Ridding Your Home of Unpleasant Odors

Unpleasant odors can make even the most beautiful home feel uninviting. Whether it’s a stinky garbage disposal, musty closets, or lingering cooking smells, there are many simple and effective ways to eliminate bad smells and keep your home smelling fresh. This guide covers the most common household odor sources and provides practical solutions to get rid of that stink.

Identifying Odor Sources

The first step in tackling household odors is to identify their sources. Some can be easy to find, but others require a bit of detective work. Here are some common sources of unwanted smells in the home:

• Garbage: Residue on the walls of your garbage can and rotting items can cause your garbage can to reek, especially on hotter days. Avoid putting wet garbage in household trash bins, as moisture promotes bacterial growth and foul smells.
• Sink, dishwasher, and garbage disposal: Unwashed dishes and poorly cleaned garbage disposals can trap food, causing odors and mold and attracting fruit flies. Clean dishwasher drains regularly to avoid the same issues.
• Pets: Homeowners with pets need to vacuum and clean more often than those without. Unscooped litter and accidents that aren’t cleaned up right away can quickly cause unpleasant smells. 
• New furniture: New carpets and furniture can emit chemical odors due to the off-gassing process. 
• Laundry: Unwashed clothes and wet towels will begin to smell like gym socks before too long due to microbes. It can also attract mold.
• Mold: Musty-smelling mold grows in moisture-rich areas, such as in bathrooms, basements, and washing machines. 

Other sources that can make a stink in your home include old food in the fridge or cabinets, a dirty carpet, musty books, a new air conditioner, and poorly washed bedding. In some cases, home odors can point to more serious issues, such as electrical issues or a dead animal. 

How To Rid Your Home of Unpleasant Odors

Your cleaning method here depends on the source, but these are also helpful cleaning tips that can stop odors before they take root in your home.

Increase Ventilation 

A fresh-smelling home needs proper air circulation. Stagnant air can lead to musty odors and exacerbate existing smells.

To keep the air moving in your home, regularly open windows and doors. If you suffer from allergies or wish to improve the indoor air quality, use a screen to help keep pollen and other particles out. Some days, it’s too hot or cold to open the windows, but turning on your air conditioner and fans can help keep the air moving.

Homeowners should also periodically open closet doors, cabinets, and dresser drawers to let them air out. Moisture can lead to mildew and musty smells, so never store damp clothing in these enclosed spaces. You can also use silica gel packs or moisture absorbers inside closets to help maintain a dry environment.

If you’re bringing home new furniture or carpet, allow them to air out outside or in a garage first. This simple step can significantly reduce unpleasant “new” smells in the home. 

Utilize Natural Odor Absorbers

Many common household items can effectively absorb and neutralize odors without harsh chemicals. 

For example, kitty litter absorbs odors. It’s not just for the cats. If you’re dealing with a smelly garbage can, sprinkle a couple of inches of cat litter in the bottom before inserting a new trash bag to allow it to soak up the odors. Replenish the litter each time you empty the can. Specialized odor-control litters containing baking soda or charcoal can tackle even stubborn smells.

Baking soda is another versatile odor eliminator. Place an open container of baking soda in the refrigerator or freezer to absorb food odors. Sprinkling baking soda on carpets or upholstery prior to vacuuming can help lift trapped odors from fabrics. 

For a third option, choose activated charcoal, which is highly porous and excellent at trapping odors. Charcoal sachets or small bowls of activated charcoal are ideal for small spaces, such as drawers, shoes, or pantries. 

Tackle Drain Odors

Smelly drains can be a persistent problem in kitchens and bathrooms. Here’s an effective, eco-friendly solution to eliminate drain odors and buildup that you can do once a month:

1. Pour 1 cup of table salt, 1 cup of baking soda, and 1 cup of white vinegar down the drain.
2. Follow with 2 quarts of boiling water.
3. Let the mixture sit overnight to allow it to work its magic in the trap and drain.

Freshen the Garbage Disposal

Garbage disposals are a major source of kitchen odors. Running the water and grinding orange, lemon, or grapefruit pieces and rinds can eliminate odors and leave a pleasant scent thanks to their citric acid. Plus, rinds are abrasive, which will clean your disposal’s blades effectively. 

In a pinch, you can also pour a bit of dish detergent into the disposal, add ice, and turn on the water and garbage disposal.

Another eco-friendly solution is vinegar ice cubes. Pour 1 cup of vinegar into an ice cube tray, then fill the rest with water and freeze. Grind these frozen cubes in the disposal while running cold water. The vinegar cleans while the ice helps sharpen the blades.

Eliminate Pet Odors

Pet odors, particularly from urine, can be challenging to remove. To keep on top of the scents, vacuum often and wipe up any accidents right away. Create a schedule to clean cages, crates, food bowls, water bowls, and anything else related to your pet. If you have cats, scoop the dirty litter up daily and replace all of it once a month. For homes with multiple cats, multiple litter boxes can reduce accidents, odors, and the cats’ stress levels.

If pet urine has gotten into your carpet, your options depend on how severe it is. For mild cases, use a shampoo that is specifically formulated to break down urine compounds. These solutions target the source of the odor rather than just masking it.

For severe cases, such as situations where the odor has deeply permeated carpets and padding, professional cleaning or replacement may be necessary.

For urine-soaked concrete or wood flooring beneath carpets, you can: 

1. Remove the carpet and padding.
2. Disinfect the floor with a solution of 1 cup bleach diluted in 1 gallon of hot water.
3. Allow the floor to dry completely before replacing the carpeting.
4. If odors persist, apply 1-2 coats of shellac primer to seal in any remaining smells.

For concrete floors, scrub with a solution of equal parts white vinegar and warm water. You can also opt to mist the affected area with undiluted denatured alcohol using a spray bottle. These methods help to neutralize odors that have penetrated deeper into porous surfaces.

Combat Cooking Odors

Strong cooking smells from garlic, onions, or fish can linger long after meals. To eliminate these persistent odors, start with white vinegar. Pour it into a shallow pan and let it simmer on the stove for a few hours to neutralize cooking odors throughout the kitchen.

To remove food odors from utensils, wash them with lemon juice, followed by soap and water. Lemon juice acts as a natural deodorizing and cleansing agent, making it an excellent choice for odor removal in the kitchen.

Cutting boards can collect smells over time. To freshen up your surfaces, sprinkle coarse salt and rub with half a lemon to eliminate food odors from the porous surface of the wood and sanitize the surface. 

Prevent Musty Book Odors

Old books can develop a musty smell over time. To restore them, place the affected books in a paper bag filled with crumpled newspaper for 1-2 days. The newspaper absorbs excess moisture and odors. Replace the newspaper and repeat the process several times until the unwanted scent is gone.

For stubborn smells,  place hardcover books in direct sunlight for a few hours to help neutralize the scent and prevent mold.

Practice Good Trash Habits

Letting the garbage sit in the trash bin for an extended period can result in funky odors that linger even after you take the bag out. Take garbage out often, either as soon as it’s full or if something in there is particularly stinky. 

When dealing with organic waste, consider separating it into a designated compost bin to efficiently manage decomposition and odors simultaneously.

Regularly clean your fridge and cabinets of old food, and don’t leave food sitting on the counters for long. Doing so can result in odors and unwanted visitors, including roaches and fruit flies.

Add Scents

Consider diffusing lavender, eucalyptus, lemon, or other essential oils to imbue your home with a natural fragrance without synthetic chemicals. You can also make room sprays by mixing a few drops of your favorite essential oil with water in a spray bottle. However, if you have pets, always check that the essential oil is safe for them. For example, lavender oil is extremely toxic to cats, even when it’s used in a diffuser. 

Candles and scented sprays can also freshen up a room quickly. Use care when handling candles, and never leave them unattended or use them around pets.

Improve the Indoor Air Quality

Improving the indoor air quality of your home can reduce odors and allergies. Air purifiers equipped with activated carbon filters can absorb volatile organic compounds, freshening up the space. Depending on the size of your home, you may need more than one. To keep your air purifier working efficiently, change the filter as recommended by the manufacturer.

High humidity in the home can promote mold growth, attract dust mites, and cause unwanted smells to linger. According to the United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), the indoor humidity should stay below 60%, ideally between 30% and 50%. Use a dehumidifier or hygrometer if your home’s humidity is above 50%.

Indoor plants are often touted as a way to improve the indoor air quality, but recent research shows that you would actually need 10 to 1,000 plants per square meter of floor space to have an impact. However, that doesn’t mean you shouldn’t add them to your home. Indoor plants have been found to reduce blood pressure, improve academic performance, and lower stress.

Final Thoughts About Eliminating Unpleasant Odors

Ridding your home of unpleasant odors is relatively simple with the right approach. Common household items, including baking soda, vinegar, and citrus fruits, can effectively eliminate a wide range of smells without resorting to harsh chemicals. Regular cleaning, proper ventilation, and addressing odor sources promptly are key to maintaining a fresh-smelling home.