How to Get Rid of Household Odors

Household odors caused by cooking, pets, smoking, and dampness can make an otherwise clean home seem neglected, smelly, and anything but clean, especially when the home is for sale or when guests unexpectedly arrive. Although it’s sometimes necessary to clean and make necessary repairs get rid of recurring household odors, it is possible to get rid of some household odors with a few easy home remedies and helpful tips. Try the following ideas to get rid of unpleasant household odors, and make your home appear as impressive as possible to guests, potential buyers, or anyone else who steps inside.

Freshen a Musty Basement

If your basement smells musty due to a serious moisture problem, only waterproofing and other repairs will provide a long-lasting solution, but if your basement simply requires a little freshening to get rid of everyday household odors, try the following easy solution. You’ll need several shallow pans, 20 pounds of odor-absorbing clay cat litter, and several boxes of baking soda.

Fill each pan with approximately 3 pounds of litter and one box of baking soda. Thoroughly combine the baking soda and the litter, and place the pans around the basement. After about 2 weeks, replace the litter and baking soda with a new batch. Recycle the old litter and baking soda, and save it for oil leaks or spills in the garage, or for wintertime emergencies when you need a little extra traction in the driveway.

Cinnamon Nutmeg Stovetop Air Freshener

Are unpleasant household odors taking over your home? Get rid of them! Make your home smell absolutely heavenly with a mixture of nutmeg, cinnamon, and ordinary tap water. Simply measure a tablespoon of cinnamon and a teaspoon of nutmeg into a saucepan of hot water, and let it simmer on the stove. Keep an eye on the water level, and add more as necessary to prevent the pan from becoming dry during evaporation. Your household will smell as if you’ve been baking cinnamon bread or another aromatic treat.

Cooking Odors

Celery leaves are usually discarded, but if you plan on cooking cabbage, fish, broccoli, cauliflower, or other typically pungent foods, save the leaves from your stalks of celery and put them to good use. Place fresh clean celery leaves over strong smelling foods as they cook, and household odors won’t be nearly as unpleasant.

Smoky Carpet Odors

Household members who smoke indoors, or those who have visitors who smoke can easily get rid of bad household odors in carpeting without getting out the carpet machine. For really strong or unpleasant household odors caused by smoke, allow the baking soda to set on the carpets undisturbed overnight. Otherwise, allow the baking soda to remain on the carpets for about an hour before vacuuming. The carpets will smell much fresher, cleaner, and free from bad odors.

If you like the scent of freshly dried linen, flowers, pine, or other scents available in store-bought carpet fresheners, make them go a lot further by combining them with baking soda. If possible, pop the top off of carpet freshener to add baking soda, or create your own can by poking holes in the lid of an empty potato chip canister. This is an easy way to get rid of household odors caused by smoke.

Charcoal

For miscellaneous household odors, get rid of them with ordinary charcoal. This is by far the easiest way to get rid of household odors. Place open bowls of ordinary charcoal briquettes behind furniture, in smelly cabinets, under beds, and other inconspicuous locations that could use a little freshening. You will greatly lessen or even eliminate bad household odors with very little effort or expense.