Baking soda is one of the best items you can use to absorb bad smells. You can leave an open box or bowl of baking soda in your refrigerator and sprinkle some in the bottom of your trash cans to neutralize foul odors that tend to develop in these places.
Rather than plugging deodorizers into your electrical sockets or lighting an arsenal of scented candles, use a few household staples such as baking soda, distilled white vinegar, coffee grounds, vanilla extract and lemons to get rid of odors once and for all.
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.
Several common household items (most notably baking soda and white vinegar) contain powerful properties that eliminate smells without the use of chemicals. But less-commonly known products like coffee and vodka can do wonders when it comes to eliminating, not simply covering, bad smells.
The acetic acid in vinegar neutralizes alkaline odors, which means it can help get rid of cooking smells cheaply and easily.
To help ensure that the decomposition odors are permanently removed, set a bowl of vinegar or baking soda near the cleaned area. This will help absorb any lingering smells. Keep in mind that the bowls should be placed well out of reach of pets and young children.
Mix water, baking soda and lemon juice in a large bowl and stir or whisk together. The ingredients may fizz a little, so wait a few minutes until they stop fizzing. Both lemon and baking soda are traditional odor eaters, and the bonus is... most people have them on hand and they are super inexpensive!
Let it sit: Wait a few hours or ideally overnight for the baking soda to absorb the odors. Vacuum: Vacuum up the baking soda.
Baking soda, unlike most commercial air fresheners, doesn't mask odors, “it absorbs them," says Mary Marlowe Leverette, a home economist and blogger. Baking soda (sodium bicarbonate in a convenient box) neutralizes stubborn acidic odors -- like those from sour milk -- as well as other funky smells lurking in your home.
Open Windows Can Make Your Home Smell Better
Open a window! Nobody likes that stuffy house smell, but you'll notice a dramatic difference when you air things out. Just as pollutants get trapped inside a closed up home, so can odors.
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.
Mold smells musty and contributes to respiratory issues. Gas leaks often reek of rotten eggs. Certain electrical problems create an unpleasant fish smell. Plumbing issues, volatile organic compounds (VOCs), and low-quality drywall can cause foul odors.
Keep things dry with a dehumidifier in your basement, and try leaving out a bowl of vinegar for around 15 minutes to neutralize any odor.
Better Ways to Freshen the Air
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).
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.
Once the body has decomposed, the smell won't instantly leave your home. Instead, the foul smell will still be lingering in your home roughly two weeks later. This means that, on average, your home could be filled with this awful stench for around five weeks!
Baking Soda.
Baking soda is great for absorbing the smells, but it doesn't happen instantly. -Combine with vinegar and use it in lieu of soapy water to scrub down particularly odorous surfaces.
These two common household materials can serve as natural cleaners to remove grime and keep your surfaces clean. Because vinegar and baking soda are on opposite ends of the pH scale, they can be combined and used as effective cleaning solutions.
Luckily all aromas get less over time thanks to a weakening concentration of scent molecules. Smells 'disappear' when the aroma molecules disperse in the air to a concentration below your detection threshold.
Yes, baking soda can deodorize a room so it's a great natural air freshener. You can put baking soda in trash cans or litter boxes to absorb odors. It's also good to sprinkle baking soda on your carpets and let it sit.