How to Remove Odors: Easy & Natural Solutions

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 Does your home have a smell that you just can’t get rid of? Whether it’s pet odors, musty smells, or kitchen, I’ve got you covered with quick and easy odor busting solutions.

How To Remove Odors Around Your Home Video

Kitchen Odors

Let’s start in our kitchen, this is probably the biggest source of poor indoor air quality – smells from cooking, trash cans, garbage disposals, etc. Even after a thorough cleaning, you can be left with unpleasant odors because the problem areas may not be part of your cleaning regimen on a regular basis.

Garbage Disposal

 We’re going to take a look at the garbage disposal.

1. First, I’m going to add some baking soda. This neutralizes acids and absorbs odors.
2. After letting that sit about 10 minutes or so, I’m going to add some vinegar. Vinegar will break down some of the buildup.
3. And then I’m going to place some orange peels inside and let the garbage disposal run with the water. This will help it give it a nice citrus smell.

If you don’t like orange peels, you can freeze your vinegar put it in the garbage disposal, and run the blades that way.

And if you don’t like the smell of vinegar, you can easily use lemon juice instead. There shouldn’t be any more odors coming out of your garbage disposal.

Trash Can Odor

 Next, let’s move to the garbage can.

Now, obviously, you need to remove the trash that’s smelly to get rid of the odor, but it’s also important to clean and wash your trash can on a regular basis also.

One option is to place a dryer sheet into your trash can first, and then place your trash can over the top of that. This will help eliminate odors.

Another idea is to place your trash bag inside, and then add some baking soda to it to help neutralize those odors.

Refrigerator Odors

 Another culprit in your kitchen is your refrigerator. Make sure to go through your refrigerator and remove anything that’s expired or outdated. Disinfect it by washing it with some soapy water.

And then I like to use these fridge and freezer baking soda packs. You pull the sides off and it helps deodorize your refrigerator.

Microwave Odor

To clean and deodorize your microwave, make a solution of water and lemon juice in a microwave save bowl.

Place it in your microwave and run for 5 minutes. Your microwave will have the fresh scent of lemon and will be easy to wipe out from the steam created.

If you like this you might like my other Cleaning Tutorials.

General Kitchen Odors

 Now, what can you do about all of those odors when you’re done cooking?

Simmer Pot To Eliminate Odors

1. Well, I like to add some water to a small saucepan.
2. Next, I add a couple of cinnamon sticks to the water.
3. Then I add some of those orange peels to the water mixture as well.
4. Place it on the stove and then turn it to simmer. This simmering pot will make your kitchen smell lovely again.

All you have to do is continue to add water on it.

If you’re worried about that at all, you can place it in a crock pot instead and simmer it in there. Just remember to keep adding water to it as it simmers.

You can find the full tutorial for my simmer pot recipe in my post: Simmer Pot to Make Your House Smell Wonderful

Dishwasher Odor Removal

Before washing your dishes, flip one of the dirty glasses upside down and add a cup of vinegar (I use a cup of white vinegar).

Place it on the top rack. Close and run your dishwasher as usual. Your dishwasher will come out smelling clean and the vinegar also acts as a spot remover.

If you like this you might enjoy some of my other Tips & Hacks!

Do you have an odor in your kitchen that you want to get rid of? Let me know in the comments below.

Bathroom Odors

 Now, let’s move into the bathroom for those odors.

Once again, you can get one of these fridge and freezer packs and then place it inconspicuously into a corner. It will help absorb the odors.

Another idea, sprinkle some of that baking soda into the garbage can in the bathroom.

You can use a spray like Poo-Pourri and I’ll share some DIY air fresheners later in this tutorial. Some like the twist open gels to mask the odor. Turning the fan on can be another help.

Toilet Bowls

First up, yeah, you know it, the toilet.

1. To remove odors in the toilet itself, sprinkle in some baking soda and let that set for about 10 minutes to remove odors.
2. Then, add in some vinegar and watch the reaction happen.
3. After that, let it set for a few minutes and flush.

Now, this may neutralize odors, but it is not going to disinfect your toilet. So, I recommend hydrogen peroxide for that. So, go ahead and spray your hydrogen peroxide on and around and clean your toilet with it.

Your toilet brush can be another culprit because we just leave it in this little container. So add some rubbing alcohol into it and then place your brush into it to help disinfect it and reduce those odors.

Sink Drain Odors

Next up, those sink drains.

1. Just like the garbage disposal, you’re going to sprinkle some baking soda in there and make sure it gets good and down into that drain.
2. Let it sit for approximately 10 to 15 minutes.
3. Next you’re going to add vinegar. The baking soda and vinegar react to break up the gunk and eliminate bacteria, while the fizzing action helps clear the residue.
4. Be sure to give it a good rinse when you’re done.

Musty Towels

What’s that smell? It’s the musty smell of your towels.

1. So place those towels into your washing machine.
2. Next, add vinegar to the top and put it on the soak cycle.
3. Once that cycle is complete, add some baking soda to the tub with the towels and then run the wash cycle.

The vinegar dissolves the detergent buildup and bacteria while the baking soda freshens and neutralizes the musty odors.

Mold and Mildew Shower Curtain

Our shower curtains can get pretty mildewy and musty as well. Create a routine where you take them off take them down and put them in the washer.

This time place hydrogen peroxide in the top and baking soda in the bottom and you can wash it at the same time. The baking soda deodorizes and scrubs the mildew while the hydrogen peroxide disinfects and kills the mold spores. Hopefully now your bathroom is smelling nice and fresh.

Musty House Odors

 Now let’s talk about the carpet in our home.

Carpet Odors

Sometimes it can get pretty stinky.

1. So I start by sprinkling some baking soda onto the carpet to absorb that smell.
2. After letting it sit for a while, I turn my vacuum cleaner on and vacuum that baking soda up.

You can use baking soda to deodorize your pet beds and your mattresses too. Just sprinkle a little bit on, let it sit for a while, and then vacuum it up.

Pet urine or Pet Pee

If your pet happens to pee on a rug or carpet, here’s what you need to do.

1. First start by blotting up the excess.
2. Next , pour some vinegar over the top of where the accident happened.
3. Let that sit for approximately 10 to 15 minutes.
4. Then you’re going to blot that up. Remember to use clean rags each time because we don’t want to recontaminate the carpet.
5. Now we need to neutralize the acidity that we just put into the carpet. So we’re going to add a very tiny amount of Dawn dish soap to some water and mix that up. Then we’re going to pour that over the top of the whole stain.
6. Let that sit for 10 to 15 minutes and then blot that up.
7. Lastly, we’re going to give it a water rinse.
8. This will help remove the soap from the carpet because we don’t want to leave any sticky residue from the soap behind.

And your carpet is clean. If you have a pet, vinegar works great for that too.

Pet Cages and Cat Litterboxes

My daughter has a guinea pig cage. We empty it out every week. We pour in some vinegar water and let it sit for about five to ten minutes. It neutralizes the odors and gets rid of the scale that’s sitting in there. Dump that out, wash it out, and we’re ready to start over.

Works great for kitty litter boxes. Same thing. Dump out the contents, clean it with the vinegar water, let it soak, then wash it out and you’re starting fresh.

Musty Couches

Now, depending on what kind of couches you have, they can get smelly as well. Upholstery like microfiber, fabric, and suede can be some of the worst. Sometimes dander from pets, food from kids, and other odor-causing bacteria gets trapped inside.

So you can grab a dryer sheet and tuck it into your couch to help mask those smells.

Another thing I like to do is get my crevice tool on my vacuum cleaner and really get down into the nooks and the crannies of the couch and suck out anything that’s in there, because it could be anything from food, debris, dander, etc.

Okay, so what if you have cloth couches or chairs? Maybe you’ve got pets, the dander gets in there and they get kind of an odor to them. So what you’re gonna do is you’re gonna sprinkle it with baking soda, and let it sit for 10 to 20 minutes. to neutralize those smells, and then you’re going to vacuum it up.

You can also place baking soda underneath your cushions if it’s removable, and just leave it there, and then vacuum it out and replace it every so often. You can put those same refrigerator boxes under there, if they don’t feel too lumpy underneath you, you can also put dryer sheets under there.

You can find my full couch cleaning tutorials for cloth and leather in my posts:

• How to Easily Clean Microfiber Couches Without Harsh Chemicals
• The Best Way to Deep Clean a Leather Sofa Without Harsh Chemicals

Musty Furniture Odor

Often furniture, drawers, or closets can develop a musty smell, especially a piece that is closed. Clean the furniture with a 1:10 ratio of vinegar to the water.

After that dries, for the best result, place an open box of baking soda with the furniture to continue to absorb any lingering odor.

If you like this you might like some of my Organizing Tips & Hacks

Bedroom Odors

 Okay, so let’s quickly move into our closets.

Now you can always put the baking soda boxes in your closets. I like to do that. But you can also use dryer sheets and you can clip these on with a clothespin to a hanger and hang them into your closets. You can also tuck them into different areas where they’re more inconspicuous.

You can also place dryer sheets in your shoes to mask those smells.

Musty Drawers

For your drawers, I have a few other tips. Another thing I like to do is grab coffee filters, and then I place some peppermint tea or an herb of your choice into them and add a rubber band to it.

And I can place these little sachets into my drawers.

These also work in your shoes to mask shoe odor.

Another idea I like to do with coffee filters is to add some essential oils to it and let it dry.

I can place these or dryer sheets into my drawers as well to add a fresh scent and these also work in shoes.

Another trick that I’ve liked is to grab a soap and a scent of your choice. I can add these to my drawers as well.

Smelly Workout Clothes

Some clothing and fabrics like to hold unpleasant smells.

If you have stinky, sweaty workout clothes, add them to the washer and use vinegar. Vinegar breaks down sweat and bacteria before washing, preventing stubborn odors. Then finish off with the baking soda.

Laundry Room Odors

And let’s talk about the washing machine itself. It can get pretty stinky and full of mildew and mold. Mold loves to grow in that rubber area in the front of your washer.

1. So we’re going to start by adding vinegar and run the wash cycle.
2. Next, we’re going to add some baking soda and run it again.

The vinegar dissolves the residue and bacteria while the baking soda neutralizes lingering odors.

You can also buy washing machine cleaner. This one came from the dollar store. You sprinkle the contents inside the machine and then press the clean cycle.

Another reason that all of that mildew grows is because we’re keeping the door sealed and trapping that moisture in there.So if yours has a magnet, please keep it propped open to let it air out. Otherwise, you can buy one of these things like I did at Temu to help it air dry.

Ozone Odor Eliminator

We purchased a WaterWorks to do our laundry. It uses ozone to clean the laundry and it eliminates smells and stains without laundry detergent. It also keeps our washing machine cleaner. You can find out more about this machine in my post Laundry Room Update: Easy Updates on a Budget with Video

Air Fresheners

 Okay, now let’s talk about some air fresheners. So I found this little spray pump at the dollar store, but you could use a spray bottle as well.

1. I first fill it up with water.
2. Now it’s time to add a scent.
3. Add some essential oil drops of your choice.
4. Put the lid on, give it a little shake, and it’s ready to go.

And you can use this air freshener anywhere in your home.

And yes, it even works in shoes.

Room Freshening Spray with Natural Products

So many commercial air fresheners have a strong, unnatural perfume scent. Fill a spray bottle with water and add a little baking vanilla extract to the bottle. (You could add lemon juice or another juice of your choice).

Use the spray in your rooms to give them a fresh vanilla smell.

This room spray should be stored in the refrigerator, especially if you use juice.

DIY Air Freshener with Vinegar

You can grab a spray bottle and fill it with vinegar. If you don’t like the smell of vinegar, you can add a splash of lemon juice or lime juice to help with the smell. Use this as another air freshener or deodorizer in your home.

I like to leave a mixture of this in our shower, that way when we’re done showering, we can just simply spray this to help keep the mold and mildew down.

And yes, it works in shoes.

 Another way to get all of those stinky smells away is open the window, but sometimes it’s too cold. So here are a few more ideas for you.

Room Freshener

Add a couple of drops of essential oil on a light bulb when it’s off and let it dry completely.

When you turn on the light it will warm the essential oils and freshen the room.

Open A Window

 Another way to get all of those stinky smells away is to open the window, but sometimes it’s too cold. So here are a few more ideas for you.

Light A Candle

You can light a scented candle after you cook or any time in your home to mask those smells.

Rice and Essential Oil For Odor Remover

Add some rice to a container and some essential oil. Open it up and it can be an air freshener. Rice absorbs humidity, preventing musty smells, while essential oils add fragrance.

Using Coffee For Masking Odors

Hang on to those coffee grounds. Instead, scoop some out each day and place them in your trash can to help with that smell.

You can also add coffee beans to a candle holder, and then add a battery operated tea You can also add coffee beans to a candle holder, and then add a battery operated tea light to To add some ambiance, but in general, coffee absorbs strong odors and neutralizes them.

Diffuser To Eliminate Odors

You can also purchase a diffuser.

Simply open it up, and add some water, and some essential oils of your choice. Put it back together and turn it on. A diffuser helps eliminate odors by dispersing the essential oils in the air, which neutralizes the bad smell rather than just masking them. Some essential oils actually break down airborne odor particles and purify the air.

Air Purifier As Odor Eliminator

Another thing that we do in our home is we have an air purifier. It is one of the best odor eliminators! This is one that covers our entire first floor.

I hope this helps you get rid of some odors today. I’d love it if you’d subscribe to my YouTube channel and my blog. Thanks for watching and I’ll see you in my next video. And don’t forget to like, share, and subscribe.

Odors that offend inside your home:

• mildew smells or musty odor
• kitty litter
• water damage help mold growth which can cause odors
• tobacco smoke and the smell of smoke from the kitchen
• pet odors and pet urine
• body odor
• fecal matter
• food particles and food spills

How To Remove Odors Around Your Home Video

Coming soon

Learn more about “Why to Deep Clean and Organize Your Home” to save money, function better, and keep your sanity. 

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Remove Odors Q&A

What is the best thing to absorb odors?

One of the best things to absorb odors is activated charcoal. Activated charcoal is a highly porous form of carbon that has undergone a special activation process, creating a large surface area with numerous microscopic pores. These pores have an adsorptive property, which means they attract and trap molecules, including odor-causing ones.

Activated charcoal is widely used as a natural and effective odor absorber because of its ability to trap and neutralize a wide range of odors, such as those from cooking, pets, smoke, mildew, and more. It is a non-toxic and safe option for removing unwanted smells from various spaces.

You can use activated charcoal in the following ways to absorb odors:

1. Odor Absorber Bags or Pouches: These are pre-packaged bags or sachets filled with activated charcoal that you can place in areas with odors.
2. Activated Charcoal Filters: Use them in air purifiers or HVAC systems to remove odors from the air.
3. DIY Solutions: You can make your own odor absorber by placing activated charcoal in an open container or small cloth bag.

Activated charcoal is a powerful and natural solution to tackle persistent odors without using harmful chemicals or strong artificial fragrances.

Can plants remove odors?

Yes, certain plants can help remove odors and improve indoor air quality. Plants have the natural ability to purify the air through a process known as phytoremediation, where they absorb pollutants and toxins from the environment. This includes volatile organic compounds (VOCs) and other odor-causing molecules.

Here are some plants known for their air-purifying abilities and their potential to remove odors:

1. Peace Lily (Spathiphyllum): Known for its elegant white flowers, the peace lily can help remove ammonia, formaldehyde, benzene, and other common household odors.
2. Snake Plant (Sansevieria): Also known as the mother-in-law’s tongue, the snake plant is effective at removing formaldehyde, benzene, and other pollutants, which can contribute to unpleasant odors.
3. Boston Fern (Nephrolepis exaltata): This lush green fern is particularly good at removing indoor air pollutants, which can help improve the overall air quality and reduce odors.
4. Spider Plant (Chlorophytum comosum): Spider plants are excellent at absorbing formaldehyde and xylene, commonly found in household products and known to produce odors.
5. Aloe Vera (Aloe barbadensis miller): Aloe vera not only has soothing properties for burns and skin irritation but also helps clear the air of formaldehyde and benzene.
6. Lavender (Lavandula): Besides its pleasant fragrance, lavender can help reduce stress and anxiety while also acting as an air freshener.
7. Gerbera Daisy (Gerbera jamesonii): This colorful flowering plant is effective at removing trichloroethylene, a common indoor pollutant that can contribute to odors.
8. Areca Palm (Dypsis lutescens): Also known as the butterfly palm, it helps remove indoor air toxins and can improve the overall air quality.

Remember that while plants can help improve indoor air quality and reduce certain odors, they may not completely eliminate strong or persistent odors. Proper ventilation, regular cleaning, and using additional methods like activated charcoal or baking soda can be combined with plants to effectively manage odors in your home.

Be cautious with harsh chemicals and bleach, especially with certain types of plastics, as they can cause damage or alter the appearance of the container. Always follow manufacturer guidelines for cleaning and avoid using methods that may not be suitable for specific types of plastic containers.

Check out some of my other similar posts!

• Simmer Pot to Make Your House Smell Wonderful
• Odor Absorber: Remove Smells from Your Home
• Easy Cinnamon Stick Candle – Great for Holidays and Gifts

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