Friday, July 29, 2011

What's That Smell...?


No, I'm not talking about the games being played by all the politicians, but your everyday household odors that seem to hang around like a unwanted relative!

Many of the odors may be almost as hard to get rid of as well! I found some information in the pages of the Almanac that may help. This publication can be a very good source for all kinds of information. I love it, but you already know that, right?

A few odor-taming tips:

During nice weather, just open the windows! Let fresh air blow through.

To perfume the air naturally, cut a lemon in half and set the cut halves in an inconspicuous place, or rub a bit of vanilla on a light bulb

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. They’ll also 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.

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.

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.

bad smell

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.

When the house is shut up for long periods of time due to weather or whatever, smells can build up and make it hard to deal with! I'm hoping that maybe these hints will be of some help in getting rid of those lingering odors.

Just trying to do what I can to help, ya know?

Now, let's get some coffee and sit outside. We may have to move inside to the kitchen if the rain comes back.

9 comments:

Caddie said...

Quite a few ideas here that I never knew, especially using coffee grounds. I've recently found diatomaceous earth to be a "wonder" product too; but breathing it dry is very harmful to our lungs. For deleting insects and parasites in animals and humans, though, it is a "miracle". I call it Flea Begone.

Anonymous said...

Thanks HermitJim. Thats useful information to have when you have a pack of little people (kids) in the house.

And who spilled THAT?

The looks and gestures of 'I know nothing - NOOOTHING!' are worthy of an Emmy. :^)

Baby Sis said...

Morning, Bubba -

Best way I've found for getting onion or garlic smells off hands after chopping or peeling - rub you hands with used coffee grounds. Another great reason to have coffee, right?!? Then wash hands with soap and water, and no smell - not garlic, onion, or coffee!

I'm sure gonna try some of the others, though. Hubby has a knack for "well done" toast, and that lingers a bit. Think a touch of boiling vinegar water is in our future...Thanks -

Big hugs - see you in a few hours..

Ben in Texas said...

Have had success getting onion and garlic smell off hands by using plain ole salt and washing. Wadded up newspaper works great to clean you auto glass. Vaseline will remove dried on tape residue
WD40 on a rag will take road tar off your car fenders.

linda m said...

Thanks for the great tips. We have a problem with"cooking" odors lingering in my house. I'll have to try one of these ideas.

Sixbears said...

Some of the oil furnace repair men keep a bottle of vanilla in their tool kit. Normal furnace servicing leaves an oil oder. They put a few drops of vanilla directly on the hot stove pipe and that helps a lot.

Mechanic in Illinois said...

I like the suggestion that there's a bad smell coming from the District of Criminals. That's the the smell we need to get rid of. Thanks for the info and have a great Friday.

BigBadSis@gmail.com said...

I needed info on cleaning pet upchuck from my car upholstery...
just happened a few minutes before I logged on so I cleaned up with a paper towel and now I'm going to try some of these remedies! Thanks, as always. Interesting and informative.
Enjoy your weekend. Love ya much!!!

JoJo said...

Great tips my Special One. I will try some of them.
Late start today had to do laundry. did the fire tower yesterday. Off again for more adventures.
But I need some coffee first :)