How to Easily Remove Odors From Your Household
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Between filthy pets, messy children, food spills and everyday use, your humble abode can become home to a variety of unwarranted and unpleasant odors. Spring-cleaning season is right around the corner, which means it’s time to eliminate the stink for good. Keep your home smelling fresh and clean with these odor removal tips:
For Your Closet and Clothing
Shoes, clothing and accessories all packed together in one confined space can potentially become a breeding ground for not-so-pleasant smells.
Start by minimizing what you already have. If you have dozens of shoes that you don’t wear, get rid of them. Sort your clothes and accessories, and keep your favorites and the most versatile items. If you haven’t worn a piece of clothing in six months, it’s time to toss it.
Next, use an odor absorber like baking soda to eliminate the unpleasant smell in your closet. I Dream of Clean, a home organization and cleaning website, suggests using small containers of baking soda with a few holes punched in the lid to minimize closet odor.
One way to keep clothes smelling fresh is to use an additive at washing time. Brands like Febreze and Renuzit offer pleasant smelling laundry soap additives. Or, consider soaking your laundry in a natural solution like vinegar (3/4 cup), baking soda (3/4 cup) and lemon juice (1/2 cup). Laundry smells best when it’s washed in hot water and dried immediately after the washing cycle.
If you’ve got a stinky washing machine SheKnows recommends deodorizing the machine by rinsing out your washer with a product like Tide Washing Machine Cleaner.
For Your Window Treatments
Cleaning in-home window treatments and curtains doesn’t typically fall at the top of the to-do list. Most people ignore their window treatments completely, allowing them to pick up dust, dander and odor.
Lifestyle Lounge recommends washing your curtains every six months in vinegar to get rid of pesky odors. Be sure to follow all of the cleaning instructions listed on the care tag of the curtain. If you don’t feel comfortable washing the window treatments yourself, take them to a professional cleaning service. Lifestyle Lounge also suggests opening up your windows more often to eliminate bad smells and recommends using fabric fresheners on a regular basis.
If your old curtains are beyond repair, consider adding flat roman shadesinstead of heavy draperies to your home. This type of window treatment is easy to clean—all you need to do is vacuum the surface with an attachment to remove the dust.
For Your Furniture
Dirty pets and messy children often contribute to the many unique smells of your home, including your furniture. If your furniture is not-so-fresh, there are a couple different things you can do to get back that clean and fresh smell.
Home Guides suggests removing your couch cushions and vacuuming the entire couch once a week. You can also air out your furniture by taking it outside or simply opening the windows to get rid of musty odors. Keep the upholstery smelling clean by misting your couch with vinegar. The vinegar will dry odorless and, unlike fabric fresheners, it will eliminate the odor completely rather than mask it.
If you’ve got a serious odor problem, you may need to enlist help from an experienced upholstery cleaning professional.
