How to Deodorise a Room: Musty, Cooking and Pet Smells in Singapore

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

Short answer: To deodorise a room, find and clean the source instead of masking the smell. In Singapore’s humid climate, odours usually live in the mattress, sofa, curtains, rugs, drains or washing machine. Air the room, wash all textiles, treat the mattress with bicarbonate of soda, flush the floor traps, wipe and dry hard surfaces, and control moisture with a dehumidifier. If the smell returns, the fabric needs a deep clean. A queen mattress, for example, costs from $140*.

Why does a room smell musty in Singapore?

Most stubborn room smells in Singapore are not really in the air. They sit in porous materials such as mattress foam, sofa fabric, curtains and rugs, and in damp spots such as floor traps and washing machine seals. Our humidity, high all year, keeps these materials slightly damp. Mould, mildew and bacteria grow there and give off the familiar musty odour.

Different home types have their own problems. In older HDB flats, a bedroom often has a single window facing the corridor, so the air barely moves when the door is shut. New BTO and condo units are well sealed, so they can trap fumes from paint, adhesives and carpentry after renovation. Landed homes with ground-floor rooms deal with rising damp and moisture from the garden. Open kitchens, now common in condos, let cooking oil drift onto every soft surface.

So sprays and scented diffusers only hide a smell for a few hours. Lasting results come from finding the source, cleaning it and keeping it dry. A regular weekly home cleaning schedule is built around that same routine.

Where do room smells usually come from?

Before you buy any products, spend ten minutes smelling up close around each likely source. A smell is strongest where it starts.

• Mattress: sweat, skin oils and spills soak into the foam. A sour or stale smell near the bed usually starts here.
• Sofa and cushions: the fabric holds cooking oil, food crumbs and pet dander, especially under the seat cushions.
• Curtains: they absorb cooking smoke and outdoor air. The hem can turn musty where it touches a damp floor or window ledge.
• Floor traps and drains: a dry or clogged trap in the bathroom or yard lets sewer gas drift into nearby rooms.
• Washing machine: residue builds up on the rubber seal and in the drum, so freshly washed laundry smells damp.
• Rugs and carpets: pet accidents and spilled drinks soak through to the backing.
• Wardrobes and bins: closed spaces with no airflow grow mildew on shoes, bags and stored clothes.

Write down every source you find. Most rooms have two or three, and fixing only one rarely clears the smell.

How do you deodorise a room, step by step?

Start with the source and work outwards. For a typical HDB bedroom, this takes about a morning.

• Step 1, ventilate: open the windows and door. Point a fan out of the window and run it for an hour to push stale air out.
• Step 2, strip the textiles: wash bedsheets, pillowcases, cushion covers and throws at the hottest setting the care label allows. Dry them fully before putting them back.
• Step 3, treat the mattress: sprinkle bicarbonate of soda over the surface and leave it for several hours. Then vacuum it slowly with an upholstery tool.
• Step 4, clear the drains: pour hot water down the floor traps. Add a cup of bicarbonate of soda, then some vinegar, wait 15 minutes and flush with more hot water.
• Step 5, wipe hard surfaces: clean windowsills, ledges, skirting and the inside of wardrobes with diluted detergent, then dry them with a cloth.
• Step 6, mop and dry the floor: in humid weather, a floor left damp turns musty quickly.
• Step 7, control moisture: run a dehumidifier, put moisture absorbers in wardrobes and air the room every day.

If the smell comes back within a few days, the source is deeper than surface cleaning can reach.

How do you get rid of cooking and pet smells?

Cooking smells are tiny particles of oil and smoke that settle on soft surfaces. In open-plan condos, and in HDB flats where the kitchen sits next to the living room, they reach sofas and curtains quickly. Run the cooker hood fan while you cook and for a while afterwards. Keep bedroom doors closed, and wipe the hob and backsplash the same day. A bowl of bicarbonate of soda or activated charcoal near the kitchen soaks up lingering odour. If the curtains and sofa still smell of last week’s sambal or fried fish, the fabric itself needs cleaning.

Pet smells come from urine, dander and the natural oils in fur. For accidents, blot the spot without rubbing, then use an enzyme-based cleaner. Enzymes break down the compounds that cause the smell. Vinegar and bleach do not. Wash pet bedding every week, and vacuum the sofas and rugs where your pets lie. If urine has soaked into a mattress or the backing of a rug, it usually needs wet extraction. Surface cleaning leaves the source in place, so the smell returns on the next humid day.

What does a deep clean remove that airing out cannot?

Airing a room freshens the air. It does not reach what is trapped in fabric, grout and appliances. A professional deep clean goes after those places:

• Mattresses: dry or wet cleaning on both sides lifts sweat residue, dust mites and stains that bicarbonate of soda cannot reach.
• Fabric sofas: cleaning the cushions and frame removes cooking oil and pet odour from deep in the upholstery.
• Curtains: on-site steam cleaning treats each panel without taking the curtains away for days.
• Washing machines: taking out the drum and jet-washing it removes the residue that makes laundry smell musty. The deep option adds steam and disinfection.
• Floors and grout: deep floor scrubbing clears the grime in grout lines that holds odour in humid weather.
• Hidden surfaces: a spring clean covers the tops of wardrobes, the space behind furniture and the inside of cabinets.

Sureclean is NEA-licensed, uses its own trained crews rather than agency workers, and carries S$1,000,000 public liability insurance. For details, see mattress cleaning, sofa cleaning and curtain cleaning.

How much does it cost to deodorise a room in Singapore?

Doing it yourself costs little. You need bicarbonate of soda, white vinegar, an enzyme cleaner and a few moisture absorbers from the supermarket. A dehumidifier costs more, but it is a one-off purchase that helps in rooms that stay damp.

Professional cleaning is priced per item, so the cost depends on how many sources the room has. Here are some typical combinations at Sureclean’s published starting prices, all before GST:

• Musty bedroom: wet clean of a queen mattress $165*, plus six curtain panels at about $210*. That comes to roughly $375*.
• Living room with cooking smells: 3-seater fabric sofa $225*, plus six curtain panels at about $210*. That comes to roughly $435*.
• Laundry that smells damp: front-load washing machine $288* for a standard clean or $338* for a deep clean.
• Whole flat: spring cleaning or deep cleaning from $600*. Most jobs cost $700–$800*.

First-time customers get a 10% discount. These are starting prices. The final quote depends on size, fabric and condition. See the full cleaning price list.

When should you call a professional?

Get help in any of these cases:

• the smell comes back after a full round of DIY cleaning
• there is visible mould on fabric or grout
• pet urine has soaked into a mattress or rug
• nobody at home has time for the daily airing, laundry and wiping our climate needs

For most households, the long-term fix is a regular routine, not a one-off rescue. Sureclean’s weekly home cleaning service sends the same trained cleaners every week or fortnight. Rates are as low as $22/hour*, and sessions usually last 3–5 hours (from $72* per 3-hour session). Laundry, ironing, dishes and bedsheet changes are included. Those cover most of the habits that stop odours building up: fresh linen, dry floors, emptied bins and wiped surfaces. Cleaners bring their own equipment.

If a room already smells, start with a one-off spring cleaning or clean the specific items above. Then keep the room fresh with regular visits. For a quote, WhatsApp +65 6983 9523.

Which cleaning service matches which smell?

Match the smell to its likely source, try the DIY step first, and use the professional option if the odour comes back. Prices are Sureclean’s published starting rates, before GST.

Frequently asked questions

How do I get rid of a musty smell in my bedroom?

Find the damp source first. It is usually the mattress, curtains, wardrobe or a nearby floor trap. Air the room, wash the bedding, treat the mattress with bicarbonate of soda, wipe the wardrobe dry and keep the humidity down with a dehumidifier. If the smell comes back, a wet clean of a queen mattress costs from $165*, and curtains cost $35* per panel.

Does bicarbonate of soda really deodorise a mattress?

Yes, for mild surface smells. Sprinkle it evenly, leave it for several hours, then vacuum slowly. It cannot reach sweat residue or urine that has soaked into the foam. For those, use professional dry or wet cleaning on both sides. Prices start at $105* for a single mattress and $140* for a queen with dry cleaning.

Why does my HDB bathroom smell like a drain?

Usually the floor trap has dried out or is partly clogged, so sewer gas drifts up. Pour hot water down it, add bicarbonate of soda and vinegar, wait 15 minutes and flush. Repeat weekly. Regular weekly home cleaning, from $72* per 3-hour session, keeps the bathroom washed and dry so the smell is less likely to come back.

How do I remove cooking smells from curtains and a sofa?

Run the cooker hood fan whenever you cook, air the room afterwards and vacuum the fabric regularly. Once oil has settled into the fibres, airing alone will not clear it. On-site steam cleaning of curtains costs $35* per panel, and a 3-seater fabric sofa costs $225*. Both remove the oil that holds the smell, before GST.

How much does weekly home cleaning cost in Singapore?

At Sureclean, weekly or fortnightly home cleaning costs as low as $22/hour*. Sessions usually last 3–5 hours, from $72* per 3-hour session. Laundry, ironing, dishes and bedsheet changes are included. Weekly and fortnightly visits have the same hourly rate, and first-time customers get a 10% discount. Longer commitments get lower rates.

Related guides

• Weekly Home Cleaning Singapore
• Cleaning prices in Singapore
• Professional spring cleaning

Main service page: Weekly Home Cleaning Singapore — from $22/hour*

*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.