A clean home really shouldn’t smell like anything. Clever marketing campaigns have programmed us to believe that a clean home should have the fragrance produced by synthetic chemicals found in conventional air fresheners such ‘pine oil’, ‘lavender’, ‘clove’, ‘jasmine’, ‘lemon’, etc.
How to get rid of smells in your home
- To remove bad smell from your home, you must first identify and remove the cause of the problem rather than just masking the pungent odour with air fresheners.
- The sun is a great and free, natural deodoriser. Put everything from musty linen to clothing outdoors in the sun and it will become fresh-smelling in no time.
- Open windows daily to let some fresh air into your home. This will make everything smell cleaner and fresher.
- Eliminate odours in your home by preventing dampness and installing extraction fans to remove moisture from kitchens and bathrooms.
- Use rubbish bins that have lids and empty them every day to minimise bad odours in the house. Wash the rubbish bins 2 to 3 times a week with warm soapy water.
- Vinegar, baking soda and fresh lemon are inexpensive but effective deodorisers. Put dishes of baking soda, white vinegar or cut slices of lemon around the house for a natural, fresh smelling home.
- Bring 1 cup of water and 1/4 cup of white vinegar to boil and let it simmer for 30 minutes to remove odours from the air.
- Boil ground coffee (1 cup of water and 2 tablespoon of coffee) on the stove and let the wonderful aroma of coffee infuse your home. Alternatively, you can simmer cinnamon sticks in a pot of water for a yummy smell.
- If you prefer to use candles to add a nice scent to your home, choose those that are made from pure beeswax and pure essential oils. Make sure the wicks are not made from metals such as lead.
- Natural air freshener can be made from water and 100% pure, essential oils such as lemon myrtle, orange, peppermint, vanilla and lavender.Natural Cleaning Ingredient
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- Fill a spray bottle with water, add a few drops of your favourite pure essential oil, replace the top and shake. A few squirts into the air will eliminate bad odours.
- Heat up a few drops of essential oils in a diffuser or vaporiser and its vapour will scent and refresh the air naturally.
- Always seek professional medical advice prior to using essential oils as they may interact with certain medications and exacerbate underlying illnesses.
- Do not use essential oils in pregnancy as they can be harmful.
- Keep them out of reach of children.
- Use natural scents from fresh plants and flowers such as jasmine, lilies, roses or lavender.
- You can also make your own potpourri using leaves from dried herbs or flower petals mixed with cinnamon. Put the mixture in a bowl and gently stir from time to time to release the fragrance. Sprinkle a few drops of essential oil to revive its scent.
- If you would prefer to buy air fresheners already made from natural ingredients rather than making your own recipes, we recommend Clean Conscience. These air fresheners are made from Tasmanian pure spring water, castile soap, baking soda and pure essential oil (lemon myrtle or eucalyptus & tea tree).
Next part, we will discuss simple techniques you can use to get rid of unpleasant odours such as musty cupboards, smelly carpets, pet puddles, stale sour milk, cigarette smoke, fishy smell and much more.
Cigarette smokes
To get rid of the unpleasant odour from cigarette smoke, put ½ cup of white vinegar in each of several containers and place them around the house.
If someone in your home smokes, you can put baking soda or cat litter in the bottom of ashtrays to help absorb the odour. The best option is to have a smoke-free home.
To remove cigarette smoke in a car, soak two towels in white vinegar and put each into a bowl. Put these near the ashtray and the back seat and leave overnight.
Smelly carpets
To remove smells from carpets, sprinkle liberally baking soda on dry carpets and leave for 15 minutes before you vacuum it up. Repeat if necessary.
Musty cupboards
If you have a cupboard that smells damp and musty, put a box of cat litter in there. It will absorb the damp smell and leave the cupboard smelling fresh.
Pet puddles
White vinegar in warm water will help to remove the smell of pet puddles left behind from pet accidents.
Sour milk
If you would like to get rid of the smell of stale, sour milk on fabrics, soak in white vinegar for two hours and wash in the usual manner. If you can’t wash the fabric, dab the area with tissue and then apply white vinegar. Dab again and get the area as dry as possible. Repeat if necessary.
Fishy Smells
A natural and effective way to remove fishy smells after cooking fish is to cut a lemon in half and boil it in a little water. The steam will disperse the aroma and neutralise the fishy smell.
Lemons and white vinegar are great for removing the stinky fishy odour from your hands. Cut lemons in halves and soak in water. Use it to rinse your hands after preparing fish. Another option is to wash your hand in white vinegar and rinse with water.
Baking soda is great for removing the slimy fish residue from the kitchen sink. As for the chopping board, dampen the board with water and sprinkle salt on the board. Cut a fresh lemon in half and use one half to rub the salt into the board. This cleans your board and gets rid of the smell.
Smelly cooked cabbage, broccoli or cauliflower
Place a small bowl of white vinegar or baking soda on the kitchen bench next to the stove to absorb the smells.
Chopping board
Cover the board with a paste of baking soda and water and let it set for 30 minutes. Remove the paste with hot soapy water and then, rub the entire board with a little lemon juice.
Microwave
Squeeze half a lemon into 2 cups of water and place into the microwave on high power till it boils. Leave for five minutes and wipe down the microwave surfaces with a soft absorbent cloth and leave the door open to air out. This will leave your microwave fresh and clean.
Fridge & freezer
For a lovely clean, fresh aroma in your fridge, place cotton balls soaked in vanilla or a dish of baking soda or an open container of coffee grounds inside the fridge.
To remove unpleasant odours from your freezer, empty and defrost the freezer. Once all the ice has melted, wash all surfaces with soap and warm water. Then, use a mixture of ¼ cup of baking soda in about 1 litre of water to wipe all surfaces thoroughly. Place a dish of baking soda in the freezer once everything has been wiped dry.
Oven
Place orange peels or a whole unpeeled lemon in the oven and bake them for 15 minutes at 300 degrees. After baking, leave the oven door slightly ajar. Remove the fruit only when it has completely cooled.
To remove the smoky smell of split over, burnt food in the oven, sprinkle salt onto the burnt mess.
Drains
For a natural drain deodoriser, put ½ cup of baking soda down the drain followed by ½ cup of white vinegar and let it bubble for a few minutes. Then pour down a full kettle of boiling water. Repeat if necessary.
Breathe easy with clean fresh air, naturally!
Source: gardening101.net