How to Get Rid of Bad Smells at Home?

Odors in Wardrobes

Place lavender sachets (available at herbalists) inside tulle pouches and tie them shut. Place these in drawers or inside the wardrobe. Another method to prevent bad odors is to use fabric softener. Add water and a very small amount of fabric softener to an empty spray bottle. Spritz this on your clothes from time to time. If you place empty perfume bottles with their caps open inside the wardrobe, you can achieve a very pleasant scent. You can also buy nice-smelling soaps and tuck them between your clothes.

Mothball Odors on Clothing

The most effective way to deal with mothball odors that have soaked into clothes is to hang them near a radiator or stove. This is because mothball smell really doesn't like heat. Be careful, though — while trying to eliminate the mothball smell, don't end up burning your clothes.

Paint Smell

Getting rid of paint smell at home can be quite difficult. Even if you leave your windows open for days, you'll have to put up with the paint smell for a long time. However, after a room has been painted, leave a plate of crumbled stale bread in the middle of the room. The next evening, also leave a bowl of hot, freshly boiled milk on the floor of the same room. Even if the paint smell doesn't disappear completely, it will become much less noticeable.

Refrigerator Odors

If you store food in the refrigerator without covering it, this can cause unpleasant odors to develop. But sometimes you have no choice but to put food in the refrigerator uncovered. In such a case, place some baking soda in an open container inside the refrigerator — it will absorb all the odors. A bowl of vinegar works just as well. Also, don't forget to add a little oregano to the containers where you store your cheeses.

Odors in Pots and Pans

You can eliminate bad odors from pots and other cookware that haven't been used for a long time by placing a piece of ground coffee inside them. Sometimes sugar works just as well. If none of this helps, put a slice of lemon inside the pot, add a little water, and bring it to a boil. The odors will be completely gone.

Fish Smell

If you boil a pot of water with vinegar while frying fish, it will absorb the smell. After frying fish, put water in a pot, add a little vinegar or lemon juice, and add bay leaves, a cinnamon stick, and cloves for a pleasant scent, then bring it to a boil. This will neutralize the fish smell in your kitchen and leave it smelling wonderful. If you add vanilla to a pot of boiling water after frying fish, the fish smell will be eliminated and your kitchen will smell delightfully of vanilla.

Against Cooking Odors

No matter how careful you are, you can't always prevent the smell of certain vegetables from spreading through the house. Cabbage and celery are among the top offenders. However, you can prevent odors from spreading from the pot by tossing a cork into the boiling water. When frying, a sprig of parsley thrown into the hot oil does the trick, while a pinch of tea burned over the flame is effective against fish odor. Alternatively, you can eliminate fish smell by boiling water with vinegar in an open container.

Trash Smell

The most effective way to get rid of trash odor is, of course, proper bagging and waste separation. In particular, bagging food scraps separately before placing them in the trash bag is ideal for preventing odors. In addition, sprinkling baking soda or baking powder inside the trash can, or placing deodorizing tablets designed for bathrooms inside it, also helps prevent bad odors from forming.

Cigarette Smoke Odors

Especially after a large gathering, cigarette smoke can linger in a room for days. To combat this cigarette odor, hang wet sponges threaded onto a string in various corners of the room. The wet sponge will absorb all the cigarette odor.

Bathroom Odors

Pouring half a glass of baking soda or lemon juice into toilets and sinks, then rinsing thoroughly with plenty of water, will help absorb bad odors. You can do the same with white vinegar. You can also pour coffee grounds down the drain followed by boiling water. Keeping a glass of baking soda or lemon juice in a suitable corner of your bathroom at all times will also prevent bad odors from forming. Scented soaps and candles are also effective helpers in eliminating bathroom odors.