7 Smells That Get Worse if You Try to Cover Them Up

When something smells off, it’s tempting to reach for a candle, spray, or plug-in and hope it disappears. But masking the smell doesn’t fix the source—and in some cases, it actually makes things worse. The right (or wrong) combo can turn a mild stink into a whole new kind of awful.

Whether it’s musty, sour, or flat-out funky, some smells need to be cleaned, not covered. These are the ones that will come back stronger if you try to hide them.

Mildew in the Washing Machine

If your laundry smells sour coming out of the washer, that’s mildew—usually from trapped moisture, detergent buildup, or a dirty gasket. Covering it up with scented detergent or fabric softener won’t solve it.

In fact, heavy scents can cling to the mildew and create a strange mix of floral-meets-funky. You’ll need to run a cleaning cycle with vinegar or a washer cleaner and scrub out the seals. Once mildew takes hold, it only gets worse if you ignore it.

Pet Accidents on Carpet

Spraying an air freshener over a pet accident doesn’t make it go away—it locks the smell in deeper. Urine especially needs to be broken down with an enzymatic cleaner. Otherwise, the odor lingers and keeps attracting pets back to the same spot.

Trying to mask it with perfume sprays or scented powders usually results in a mix of fake lavender and ammonia. The longer it sits, the harder it is to remove. Clean the spot thoroughly before you go reaching for a scent booster.

Trash That’s Past Its Prime

If your kitchen trash smells even with the lid closed, spraying fragrance around it won’t help. It’ll just smell like tropical breeze and rotting food at the same time.

Take the trash out, clean the bin, and rinse the lid. Sometimes it’s the liner or the can itself holding onto the smell. You can sprinkle baking soda in the bottom between bag changes, but skip the spray—it won’t solve anything on its own.

Funky Dish Sponge

A sour sponge smell can sneak up on you, especially in the summer. It’s caused by bacteria and leftover food in the fibers. Masking it with soap or spraying the sink area makes it worse once the scent starts to wear off.

If your sponge smells off, toss it or sanitize it. You can run it through the dishwasher or microwave it damp for 30 seconds if you’re in a pinch. But covering the smell never works for long—it’ll come back stronger the next time you wipe down a counter.

Stale Fridge Odors

Fridge smells tend to build slowly—from forgotten leftovers, old veggies, or spills that didn’t get cleaned up. Plug-in deodorizers or bowls of baking soda help a little, but they don’t fix the problem if you skip the deep clean.

Wipe down shelves, toss anything questionable, and check the drip tray underneath if your fridge has one. Covering up fridge odors with a scented product usually turns into a weird combo of fake vanilla and expired broccoli.

Dirty Litter Boxes

Even if you scoop daily, a dirty litter box still needs a full clean regularly. Using scented litter or spraying air freshener near the box might help for a minute, but it doesn’t get rid of the actual ammonia smell.

Too much scent can even turn cats off from using the box altogether. Dump the litter, wash the container with mild soap, and let it dry before refilling. Keeping it clean is the only way to actually manage the smell long-term.

Funky Garbage Disposal

When the disposal starts to smell, it’s usually because old food is stuck under the blades or in the drain. Running hot water and soap helps a little, but spraying air freshener into the sink doesn’t touch the source.

You’ll need to scrub it out. Drop in some ice cubes and a few slices of lemon or orange, then run the disposal. You can also clean around the rubber splash guard, where grime hides. Skip the cover-up and clean the cause—you’ll notice the difference fast.

*This article was developed with AI-powered tools and has been carefully reviewed by our editors.