What Household Products Can Be Used to Neutralize Odors?

The kitchen can be a source of lasting home odors.

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Odors in the home can emanate from many sources. Cooking and baking odors from a poorly ventilated kitchen can seem to hang in the air. Pet odors can invade not only the pet's bed but the carpeting and upholstery. Fireplaces and pipe tobacco can contribute unpleasant smoky scents. While grocery and drugstore shelves are filled with products developed to conceal or eliminate odor, many household products can cancel out smells for less money.

Related Searches: Baking Soda

Plain old baking soda can help knock out unpleasant scents. Sprinkle baking soda onto a rug to absorb odor, and then vacuum up the product. Leave an open box or two in a smelly room or refrigerator to absorb odors from the air. Blot stubborn carpet stains with soap and water, then saturate the area with baking soda to draw out both the odor and the moisture from the fibers.

Vinegar

Vinegar is another powerful odor fighter. It works especially well in the laundry. Mix a solution of 1 part vinegar to 8 parts water, spray it onto odorous stains, then rinse in clear water. Or simply add vinegar to the second rinse in a household washing machine. Try vinegar on odorous carpet stains, as well. Or set a bowl full of vinegar in an offensive-smelling room, and wait for the odors to disperse.

Charcoal

Place charcoal in a bowl or tray, and leave it in a room or closet for several hours to eliminate airborne odors. Charcoal also has the added benefit of drawing out moisture from the air.

Citrus Fruits

Lemons and oranges can be powerful odor-killing agents. To rid a sink food disposer of foul smells, put lemon rinds in the cavity, and turn on the disposer. Add lemon juice to cooking water of such vegetables like cabbage and cauliflower to make their airborne odors less pungent. Alternatively, boil orange rinds until their aroma permeates the space, helping to eliminate pungent smells.

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