No one likes the thought of bad smells in their home; however, at times, it is inevitable. These bad smells are usually from things like pets, food, or musty odors that can creep into your home. Many people try to disguise the foul odors by using air fresheners, or lighting candles, which mask the smells but do not eliminate them. Rather than masking the offensive odors, you can use household items to eliminate odors that can sometimes linger in your home.
How to Eliminate Bad Odors
There are many different options to help eliminate foul odors from your home, depending on the culprit, from smelly shoes to your refrigerator. In this article, Clean Heart Maids will go over some of our favorite ways to help get rid of the smell and keep your home smelling fresh.
Bad Shoe Smells
Smelly shoes are one of the worst smells, especially in the summer! The key to eliminating the odor from smelly shoes is to address the moisture problem. Instead of trying to mask the smell with a deodorizing spray, you can eliminate the bacteria causing the issue if you stop the moisture issue. Below are a few of our favorite methods:
- Use Baking Soda – Make a simple shoe powder by combining a handful of baking soda with a few drops of aromatic oils. Mix thoroughly, then apply an even coating of powder to the shoes and leave them to dry overnight. In the morning, discard the baking soda.
- Utilize Cotton Balls – Place a few drops of essential oils on two cotton balls and place them inside the shoes overnight. Lemon oil and other citrus scents work nicely in this situation!
- Make use of the Sun – Place your shoes in the sun for a few hours if it’s sunny and warm outside. Allowing them to dry out in the sun can make them less friendly to odor-causing germs.
- Make Use of Your Freezer – You may also use your freezer to help remove shoe smells! Begin by placing them in a sealed ziplock bag and freezing the bag overnight. Because the odor-causing bacteria will not survive the freezing temperatures, this is a simple and effective remedy.
- Utilize Lemon Peels – Overnight, put some lemon peels in your shoes. If moisture isn’t an issue, this will help freshen up stinky shoes!
- Apply Rubbing Alcohol – Rubbing alcohol is not only antibacterial, but it also evaporates quickly. When applied to other sources of moisture, it can cause them to evaporate as well! Spraying alcohol in smelly shoes will assist in drying up the source of the odor.
- Make Use of a Soap Bar – Placing a bar of soap inside a stinking shoe is another method for removing odor. Because the soap is porous, it absorbs smells and leaves behind a fresh, clean aroma. If you have a few extra bars of soap in your cabinet or closet, this is a fantastic way to try!
Musty Drawers and Closets
Antique or old furniture and cabinets can have a characteristic musty scent. To eliminate this smell, you can crumple up some newspaper and lightly spray it with vinegar. Place the newspaper inside of each drawer and on closet shelves to absorb the odor. When the offending smell is gone, remove the newspaper and replace it with your favorite scented dryer sheets.
You can also try using silica packs or containers to absorb moisture. Silica packs come in shoe boxes or you can go to a boat shop and purchase a container of silica. Replace the silica packs or containers every few months to keep everything smelling fresh and clean.
Dead Animal Smell In the House
Nothing beats the stench of a dead animal, especially when it dies inside of your walls. The smell can linger for months as the body decomposes. One way to get rid of the dead animal smell is to use vinegar. Pour distilled white vinegar into a container and cover it with a fitted lid with small holes punched in it. Put the container in the corner of the foul-smelling room. The distilled white vinegar will help to absorb the smell, which will fade over time. However, vinegar has a strong smell, so be prepared for your room to smell like vinegar for several days.
The Trash Cans Stink
Food and garbage can cause odors in your outdoor and indoor trash cans. To get rid of the smell, clean out and wash the trash cans inside and outside with warm soapy water, rinse them thoroughly, and dry with a clean towel. To stop your trash cans from smelling in the future, the following solutions can help. Before inserting your garbage bag, do the following:
- Sprinkle scented cat litter in the bottom of the can.
- Place a few citrus peels such as lemons or oranges in the bottom of the can.
- Sprinkle baking soda in the bottom of the can.
- Sprinkle leftover coffee grinds in the bottom of the can.
It is important to note that if you have metal trash cans, baking soda can cause corrosion. Instead, place ½ cup of baking soda in a coffee filter and secure it with a twist tie or rubber band. Place the filter with the baking soda in the bottom of the can. Remember to replace it once a month.
Your Garbage Disposal Smells Putrid
Garbage disposals can have build-up from food that has been placed down them, and over time, that buildup can cause a foul smell similar to rotten eggs. To get rid of the smell and clean your sink and disposal, drop a cut-up lemon, a couple of teaspoons of salt, and a few ice cubes into your disposal. Next, start the garbage disposal and crush the lemon and ice. The lemon will deodorize, while the ice and salt remove any food residue.
The dishwasher has a foul odor
As time goes by and tiny pieces of food go unnoticed in your dishwasher’s filter, bacteria will begin to attack the food particles, which can cause a foul odor. To eliminate the smell, start by removing and cleaning the filter and remove all food particles and scum from the drum of the dishwasher. Next, add two cups of distilled white vinegar directly into the drum, not into the detergent holder. Run a hot water cycle, pausing the cycle twenty minutes into the cycle. This allows the vinegar mixture to break down detergent residue. Restart and complete the cycle.
The Refrigerator Smells Rotten
Your refrigerator can create some nasty germs which can potentially poison food that has been left too long. The trick we use is first in, first out. Make sure that you use up groceries such as fruits and veggies before packing in new ones to make sure nothing goes bad or starts to mold. Next, we recommend cleaning your fridge once a month.
Begin by emptying the shelves and drawers. Using a mixture of warm water and baking soda, scrub all shelves, then wipe with a mixture of white vinegar and warm water. Keep a box of baking soda open on a shelf at the back of your refrigerator and freezer to avoid smells, and replenish it once a month. Alternatively, soak a couple of cotton balls in vanilla extract and store them in the back of your refrigerator on a tiny plate. Replace the cotton balls after they have dried.
In Closing
When you walk into your house, you want to come into a space that smells amazing and clean. However, at times unpleasant smells can find their way into our homes. We hope our tips on how to eliminate odors are helpful to keep your home smelling fresh. Clean Heart Maids is Kansas City’s standard of professional cleaning services providing residential cleaning, commercial cleaning services, maintenance cleaning services, and so much more. Visit our website for more information on what we can do for you, and for more tips and advice on cleaning your home and business, visit our blog page.