How to tell if your house is haunted, which everyday causes to check first, and how to ask an unwanted spirit to leave, step by step.

Maybe it’s footsteps overhead when no one’s upstairs, or a corner of the bedroom that always feels a little colder than the rest of the house. Whatever you’ve noticed, it’s hard to relax in a home that doesn’t feel entirely yours. This guide walks you through what to rule out first, and what to do if something still feels present.

To get rid of a ghost in your house, start by ruling out everyday causes like drafts, pipes, pests and carbon monoxide. If something still feels present, the traditional approach is to cleanse your home room by room, tell the spirit clearly that it’s time to go, and seal your doorways. These are spiritual practices, not tested methods, and many people find them settling. If the activity continues, a psychic medium may be able to help you understand who’s there and what they need.

Is My House Haunted? Signs People Notice

Some experiences come up again and again when people describe a haunting. Every home makes noise, though, so look for patterns:

• Sounds with no source: footsteps in an empty room, knocking, doors opening or closing
• Cold spots: one area that stays colder than the rest of the house, even during summer
• Lights and electronics acting up: lights that switch on and off, devices that turn on by themselves
• Things that move: keys, small objects, or even furniture that isn’t where you left it
• Pets reacting to empty space: a dog that won’t go into one room, or a cat staring at a corner
• Feeling watched: a strong sense that you’re not alone, often in the same spot
• Nighttime visits: waking to sense someone in the room

One sign on its own rarely means much. A pattern is different, especially when several people in your home notice the same thing in the same place.

Check These Everyday Causes First

Before you assume it’s a ghost, it helps to rule out what’s easy to fix. Most of these causes are harmless. A couple, like carbon monoxide and faulty wiring, can be dangerous. Look at the table, pick out what you notice, and begin there.

Psychic Jesse ext. 9027 has looked into many reported hauntings herself:

I have conducted many paranormal investigations, and the vast majority can be explained through basic physics: a loose pipe, air trapped in an old vent. However, there was one in Ireland that caught me by surprise, and I was changed forever that night.

Psychic Jesse

Carbon monoxide comes first

Carbon monoxide is a gas you can’t see or smell. Its most common symptoms include headache, dizziness, weakness, nausea and confusion, and they’re easy to mistake for the flu. If you or anyone at home feels this way, or your CO alarm goes off, get outside into fresh air right away and call 911 or your fire department. Don’t go back in until they tell you it’s safe. If anyone has symptoms, get them checked by a doctor right away.

In a case described in a 1921 medical journal, a family’s “ghosts” (footsteps and strange figures in the house) stopped once a faulty furnace that was leaking carbon monoxide was repaired. The CDC recommends battery-operated or battery back-up CO detectors near every sleeping area, and a yearly check of your furnace and other fuel-burning appliances by a qualified technician. If you don’t have a detector yet, get one before you try anything else in this guide.

Sleep paralysis is more common than you might think

Estimates vary widely, depending on who’s studied and how. A review of 35 studies found that about 8% of the general population has had at least one episode, with much higher rates among students. Cleveland Clinic puts the lifetime figure nearer 30%. It happens just as you’re falling asleep or waking up. Usually for a few seconds to a couple of minutes, you can’t move or speak, and some people sense or even see someone in the room. It can be frightening, but it isn’t dangerous. If it happens often, mention it to your doctor, since there may be a cause they can treat.

When to talk to a doctor

If you often hear voices or see things when you’re wide awake, or it’s affecting your sleep or how you feel day to day, please talk to a doctor. Hearing or seeing things that aren’t there can have medical or mental health causes, and some require immediate care. If you ever feel you can’t tell what’s real, or a voice tells you to hurt yourself or someone else, get medical help right away.

Live With It or Ask It To Leave?

If you’ve ruled out everyday causes and something still feels present, you have a choice. Not every presence feels unfriendly. Some people describe one that feels protective, or simply attached to the house, perhaps someone who once lived there.

Some psychics live this way themselves. Red, who answered readers’ letters in a California Psychics column, once wrote about Sarah, a spirit in her home who “insists that the door to the den remain open, unless I ask her if we can keep it closed for a while. This was her house half a century ago, and the den was her room. We’ve learned to compromise.” In another column, Psychic Tansy gave a reader similar advice about a great-aunt who kept moving the furniture back to where she’d always had it: leave it where she puts it.

If the presence feels unsettling, or you just want your home to feel like yours again, you can ask it to leave. Red’s advice was to think first about what you’re asking for. “A clearing is essentially an eviction, and there are no guarantees,” she wrote. She suggested starting with a blessing, which asks for peace in the home without forcing anyone out.

A psychic medium may be able to tell you who or what you’re dealing with first. If you hire someone to clear your home, be wary of anyone who promises to remove spirits for a fee, guarantees results by a certain date, or says all you need to do is pay.

How To Get Rid of Ghosts and Spirits in Your House, Step by Step

1. Rule out everyday causes. Work through the table above, starting with carbon monoxide.
2. Keep a log. Write down what happens, when, and where. Ask the people you live with to do the same. Patterns are easier to spot on paper, and the log is useful if you later speak with a medium. It can also help to look into your home’s history, such as who lived there before you.
3. Clear the space. Clean and declutter, then open the windows and let fresh air move through the house.
4. Cleanse each room. A common practice is to move through the home room by room with a cleansing smoke, such as herbs or incense, and guide the smoke out through an open window. Smoke isn’t right for every home, especially if someone has asthma or allergies, or you have pets. The EPA advises good ventilation whenever you burn candles or incense indoors. If you’d rather not burn anything, try sound, a saltwater spritz or one of these other cleansing rituals without smoke. White sage is a sacred medicine for some Indigenous peoples, so you may prefer one of these alternatives to white sage. If you do burn something, keep it at least 12 inches from anything that can burn, and put it out before you leave the room.
5. Say it out loud. As you move through each room, tell the spirit firmly that this is your home, that it’s time for them to move on, and that they’re free to go toward the light. Keep your tone calm and kind rather than frightened.
6. Seal the doorways. Close the windows and doors. Tradition holds that a small line of sea salt at each doorway and windowsill keeps unwanted energy from coming back.
7. Repeat if you want to. Some people repeat the cleansing over a few days. Some also make a short cleansing part of their routine, to keep the energy in their home feeling light.
8. Ask for help. If nothing changes, or the activity frightens you, a psychic medium may be able to help. More on that below.

When To Call a Psychic Medium

A medium is a psychic who connects with spirits. If you feel a presence you can’t explain, a medium may be able to tell you whether it’s someone you knew, someone tied to the house, or simply energy left behind. Sometimes a presence seems to follow a person rather than a house, especially someone who’s naturally sensitive. Many mediums believe a spirit may stay because something feels unfinished, and that understanding it can help them move on. That can help you feel at peace in your home again, too.

Some people find that the presence is a loved one who has passed. If that’s what you sense, our mediums for deceased loved ones may be able to help you connect. Read more about the different types of mediums and how they work. If it’s your first reading, here’s what to expect from a psychic reading.

Tools Paranormal Investigators Use

If you’d like to investigate on your own, here are some tools many investigators use:

• An EMF meter to measure electromagnetic fields. Electrical wiring and appliances give off these fields too, so rule out electrical sources before you read anything into a spike.
• A thermometer, ideally a non-contact one, to check whether a cold spot really is colder, and whether a draft explains it.
• A digital voice recorder left running in a quiet room. Investigators listen back for sounds or voices, called EVP (electronic voice phenomena).
• A camera with video, ideally one that records in low light, plus spare batteries.
• Dowsing rods, which some investigators use to find spots where activity feels strongest.

Be ready to wait. Most investigation is hours of quiet. If you’re curious what it’s really like, read Confessions of a Ghost Hunter.

Are Haunted Houses Real?

People answer this one differently. In a 2025 Gallup poll, 39% of U.S. adults said they believe in ghosts. Older surveys asked more specific questions. In 2005, 37% told Gallup they believe houses can be haunted, and in 2009, 18% told Pew Research Center they had seen or been in the presence of a ghost. Science hasn’t found evidence that ghosts exist, and many experiences can be the result of everyday causes, which is why it’s worth checking those first. For a closer look at both sides, read Ghosts: Separating Fact From Fiction. In the end, you’re the best judge of what you’re experiencing in your own home.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can a ghost follow you to a new home?

Some people feel a presence that seems tied to them rather than to a house, especially if they’re naturally sensitive. If you’ve noticed the same feeling in more than one place you’ve lived, a psychic medium may be able to help you understand why.

Can dogs sense ghosts?

Some pet owners report that their animals notice spirits first. Our guide on whether dogs can see ghosts looks at what that behavior might mean.

Does salt keep spirits away?

Tradition holds that salt at doorways and windowsills keeps unwanted energy out. It’s often used as the last step of a home cleansing.

Why do I dream about a haunted house?

A haunted house in a dream often reflects how you’re feeling, not your actual home. Here’s what it means to dream of a haunted house.

Wondering who’s sharing your home? Our psychic mediums can help you understand what you’re experiencing and decide what to do next.