By: Kyle McKay

You’ve rolled on a fresh coast of paint and banished the battered Barcalounger into storage—it’s time to sell your house! But no matter how delightful your digs, pet odors can make even the most beautiful homes a bust. Don’t let your four-legged love chase away perfectly good prospects! When it’s time to open your doors to the buying public, freshen your nest with these simple tips.

1. Clean everything

This may seem like obvious advice, but smells can hide disguised in places you wouldn’t expect. It’s worth it to invest in professional carpet and upholstery cleaning but also give linens, pillows, throws and curtains a regular spin in the washing machine while your realtor is showing your home.

Don’t forget about dog beds! Many have removable covers that are machine washable. If yours doesn’t, or if your best friend’s bunk is more than a year old, you may want to purchase a new one.

2. Ditch the wicks

A home full of lit candles could raise a red flag for potential buyers appraising your abode. If you need a quick and dirty fix to perfume over your pup, go for something more subtle. Wax warmers, strategically placed plug-ins and baking soda-based carpet powders can snuff out anything unpleasant to sniff in a pinch.

3. Relocate Rover

One of the best way to remove pet odors from your home is to remove the source of the smell. Whether you have a frisky little kitty or a geriatric hound, house hunters with sensitive sniffers, not to mention pet allergies, could be bothered by your best friend. Have a contingency place for pets to hang while your house is being shown and remove all litter boxes, toy baskets and food bowls from sight.

4. Turn on ceiling fans

Even on the lowest setting, a ceiling fan helps circulate air and keeps carpet smells from rising to nose level. If you don’t have ceiling fans, get an air purifier specifically designed to neutralize pet odors.

5. Go for the green

Fresh, aromatic herbs can work wondering for naturally purifying air. Stronger smelling than flowers, and less obvious than a bevy of bouquets, pet-safe plants like eucalyptus, rosemary, lavender and jasmine look beautiful in wreaths or other arrangements throughout your home, and they provide an aromatherapeutic benefit to boot!

Pet odors are a part of life, but they shouldn’t keep offers off the table. A few simple tricks for sprucing up your space to sell will help you come out smelling like roses when you’re ready to relocate.

Kyle McKay is a guest writer for Yellow Dog Blog. He owns two rescue mutts, a chow mix and a plott hound mix. He also works with Petplan pet insurance.