Some of the best odor eliminators are coffee grounds, tea, vinegar, oats, and baking soda. Leaving a bowl of any of these odor absorbers out in a room that's due for a little freshening up will help clear out the less-than-pleasant smells from the air.
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.
Vinegar – White vinegar is an effective natural deodorizer and mild disinfectant. Combine a teaspoon of vinegar with 2 cups of water in a spray bottle then lightly mist the air (you can also stir in a few drops of essential oils).
Deactivated charcoal: Charcoal will not add a scent to the air but it will absorb malodors. Baking soda: Just as baking soda works to absorb odors in your refrigerator, a bowl placed in a room will also absorb odors. Lemon water: Water absorbs odors and adding slices of fresh lemon will provide a clean citrus scent.
Liven up stale and stuffy air by simmering whole spices and citrus peels. To a large pot of water, add 1/4 cup whole cloves, 4 whole nutmegs, 6 cinnamon sticks, and the peel of 2 lemons or one orange.
Apparently there is something called “Occupant Odor.” These odors come from the detergents you use, cooking smells, cleaning supplies, and room fresheners. These scents then occupy spaces like curtains, carpets, cushions and pillows. Combined together, the meshing of these scents creates your distinct home smell.
Unpleasant odors lurk in the carpets, rugs, and upholstery. To remove these musty smells, fill a dish with half an inch of white vinegar and leave it out in the room until the smell dissipates.
Unfortunately, boiling water does not clean the air on its own, nor will it help to reduce a bad smell in the house either. Unlike vinegar, boiling a pot of water will not lead to cleaner air. However, you can add herbs and essential oils which can help to purify air in the home.
“One of the best methods to tell if your home stinks is to leave it. Go away for a day or two, or even a week,” says Bryan Stoddard, handyman and interior designer.
Baking soda is one of the most popular deodorizers around, because it's effective and cheap. To absorb smells around the house, sprinkle some baking soda into a couple of small dishes or plates and distribute them around the house. The baking soda will absorb odors from the rooms and get rid of bad smells.
How much baking soda do I use to deodorize a room?
1 cup Baking Soda
Add in 1 cup of baking soda into whatever you're mixing or storing you air freshener in. Baking soda is great at absorbing odors, it is what will suck all of the bad smells out of the air leaving your room smelling fresh and clean.
Infuse your home with a warm sugar cookie fragrance by baking two tablespoons of vanilla extract in a dish at 300 degrees for twenty minutes. (You could also skip the container and just wipe the oven interior with some vanilla extract, too.)
Just Add Water. A pressure cooker has many uses, one of which is purifying the air. Try this Lifehacker formula: Fill your crock pot or Instant Pot half-full with water and add 2 to 3 tablespoons of baking soda. Turn the heat on low, and keep the lid off.
To give your home a healthy breath of fresh air, here's our list of the best air purifying plants and where to keep them… ... 26 best air purifying plants for the home
