Have you ever visited a friend and got hit in the face right away by some terrible odor they seemed completely oblivious to? Stacey Freed gets into this, quoting from an expert in the field of small and taste who said that "we adapt to the sells around us." Like a frog in a pot of water over an open flame, we don't realize the smells in our own space—the change took place so slowly over time. It's called noseblindness and it's a real thing..

The good news is that she tells you what you can do about it. I once had a client whose teenage son had a bedroom right beside the front door. As with many teenage boys, cleanliness was not a top priority and his room smelled of dirty sneakers and it hit you just as you came into the house. They were completely unaware of it.

I was a bit of a coward and didn't see myself confronting this head on, so I hired a home stager and made sure I prepped her to deal with it, which she did. But with Stacey's advice, you can tackle this problem on your own.

She identifies four smells that are the most common offenders:

1. Pet Funk (my house, I just know!)
2. Mustiness
3. Smelly Bedding
4. Fridge and freezer Grime

For more details on identifying these odors and dealing with them, read Stacey Freed's article on HouseLogic.com — "4 Funky Odors in Your House Only Your Guests Can Smell."