homes come back because the cause was covered up, not dealt with. Singapore is humid all year, so fabrics, grout and floor traps stay slightly damp. Damp is exactly what odour-causing bacteria and mould need. Air fresheners, scented candles and diffusers hide the smell for a few hours, and then it comes back.

Layout matters too. In many HDB and BTO flats the kitchen and service yard sit close to the bedrooms. Condo units often stay shut all day while the owners are at work, so smells have nowhere to go. Curtains, mattresses, sofas and rugs absorb odours and release them slowly for weeks.

Nearly every smell has the same fix: find the source, remove the residue, then dry the area properly. When bacteria are involved, such as pet accidents or a neglected bathroom, disinfection treats the cause, not just the smell.

How do you find where a smell is coming from?

Before you buy any product, spend 15 minutes tracing the smell. Go through this checklist room by room:

• Note when it is strongest. A smell that is worst after rain or first thing in the morning usually comes from damp or a drain. One that gets stronger when the fan is on usually comes from fabrics.
• Sniff the floor traps. Floor traps in bathrooms and service yards that are rarely used can dry out. Without water in the trap, sewer gas comes up the pipe.
• Open the washing machine. Look for black residue on the rubber door seal, in the detergent drawer and around the drum.
• Smell the fabrics up close. Sofa cushions, mattress sides and curtain hems hold smoke and pet odours.
• Look behind and underneath. Mould often grows in the cabinet under the sink, behind the fridge and on the back panels of wardrobes.
• Use a UV torch for pets. Dried urine glows under UV light, so you can find spots you cannot see.

Once you have found the source, treat that item. Cleaning the whole flat without finding it rarely works.

How do you get rid of durian and cigarette smoke smells?

Durian smells strong, but the smell does not last. Eat it near an open window or in the service yard. Seal leftovers in an airtight container before they go in the fridge, and wipe the fridge shelves with baking soda and water afterwards. A bowl of used coffee grounds or activated charcoal in the fridge absorbs what is left. In most homes the smell is gone within a day or two.

Cigarette smoke is much harder to remove. Tar and nicotine residue coats every surface, including walls, ceilings, curtains and soft furniture. The residue keeps giving off a smell long after the smoker has left. This is a common problem when buying a resale flat or taking over a rental unit.

• Wash hard surfaces and the insides of cabinets with warm water and a degreasing detergent.
• Clean the curtains, sofa fabric and mattresses, because they hold most of the smell.
• Clean or replace the filters in fans and air purifiers.
• If the walls have turned yellow, a painter can apply a stain-blocking coat as the last step.

What actually removes pet odours?

Pet odours usually come from urine that has soaked deep into a sofa, mattress, rug or the grout between tiles. Wiping the surface removes the stain you can see, but uric acid crystals stay underneath. They give off ammonia again whenever humidity rises, which is why the smell often comes back on wet days.

• Act fast: blot fresh accidents with paper towels. Do not rub.
• Use an enzyme cleaner: it breaks down the proteins in urine. Avoid ammonia-based products, which can smell like urine to pets and encourage them to mark the same spot again.
• Rinse and dry: blot the area with clean water, then dry it fully with a fan.
• Check the grout: grout on tiled floors absorbs urine and may need scrubbing.

A sofa or mattress with repeated accidents needs a wet clean, which reaches deeper than home methods. Sureclean offers mattress cleaning and fabric sofa cleaning. If a pet has been ill, disinfect the floors and pet areas afterwards.

Why do drains, washing machines and damp corners smell?

Drains. A rotten-egg smell in a bathroom or service yard usually means the floor trap has dried out. The water in the trap normally blocks sewer gas. Pour a bucket of water into unused floor traps every week. For the kitchen sink, take out the strainer and scrub off the grease. Then pour in baking soda followed by vinegar, and flush with hot water. If the smell comes from a shared pipe or the common corridor, report it to your Town Council or condo management, because they look after common drains.

Washing machines. Cool washes and leftover detergent leave a film inside the machine. The film smells musty and the smell transfers to your clothes. Run a hot cycle with the machine empty once a month, and leave the door open after each wash. If the smell stays, the residue is behind the drum. Removing it means taking the drum out, which is what washing machine cleaning does.

Damp and mould. Musty smells in wardrobes and bathrooms come from mould. Fix any leaks first. Then improve airflow, run a dehumidifier and wipe off the mould with a mould remover.

How much does odour removal cost in Singapore?

Most odours cost nothing to fix if you catch them early. When you do need professional help, you are not paying for “odour removal” as such. You are paying to clean whatever is causing the smell. Sureclean’s published prices, before GST:

• Disinfection (home or office): from $265*, typically $370–$475* per session.
• Fabric sofa cleaning: 3-seater $225*.
• Mattress cleaning: queen $140* dry or $165* wet.
• Curtain steam cleaning: $35* per panel, done in your home. Six panels, typical for a 3-room flat, cost about $210*.

Take a smoker’s 3-room flat as an example. Six curtain panels ($210*), a 3-seater sofa ($225*) and a queen mattress dry clean ($140*) come to $575*. If you are moving into a home that needs a full reset, spring cleaning from $600* covers the hard surfaces first. First-time customers get 10% off. The table below shows which service matches which smell.

When should you call a professional for odours?

Get help when the smell keeps coming back after you have cleaned the source, or when you cannot reach or safely treat the source yourself. Common signs:

• A pet urine smell that returns on humid days after several rounds of home treatment.
• A smoke smell that lingers in a resale flat or rental unit you have just moved into.
• An odour after someone in the home has been ill, where surfaces need disinfecting, not just cleaning.
• A washing machine that still smells musty after hot cycles.
• A sharp chemical smell in a newly renovated flat. This may be formaldehyde from new furniture rather than dirt. See formaldehyde removal.

Sureclean is NEA-licensed, has S$1,000,000 public liability insurance and uses its own trained crews, who bring their own equipment. Our disinfection service treats the affected surfaces, and you can book it together with curtain, sofa or mattress cleaning. WhatsApp +65 6983 9523 with photos of the problem area for a quote.

Which service matches which smell, and what does it cost?

Sureclean’s published prices before GST, matched to the most common sources of odour. Final quotes depend on size and condition.

Frequently asked questions

How do I get rid of a bad smell in my HDB bathroom?

Start with the floor trap. Pour a bucket of water into it so it can block sewer gas again. Then scrub the grout and drain cover, and keep the bathroom ventilated. If the smell is still there after a week, bacteria in the grout or a shared pipe may be the cause. Professional disinfection costs from $265*. Report a shared pipe problem to your Town Council.

Does disinfection remove odours?

Yes, when bacteria on hard surfaces are causing the smell, for example on floors, in bathrooms and in pet areas. Disinfection does not draw smells out of fabric, so a sofa or mattress soaked in smoke or urine needs its own cleaning. Sureclean’s disinfection starts from $265*, typically $370–$475* per session. It works best alongside fabric cleaning when soft furnishings hold the smell.

How long does a cigarette smoke smell last in a flat?

Without treatment, it can last for months, because tar residue on walls, curtains and furniture keeps giving off a smell, especially in humid weather. Washing hard surfaces and cleaning fabrics removes most of it. Curtain steam cleaning in your home costs $35* per panel, and cleaning a 3-seater fabric sofa costs $225*. Walls with heavy staining may also need repainting.

Can pet urine smell be removed from a mattress?

Usually yes, as long as the urine is drawn out from deep inside the mattress, not just wiped off the surface. At home, blot fresh accidents and use an enzyme cleaner. For old or repeated accidents, a wet clean reaches further. A queen mattress costs $165* wet or $140* dry, and a single costs $125* wet. A badly soaked older mattress may need replacing.

Why does my washing machine smell even after cleaning?

Most of the residue sits behind the drum, where hot cycles and drum cleaners cannot reach. Detergent, fabric softener and lint build up there and grow mould in humid weather. A standard clean takes the drum out and jet washes it, and costs $188* for a top-load machine or $288* for a front-load. The deep option adds steam and disinfection.

Related guides

• Disinfection Services Singapore
• Cleaning prices in Singapore
• Professional spring cleaning

Main service page: Disinfection Services Singapore — from $265*

*All prices shown are “from” prices for guidance only and are subject to change without notice. Final pricing depends on unit size, condition and site access — we confirm an exact written quote on WhatsApp (+65 6983 9523) before any booking is confirmed.

Alvin Tan

Founder & Managing Director, Sureclean

Alvin founded Sureclean in 2013 to bring reliable, professional cleaning standards to homes and businesses across Singapore. Today, Sureclean is NEA Class 3-licensed (NEA240120/6509C/C3/N01), rated 4.9★ across 1,553+ Google reviews, and has served over 50,000 homes across Singapore — backed by S$1,000,000 in public liability insurance and a 400-hour training standard for every crew member.