Some smells just hang around no matter what you do. Aerosol sprays just cover them up and make things worse. Natural ways of dealing with them are far more effective.
Fishy Smells.
Cooking fresh fish always create an awful smell and it's hard to get rid off. Aerosol sprays just seem to cover it up and they aren't very healthy to breathe in. However, there is a natural and effective way to get rid of fishy smells. Cut a lemon in half and boil it in a little water. The steam disperses the aroma and neutralises the fish smell.
Pet Puddles.
White vinegar in warm water will help to get rid of the smell left behind by pet accident. It is also good for washing off skunk smells.
Damp Cupboard.
If you have a cupboard that smells musty and damp put a box containing cat litter in there. The cat litter will absorb the damp smell and leave the room/cupboard smelling fresh.
Smelly Microwave.
Squeeze half a lemon into some water and place the dish into the microwave. Place in the microwave on full power for two minutes. Once the water condenses inside the microwave wipe with a soft absorbent cloth. This will leave your microwave fresh and clean.
Cigarette Smoke.
Cigarette smoke in a car can hang around for ages. Soak two towels in white vinegar. Put each into a plastic bowl. Put these near the ashtray and the back seat. Leave over night. When you take the bowls out the smell will have gone.
Stale Smelling Fridge.
To freshen your fridge soak a piece of cotton wool in vanilla and leave inside. It will give it a lovely clean, fresh aroma. A dish with baking soda in it works well too.
Sour Milk Smells
Get rid of the smell of stale, sour milk on fabrics. Soak in white vinegar for a couple of hours and wash in the normal way. If you can't wash the fabric, dab the area with tissue and then apply white vinegar. Dab again and get the area as dry as possible. You might have to do this several times.
Stale Freezer Smell.
Freezer defrosted? The smell can be really bad. Empty the freezer and wash out with soap and warm water then wash the inside with bicarbonate of soda dissolved in a little water. Finally put a cut onion in the bottom and leave overnight. Remove the onion and leave the door of the freezer open for a while. This should get rid of the bad smell.
Musty Old Carpets.
To take smells out of old carpets, use a steam cleaner and put a scoop of Oxyclean, or similar into the water. It will freshen it up again and stop the odour.
Plastic Containers
Plastic containers can sometimes smell, especially if they are stored with their lids on. Crumple a piece of newspaper and put it inside the box, replace the lid and leave overnight. This will remove the smell.
Wonderful suggestions and they work. I keep soda in my frige and another one is if you have sweaty sneakers that you want to wear crumple up newspaper and leave in sneakers a day or so and it takes the smell away.Crumpled newspaper also keeps your stored purses smelling fresh.
#4 by Juliane Elliott, Jul 12, 2008
A gallon of milk was left in my car trunk for five days and you can imagine the awful smell! First, I used baking soda in the car truck and on the mat. I l sprinkled it all over the inside of my trunk for a day. But it still was not a good odor. So, I sprayed a pet odor neutralizer and this helped a bit. But what really made the difference for some reason was using a tablespoon of vanilla extract in a spray bottle with about a cup of water. I sprayed the trunk area and the mats throughly and let it dry. I repeated this several times a day for about two days.
I am happy to say that the smell is truly gone!
#5 by MindIt, Jul 17, 2008
Thanks for the excellent tips
#6 by Glynis, Jul 22, 2008
Because lemons are free here we use them for a lot of things and getting rid of smells is one of them. I have not heard of the vanilla one for the fridge, your article has inspired me to tackle my fridge as I love the smell of vanilla, thanks Louie! Great work.
#7 by Missberlee, Jul 27, 2008
Hi there, loved the article. I have a cat who persists in spraying everywhere, and I never heard the white vinegar thing! I shall try it now, many thanks!
