We’ve dealt with smells before, but reader Lena needs more help. She writes:

I just moved into my first studio…without any roommates! It’s one big room with an open kitchen; the bathroom is sectioned off as its own individual room. I am a neat and clean person (I do have a cat, but I clean the litter box every other day) yet when I walk in my apartment after being gone for about two hours, there is an odor in the air that I cannot pinpoint. It’s almost like a musty smell. Is it from cooking? Can it be the carpet? Half the room is carpeted, so I thought maybe it comes from there. If the air conditioner is on, it doesn’t smell. I might need a covered garbage can, but I’m usually pretty good about taking it out when there is food in it. I know one can control the smell of a refrigerator by placing a open container of baking soda in it…is there anything like that for a room? Please help!

First, Lena, as unpleasant as it sounds, you may have to do a sniff test — get up close and personal with anything in your apartment that you think could be the culprit. If the smell isn’t around when the AC is on, could the warmth of sunlight be activating a long-hidden smell in your carpet? Maybe just closing the drapes could help in that case. You can also rent a steam cleaner cheaply at a lot of grocery stores.

Check out our suggestions on how to make the air smell fresh and our roundup on candles that bring on spring. And of course, we’ll ask our readers — any suggestions?