No matter how often you clean your home, some odors are persistent. From musty matresses to stinky garbage disposals, it can be tough to eliminate these odors.
Thankfully, we have collected some excellent DIY solutions for eliminating odors around the house. Most of these smell-busting solutions are basic items that you likely already have laying around the house, so let’s take a look.
Teabags Can Absorb Odors
Did you know that teabags can absorb odors? If you’ve got a box of teabags you’re not using, here are a few ways you can make use of them. One way to use them is to hang them up in your closet to mask the smell of old sneakers or clothes. Better yet, just put them right inside your shoes.
Another way to use teabags is to put them in a small dish in your fridge to get rid of any unwanted food smells. Voila!
Make Your Dishwasher Fresh Again
Dishwashers can develop odor quickly from leftover food on dishes. One neat trick to get rid of these odors is to use a common household item, white vinegar.
First, completely empty all the racks. Fill up a dishwasher-safe dish with white vinegar and then place it on the top rack. Run through a full wash cycle without placing any other dishes or utensils inside. The end result will be an odor-free dishwasher!
Refresh Your Smelly Garbage Disposal
Food waste is one of the biggest culprits of odors in the home, and no one wants a smelly kitchen. Keep your garbage disposal smelling fresh with this easy tip.
Lemons bring a fresh and strong scent that can help mask almost any smell. Simply cut up a few slices and then run it through the garbage disposal with water.
Trash Your Coffee Grounds
Coffee beans have so many uses other than just giving you a nice caffeine kick in the morning. They are also great at eliminating unwanted scents!
If your trashcan is smelling a little bit off, simply throw a handfull of coffee beans or even leftover coffee grounds at the bottom of your trash can. The scent of coffee will absorb the nasty odors and leave your trashcan smelling like your cup of morning coffee instead.
Keep Your Toilet Smelling Fresh
When you come home, your bathroom should feel and smell like a sanctuary, not a public restroom.
To keep your toilet smelling fresh, clean your toilet bowl with a toilet bowl cleaner and a toilet brush regularly. For an extra strength clean, add 1/2 cup of bleach into the toilet bowl after using the cleaner. Let it soak for 15 minutes and flush the toilet.
Eliminate Musty Mattress Smell
Your bedroom should be a comforting, cozy, and odor-free palce in your home where you can relax after a long day. A musty mattress smell is the last thing you need when you lay down to go to bed.
You can sprinkle some baking soda all over the mattress surface and leave it for a few hours to absorb any musty odors. Use a vacuum to remove the baking soda, then put your sheets back on. It should smell much better!
Get Rid of Microwave Odors
The microwave can pick up smells and stains from the various foods you’ve heated up each day. Lemons are once again an excellent option to get rid of those lingering unwanted scents.
Place a microwave-safe cup of water with cut up lemons inside the microwave and heat it up for a few minutes. Once it’s heated, open the microwave door to let the steam out.
Freshen Up Your Cutting Board
Your kitchen cutting board touches all kinds of smelly food items: meat, vegetables, garlic, onions, etc. Those scents can linger on a little longer than we like and affect the future meals we create when using them. Here’s how you can freshen up your cutting board so that your next use tastes fresh.
If you have plastic cutting boards, throw them in the dishwasher. For wooden cutting boards, sprinkle some salt over the wood then rub with a lemon.
Air Out Your Closet
Not many people are aware that if a closet is kept closed all the time, it can accumulate smells and unwanted odors. An easy (and amybe obvious) solution for this is to open up your closet a crack from time to time. Allow the air to pass through and keep it from becoming moldy or building up mildew.
If that’s not enough, you can also place a dehumidifier in the closet as well. This should keep your belongings clean and aired out!
Double Use For Lightbulbs
As it turns out, lightbulbs are useful for more thann just lighitng up the home. They can also help make it smell better! Just rub a little bit of vanilla onto a lightbulb
When you turn it on, the heat from the bulb will release a pleasant aroma into the area.
