There are many ways to mask bad odors in your home, but how do you truly get rid of them? Here’s how to get rid of bad household smells once and for all!
Why Can We Smell?
Neuroscientists say humans can distinguish 10,000 scents, though we don’t have names for a lot of them.
Our sense of smell—the olfactory sense—brings depth and emotional richness to daily life. Think about the feelings and memories that flow when you catch a whiff of fresh-cut grass or lilacs in bloom, bury your face in a sun-dried bed sheet just off the line, or enter the kitchen just as a cinnamon-rich apple pie emerges from the oven.
Our olfactory system also alerts us to potential dangers: spoiled food, rot and decay, harmful molds. Most American homes contain a variety of sprays, plug-ins, stick-ons, scented candles, and other products designed to mask or remove bad odors. However, many people suffer allergic reactions to the fragrances in some of these products, and some air fresheners even contain toxins.
Yet a few inexpensive household essentials you probably have on hand already—vinegar, salt, coffee, baking soda, hydrogen peroxide—will neutralize most noxious odors around your home and in your vehicles.
How to Get Rid of Bad Smells in the Home
Freshen Stale, Smelly Air:
- To perfume the air indoors naturally, cut a lemon in half and set the cut halves in an inconspicuous place.
- Rub a bit of vanilla on a light bulb and the bulb’s warmth will scent the air.
- During periods of nice weather, just open the windows! Let fresh air blow through and push out bad smells.
Neutralize Odors in the Kitchen and Bathroom:
- Most folks know that keeping an open box of plain baking soda in the refrigerator will neutralize bad odors. Sprinkle some into the bottom of the trash can and into the trash bag itself for similar results.
- Half a cup of baking soda in two quarts of water and a soft cloth or brush also work well for cleaning the fridge, as well as scrubbing down and freshening the tub, tiles, sinks, drains, trash cans, and toilet bowls. For stronger disinfecting properties, scrub with a strong vinegar solution.
- Fresh or leftover coffee grounds will also absorb unpleasant odors in a fridge, microwave, or cupboard.
- Boil two parts water with one part vinegar in a microwave-safe container to remove bad smells from your microwave. The vinegar smell itself dissipates quickly.
- Add half a cup of vinegar to a quart of water and allow to simmer on the stove for a few minutes. This will remove smell of burnt food and many other odors from your kitchen (and burned-on food from your stainless steel pots.)
- Soak a piece of bread in vinegar and set it overnight in a lunchbox or wastebasket to remove built-up food odors.
- Grind leftover citrus rinds in your garbage disposal to sweeten it. Or dump half a cup of salt down the drain and turn on the disposal. This loosens caked-on food and helps neutralize odor.
Get Rid of Smells in Fabrics and Carpets:
- You can get most smells out of carpets, rugs, and upholstery (including vehicle interiors) by sprinkling liberally with baking soda. Leave the baking soda in place for several hours, then vacuum or shake it out.
- Human/pet urine or vomit on carpets and upholstery can be trickier. If you can get at it immediately, blot first with a towel, then spray the area with a 3-parts cold water/1-part vinegar solution and blot (but don’t rub). Repeat several times if needed, until the smell disappears. The vinegar odor will dissipate in a few hours.
- Coffee grounds will sweeten the air inside your car or its trunk. For use in the car, place the grounds in a covered plastic container with holes punched in the lid.
- Old-timers swear by this method for removing set-in odors and stains from carpets and upholstery. It works especially well on pet urine and skunk smells. You might want to test for color-fastness by soaking a small, inconspicuous area with the solution and leaving it for 24 hours before you treat the area with the stain.
- Put on a pair of rubber or latex gloves.
- Gently mix a quart of 3 percent hydrogen peroxide, a quarter-cup of baking soda, and a teaspoon of liquid soap in a plastic container. Don’t mix far in advance or store in a closed container.
- Pour or spray the solution directly onto affected areas and allow to sit for 24 hours before blotting excess liquid. Allow to air dry.
Clean Up a Skunked Pet:
- Veterinarians also recommend the above recipe for bathing a pet that’s been skunked. After making the solution, massage it into the animal’s fur, then let it sit for 5–10 minutes. Rinse with warm water.
- See more home remedies for pets!
Deal With Mold and Mildew:
- If you suspect a mold problem in your home, don’t rely on simply scrubbing down the area with bleach or masking the odor with air fresheners. Some mold damage may require professional removal services. Beyond their unpleasant odors, molds and mildews can present special indoor health hazards beyond the scope of this post to describe. Some people are sensitive to certain kinds of indoor molds.
Need more advice? Here’s how to get rid of body odor and home remedies for pets.
Did we miss any of your favorite tried-and-true solutions? Let us know in the comments!
Reader Comments
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OLD COOKING SMELL
my house has a smell (i notice it when i come home and the house has been closed up) of stale cooking. Please does anyone have any tips for eradicating it! i have saucers of vinegar dotted around, and saucers of baking soda but it still seems quite overpowering. thanks
Removing Air Freshener from Car
Hi, I just bought a second hand car that unfortunately had one of those vanilla smelling trees hanging from the rear view mirror, it is causing asthma. We have washed the plastic interior with vinegar and sprinkled the car liberally with baking soda. Any ideas of how to get rid of this smell or how long it’ll take to go away? Thank you
Odd Odor Persists in Apartment Since Moving in Nearly a Year Ago
My tiny apartment has a strange odor I've been unable to identify. It's not really a bad smell but it's not a fresh, clean smell either. It prevents the place from smelling like mine. I've tried a few things including strategically placed dishes of baking soda with separate dishes of white vinegar. When the weather's nice I open the windows to air the place out. Most recently I bought the bamboo charcoal bags. On top of this, I regularly burn incense (which I happen to enjoy). Nothing has worked so far. The odor is just as strong as it was when I first moved in 9 months ago. It hits me in the face every time I enter my apartment.
Outside odours smokey burning smells
I am prevented from opening my windows most days and nights mostly caused by household log burners and garden dustbin burners at night in surrounding properties.I sympathise with Carole and would appreciate sharing any tips and remedial suggestions
Year-Round Rotten Wood Burning Smell
6/20/2020
Nearly everyday and night throughout the year, for the last several years, at least one or more neighbors burn wood outside and or in their fireplaces. So, whenever I open my windows with hopes of getting a breath of fresh air, I rarely can. I don't have air conditioning so it makes it miserable for me when I can't open my windows. Is there any kind of home remedy to stop these awful smells and toxins in their tracks before they enter my house when I open my windows?
Thank you kindly! :)
Carole Parmenter
Pet stains in carpet
When my sick dog left diarrhea on the carpet I'd tried every store bought odor remover, none ever remotely worked, the odor was horrid. As a final effort I found a recipe that worked perfectly and I've used many times on all stains. Soak the area with 50/50 vinegar and water. Let sit 30 minutes or so. Blot up the excess. Next apply tons of baking soda very thick, work it into the carpet. Spray liberally with hydrogen peroxide with a tsp. dish soap. Let dry, could take 2-3 DAYS. Then use scrub brush to loosen it all as you vacuum it up. This removed the odor and stain completely.
For Gary's sewer odours
We had to dig up and replace the sewer pipe in one of the buildings I work in and it was utterly vile, my way of dealing with the smell was to spray down everything with undiluted Mr Clean (one of the few cleaning products I can use where the scent doesn't irritate me) a few times, the lemony scent does dissippate fairly quickly and takes a lot of the stink with it, somehow. I've also used it when we've had sewage back up into that same basement due to a different problem and it really helped.
If you have a floor drain, make sure to pour some water down it regularly so its trap doesn't dry out and let sewer gas out. Another building I did some work at, we put a bottle of drug store glycerine down the never-used floor drain because glycerine won't evaporate like water will.
Odour Removers
I can confirm that vinegar does a great job getting rabbit urine and its odour out of carpeting. I haven't tried it in the washroom yet to deal with that pee smell that sometimes lingers (even after scrubbing the inside and outside of the toilet) when too many people have been using the toilet from a standing position (you get little splatters everywhere no matter how neat you think you are), however, I saw a recommendation to spray hydrogen peroxide around the washroom to alleviate the smell and tried it and it works really well. Now I spray the bathroom down with it after I finish cleaning.
Sewer odors
We had smells coming from the sewer. Plumber replaced broken pipe and yet sewer odors are still present. How do I get rid of the smell?
Dead Mouse Smell
We have a corn field directly behind the house and well its harvest season and all the little critters have come into the house. My husband put out poison and well now we can smell the leftover aroma. I've left all the windows open for 2 days now and I can still smell them. Any ideas?
Dead Mouse Smell
The smell of dead mice may linger in the home anywhere from several days to a few weeks, unfortunately. Try placing dishes of vinegar where the smell is really strong; it can help to mask and absorb the unpleasantness. You might also try getting a few of the odor eliminators that use activated charcoal to absorb smells. These can be found online or in most hardware or department stores.
BAD/UNPLEASANT ODORS
My kitchen does not have an exhaust fan. In order to rid the smell of any cooking or baking odors, I keep a two-quart pan one-half full of water on a low flame, in which I add cloves or nutmeg or cinnamon. Keeps the entire kitchen, and part of the house, smelling just like Thanksgiving or Christmas. The spices will need replacing at times. I pour the used water down the kitchen sink drain and turn on the disposal - works great to give it a good smell, too.
Floral fragrance
Fragrance from flowers such as tuberose and snapdragons is a migraine trigger for me. Any thoughts about how to eliminate it after cutting the flowers and putting in a vase? Would closing them up in a room with something like baking soda do it?
Pressure treated wood left in van
Help. My husband left wet pressure treated wood in our mini van for several days. It is a month later and the smell has not dissipated. It smells toxic. Any advice? I feel like I cannot drive that vehicle any longer.
Smell in Car
Unfortunately, the smelly particles are likely embedded in the fabric of the car’s interior. You may need to get the interior deep cleaned by a professional service to truly get rid of the smell. Alternatively, you could try using odor eaters to absorb the smell or, as a last resort, mask the smell with an air freshener that attaches to your A.C. vent. In any case, we wish you luck!
freezer sour smell
Freezer failed and all food spoiled. Ended up with liquid at least 4-6 inches deep and all food just a soggy mess. SOUR oder after I cleaned it all out. Washed it down with baking soda, and have since trice black pepper, baking soda, newspaper, and it still smells awful. Any suggestions?
tnx,ca
FREEZER SOUR SMELL
I have the same issue and would love to find a solution. At present, there is a open bag of charcoal sitting in the freezer.
This is a great tip! Thanks
This is a great tip! Thanks for sharing!
to everyone who can't eliminate a bad smell
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Bad Bad Odor
This is the worst. My husband went crabbing and cleaned the crabs and left the shells and insides in my trash can in the garage. Now I have put it outside but it is stinking the whole neighborhood and my trash pickup is not until 5 days away. HELP...….
Smelly trash can/late pickup
I know it's been a year or so, but for what it's worth:
There's not really much you can do, (I know if I put one little lobster tail shell in the trash, you can smell it down the street!).... Double or triple bag the plastic bag of trash and just wait - if it's outside and smells, well, it IS out in the great outdoors where bad smells are all over, just live with it till trash day......Or if really desperate (and you didn't hear this from me) - sneak it into an apartment house dumpster, usually there's one for the residents to toss their bags trash..... If I have a small amount of something awful (garlic, onions, seafood shells, an old piece of chicken) I will store it in a bag in the refrigerator or freezer till trash pickup. (this requires pre-planning) . and if worst comes to worst, I will smuggle a bag (if not too big, I'm talking a grocery store size plastic bag) and stick it in the big trash cans you can find in some big box parking lots/front of a grocery store/gas station near the pumps. Yes, there are video cameras and signs and it's not legal and if you're caught, there is heck to pay, but I would think a little bag of something, if you are desperate, might be worth the risk. (Though I bought the stuff at the grocery store, I'm just returning some of my purchase, lol.)
Foul Smell
How do you get rid of mildewy, moldy, smell in air conditioner.
Household odors
This may seem self-evident to many, however, it didn't to me. With a walkout basement, plenty of sand fill outside, and a generally high/dry building site, I didn't think a damp basement would be a problem. No mold showing, no damp floors. I mentioned the typical "basement smell" to a friend, and he suggested a dehumidifier. WOW, what a difference! After a little research and poking around, I determined a small (30 pt) would be sufficient. It only took two days, and I had a new basement! Don't overlook the obvious solutions!
rotton smell in my bonzi
it got watered with a glass that had tea or something in it maybe sugar anyway, it got a rancid smell, how do you neutralize the smell, no dirt, just roots, shallow pot. drying it out now
Get Rid of Smell
Perhaps put a box of baking soda nearby to soak up the odor. The smell should dissipate after repeated waterings, but if that doesn’t work, consider replacing the media. In fact, you may want to do that anyway in order to discourage rot and bacteria from spreading to the roots.
Odors
Thank you for the info, however, I have an issue that I did not see mentioned. A gallon of milk had a hole in it and spilled in my truck. It didn’t get on the carpet, thanks to my great mat that covers the rear, but it did get under the plastic where you step in. We pulled it up and cleaned really well and also used several boxes of baking soda but it still smells like a toddler left a cup of milk in my truck. Any other suggestions?
Tough problem!
I’d try leaving an open container or two of coffee grounds in the cab for a few days, along with spraying the area with one of those enzyme sprays you can find in pet stores to deodorize smelly dogs. Try to get the spray up under the plastic. Good luck!
car odor
Thank you for all these great ideas. I put an open silicone cupcake liner filled with baking soda in my car and it has mostly helped...but still detect a trace of stench from perfume. I took my car in for some body work and never in my life would have imagined anyone to use perfume in my car. Initially when I picked it up I assumed someone wearing it had moved it to the front of the facility...but the stench continued and it was obvious someone either sprayed my car or themselves in it. I smell it as soon as I open the door and know it has diminished, but it remains, 4+ weeks afterward. Looking forward to trying the coffee grounds.
I had similar issue before--a bottle of milk spilled in my car
I cleaned the mat but still being bothered by the smell. I found a kind of air freshener bag on Amazon that does a lot of help to absorb the odors. It is a brown linen bag containing black activated charcoal balls, and the package came with a small pink heart shape card, which is very cute. Hope this tip can be helpful for you too.
Bad Odors
Any ideas for controlling soot/smoke smells from the fireplace during the summer when it gets hot and humid. I've tried crumpled newspapers with limited success. Thank you.
How to stop soot odors coming from your fireplace
The odor is coming down from the chimney. When there is no heat going up the chimney, the air flow comes down through the cold chimney into the warmer room. What we do in the summer when we are not using our wood heater is to cover the chimney at the top with a heavy plastic that is secured to the flue. No down flow of air. Of course you have to put large sign of some kind that will get the attention of anyone who would like to start a fire. I would suggest one on the fireplace grate, and another at the wood pile!!! Also let the family know the situation!!!!
Make sure to clean your chimney; then try a little heat
Even though Gail’s suggestion—covering the flue opening with heavy plastic during the summer—might keep the smells out, I think it’s potentially dangerous if someone moves the warning sign, and someone else wants to take the chill off on a cool day.
I suggest having your chimney cleaned to remove as much creosote as possible, and asking a chimney professional to examine your chimney for cracks or inadequate flashing that might be letting in moisture.
We burn wood exclusively to heat our home; we find that burning a little wastepaper (including crumpled newspaper) from time to time in our kitchen cookstove reverses the downdraft created by higher outside air pressure that pushes the smokey smells down into our living space. We also make sure to let a lot of fresh air into the house during hot weather, opening a lot of windows for good cross-ventiliation. (But we don’t have air conditioning.)
I’ve heard the suggestion that people with fireplaces creat a bit of heat by lighting a few candles (placed in containers to catch the drips) set on a grate in the firebox. Make sure the protective screen is in place while the candles are burning. Good luck!
you can use a humidifier and
you can use a humidifier and add essential oils
If you mix baking soda
If you mix baking soda (sodium bicarbonate) in to a mixture containing hydrogen peroxide you nutralize the hydrogen peroxide. This turns the hydrogen peroxide into water only, as hydrogen peroxide is only water that has additional oxygen in it. So any recommended combination that includes hydrogen peroxide and baking soda just makes a water and baking soda solution. In this case the hydrogen peroxide is useless. For that matter any thing added to a solution containing hydrogen peroxide that makes it foam and bubble is removing the oxygen and converting it to plain water.
These are great tips. Always
These are great tips. Always helpful to know what you can use that is already around the house or can easily be picked up as normal household items. If you want to stay natural and organic, another company that sticks to this as their 100% main focus when it comes to odor removal and cleaning is Freshana Organic Solutions. Give them a look.
If you breathe large amounts
If you breathe large amounts of positive ions without an equal amount of negative ions, you will actually become lethargic and in some cases sick. Air containing more negative ions and fewer positive ions has shown to be beneficial and without side effects. The paint additive air-renu, solves both indoor air quality and odor problems.
Concerning the relation
Concerning the relation between your memories and some specific fragrances, I still have in my mind the “feelings of some ages” or the springtime.
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I liked this article and the
I liked this article and the tips are great. It's true that I knew some of them, but it still impressed me. I'll try them ! thanks
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house plants
Granny use to be notorious for plants in the house and she had them all around the house as well so I suspect they not only had visual beauty, Granny did not waste her time with things that were useless so plants around the outside must of had some useful benefits as well. She said plants was good for us and pretty to look at, talk to and listen to. GrandPa hated them if they were not corn or cotton or something to eat, and he couldn't see out the window or look under the house for things stored since last winter. Indoor house plants work on smells too. Put moisture in the air due to tramsporation. Also freshens the oxygen and takes out carbon dioxide so you might be doing some good for global warming having plants where plants would not be so incrasing the volume of plants to carbon dioxide percentage, scientist say stat here or there doing stuff, I say satart at home first and the rest of it will be more natural. There might be some introduction of fungus or bacteria but I suspect those are natural things we should be aclimated to because we should be working in the dirt outside anyway and natural things just don't affect us like introduced ingredients do. Be careful with the fertilizers or plant grow items, they introduce possible harmful odors and ingredients so a compost pile out in the corner of the yard may be good for potting soil and good for mother nature also, worms love the edges of them so they must be good. Plants must be pretty safe inside becuase the cat likes to curl-up in the window where the plants are, or a pile of warm sheets and a cat is smarter than us about just what is safe for them or us. but cats aren't my favorite animal so I don't have to worry about them unless they are outside. Plants mean insects so some of those must be good especially spiders, leave'em alone, let them grow. Nothing better than a cobweb from the leaf to the glass shimmering on the vibrations on a cold winter wind outside.
Now this is something that
Now this is something that many people may not know. Ten thousand scents is really a whole lot of smelling going on. I am sure we can't name them all but this is good for a piece of trivia.
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rug spots
Thanks. I have rug spots in a light berber rug in the dressing room. Should I try the solution you mention above-- hydrogen peroxide, a quarter-cup of baking soda, and a teaspoon of liquid soap in a plastic container. Just checking as it's a light rug and right in the middle of sight--I don't want to ruin anything. Thank you so much.