Have not updated the paint on the walls for a long time, and the furniture for more than a dozen years? Of course, you keep the apartment clean and tidy, but over the years, old things still cease to smell like delicious newness. And then there’s the cat adding flavors to the “cocktail”, and the neighbors are always frying something completely intoxicating ... And how you want the house to smell of freshness! Don't worry, there is a way. There are many old but effective methods to help you get rid of bad smells in your home.
1. Universal lemon
Cut a lemon (or orange, or other citrus fruit) into squares and place on a saucer. And that's all. After a couple of minutes, the neighbor's cigarette smoke that enters your apartment through the ventilation pipe will be neutralized. In the warm season, lay out citrus zest on batteries - essential oils will slowly evaporate, and a fresh aroma will stand in your home for days. And the dried zest is an ideal source of a pleasant and, most importantly, long-lasting smell in the linen closet.
2. Lavender
Lavender, mountain lavender... There is no other herb with such a strong, pleasant and persistent aroma - 50 g of dried lavender flowers can provide an excellent deodorizing effect for at least 3-4 years.
Fold dry inflorescences in a linen bag and spread throughout the apartment. Not only will there always be a gentle smell, but also moths will not have a chance.
3. Oatmeal for refrigerator odors
If your refrigerator smells of something sour, then here is one of the most incredible ways to get rid of it. Leaving a bowl of ground oatmeal on one of the shelves will help get rid of even the smell of missing tomatoes. The protein structure of oats, like a sponge, attracts odors. Change your plate every two days.
4. Shoes in the freezer
And now attention! Extreme! Do not read for the faint of heart! But you won't believe it - what you're about to learn works. Question one, sorry to be indiscreet: do people run out of the room when you take off your shoes? It happens that this happens. And no branded deodorants help. Take ordinary soda and pour it inside the shoes (it should, of course, be washed). Then place it in an airtight bag and put it in the freezer. Leave overnight and you will smell new shoes again in the morning. Baking soda neutralizes all unpleasant odors, and cold kills germs.
5. Boil Vinegar
Vinegar neutralizes many odors, but usually we either use it when washing or just pour it on and wait for the smell to go away. If your kitchen stinks of burnt food, fish, or other nasty miasma, pour a full cup of vinegar and boil it. Yes, the kitchen will smell of vinegar for a long time, but when it disappears, other, more unpleasant odors will also disappear.
This product will soon disappear from sale altogether as a species - all sorts of electric gadgets have long been part of our everyday life. Nevertheless, we still dearly love old matches and, when the dollar exchange rate fluctuates, we habitually buy them in hundreds of boxes. And probably, there is not a single person who would not know about the miraculous ability of matches, or rather, a match flame to destroy any unpleasant odors of organic nature in a matter of seconds. It's all about a simple chemical reaction. Or, to be more precise, completely unorthodox. When a match is burned, several chemical reactions occur one after another. The first is the burning of red phosphorus, which covers the sides of the box. Further, sulfur and Bertolet's salt, which are contained in the match head, come into play. Then the match barrel, soaked in wax, burns, and oxygen burns in the air. It is no wonder that all organic matter in such a cocktail burns without a trace. So don't ignore the good old penny matches.
7. Ground coffee
Whether you're dealing with bad fridge odor or any other odor, coffee is here to help! By pouring coffee grounds on a hot pan and placing them near the place that stinks, you will get rid of them and enjoy the aroma of coffee instead. One caveat - you need to change such a "deodorant" as its aroma disappears.
8. Spray from tea
Brew weak tea (preferably green) and add a little lemon juice. Cool, pour into a spray bottle and spray where there is an unpleasant odor. A quick fix and such a soothing scent.
An excellent remedy for those who have problems with dogs who like to wipe their faces and paws on your favorite sofa.
Now, for the sale of potassium permanganate in our country, they can even be imprisoned. This universal antediluvian substance was equated with especially dangerous chemicals. But it seems that there is a vial with dark purple crystals in every house.
A couple of crystals on a container of water, a solution of a pale pink color - and Mr. Proper languidly rest on the sidelines. Manganese copes well with a variety of smells of organic nature, its own damp smell quickly disappears, taking away all the stench with it. In addition, potassium permanganate, as you know, is an excellent disinfectant. Therefore, when buying home chemicals for hundreds of hryvnias, sometimes think that there is a cheap, effective and safe remedy for health.
This, of course, is not quite an old way - in terms of the fact that ionizers have recently entered our everyday life. But mother nature herself made sure that positively and negatively charged ions cleanse the space around. We do not know a single person who would not enjoy the smell of ozone during the rain, so filling the air with its purity and freshness that you literally feel the ease of breathing on a physical level. Ionizers work according to the natural principle, therefore, by purchasing such an apparatus, you can easily maintain fresh smells in your apartment.
On the streets, we are surrounded by so many different aromas that clothes are saturated with them through and through, and from time to time the question arises of how to remove the smell from clothes. But there are many dangers at home too. For example, a characteristic flair may surround pet lovers.
The most obvious ways to get odor out of clothes is through laundry and dry cleaning. But it is expensive to give things to dry cleaning, and at home it is not always possible to remove the stubborn persistent smell from clothes.
Another possible option is to “kill” the fragrance that has ingrained into clothes with something even more pleasant and strong: eau de toilette, orange peels, etc. But you need to understand that this will not solve the problem itself. The owner of the clothes will feel only the last, stronger smell, while the whole "palette" will be available to others.
All methods of removal come down to one task: you just need to decompose the substance that has eaten into the fibers of the fabric - the source of the unpleasant odor. The most common irritating odors include:
- mold, dampness, "second-hand";
- fishes;
- animals;
- sweat;
- gasoline and solar.
The approach to each variety of such substances should be different. Therefore, it will be very useful to know how to remove an unpleasant smell from clothes without spending money on dry cleaning.
A characteristic musty smell often appears after clothing has been stored in the closet for a long time. The reasons may be different. It most often appears if the linen is not stretched or simply stored for a long time in a closet without ventilation. Perhaps the laundry was put in the closet immediately after ironing, without letting it cool, or put together with unwashed clothes. Regardless of the reason, housewives begin to look for a way to remove the smell from clothes, since ordinary machine washing can not cope with it.
Nevertheless, there are many ways to eliminate mustiness, and moreover, they are very affordable. To do this, you need the simplest tools that can be found in any apartment. For example, before washing, in addition to powder, add a glass of ordinary vinegar, without flavorings and dyes. If the clothes smell very musty, you can first soak them in water with the addition of vinegar. This will help eliminate not only mustiness from clothes, but also many other unpleasant odors.
Instead of vinegar, you can add a glass of soda to the water. This product also effectively fights any unpleasant odors and, in addition, effectively eliminates pollution.
If it is not yet possible to arrange such a wash, you can get by with simpler methods. There is an interesting method on how to remove the smell from clothes: you just need to put a small glass jar with coffee beans in the closet. They have a persistent pleasant aroma that copes with mustiness.
Smell of mold and dampness
There is nothing worse than discovering that the clothes you plan to wear in the near future smell of dampness or mold. In this case, you need not only to decide how to remove the smell of mold from clothes, but also to take some preventive measures.
First of all, you need to understand why an unpleasant smell appeared. To do this, first of all, you need to check the washing machine, since it is they who are often the source of mold. To get rid of the problem, it is worth pouring vinegar or sodium percarbonate solution into a special compartment. Start the machine in maximum temperature mode or, if available, in sanitary mode. After finishing work, wipe the inside with a dry cloth and leave to ventilate.
Attention! A common cause of dampness and mold can be an excess amount of washing powder. Therefore, it is important to follow the recommendations for the use of the product.
Before removing the smell of dampness from clothes, it is worth holding it in the sun so that it dries properly. The reverse method also works: hang it out to ventilate in the cold. If this does not help to completely eliminate the mold, then you can wash clothes with vinegar, ammonia, citric acid or saline. Ascorbic acid dissolved in a small amount of vodka is considered an effective folk remedy.
Removing the smell of secondhand
In fact, it's not so much a shame to buy second-hand clothes as it is a shame to wear them later. And the reason is often hidden in the characteristic smell inherent in second-hand things. In order to better understand how to get secondhand smell out of clothes, you need to know where it comes from.
The characteristic pungent smell, oddly enough, can be considered a kind of second-hand quality mark.
The characteristic pungent smell, oddly enough, can be considered a kind of second-hand quality mark. It arises as a result of the treatment of such things with potent substances: metal bromide, formaldehyde. These substances are used to sanitize clothes and things. With their help, all kinds of fungi, bacteria and insects that can cause various diseases are eliminated.
But the unpleasant moment is that the smell of formaldehyde, although it indicates the absence of pests, means that there are a lot of chemicals in clothes that have not been sufficiently neutralized. It is better not to buy such clothes, since it is difficult to predict the reaction of the skin to it. But if the thing is already purchased, you will have to work hard to get rid of the smell.
On the Internet, you can find many ways to remove the smell from second-hand clothes. But most of them are completely useless. The most effective method is described in the sanitary rules; the composition for removing odor in this way consists of two components:
- Ammonia.
- Fresh air.
The smell of formaldehyde, although it indicates the absence of pests, means that there are a lot of chemicals in clothes that have not neutralized well enough.
The amount of ammonia is determined by the size of the thing. For T-shirts, T-shirts, skirts and other things, it is enough to take 20 ml and dissolve in 5 liters of water. For larger things, you will have to pour out a whole bottle (100 ml), but for 10 liters of water.
Soaking things lasts from half an hour to three hours, depending on the size and density of the material. Things made of cotton and other light fabrics are enough to withstand 30 minutes, but leather jackets will have to be soaked for 4 hours. After that, the clothes need to be wrung out and hung out in the fresh air for 2 days. Then wash with conditioner.
Ammonia will help get rid of the smell
It is worth noting that this method is completely safe, as it does not lead to fading of the material. Therefore, it can be safely used to neutralize the unpleasant smell of second-hand.
Removal of "animal" odors
Without a cat, life is not the same, everyone knows that. But sometimes love for cute fluffy animals runs into serious obstacles. Cats are naturally very clean, but the problem is that the concept of cleanliness in them and in humans is often different. For example, cats do not like extraneous odors and immediately try to “override” the scent they don’t like with their own. Let's look at the situation through the eyes of a person: the cat "didn't like" the smell coming from shoes, new clothes or bed linen.
Is this situation familiar? And here the main question is not how to wean a cat from such a habit: she does this not because of her bad character, but because of her instincts. The question is how to get the smell of cat urine out of clothes. It is known that the smell of a cat is extremely difficult to eliminate, and ordinary powders and detergents will not help here.
The reason for the persistence of cat aromas is in the composition of urine, namely in a special substance - uric acid and urea. Urea is the cause of stickiness. Uric acid crystallizes very quickly, so it does not dissolve in water and is not affected by detergents. Acid crystals get into the fibers of the fabric, so they are not so easy to get out of there. Washing powders give short-term results. While the clothes are clean, the fragrances interrupt the smell of cat urine, but gradually, as you wear it, it appears again.
For the above reasons, it is useless to use ordinary washing powders. But you can get by with improvised means. First of all, it is vinegar essence. It effectively removes odor from any surface, including clothes and shoes.
Remove odor and disinfect with hydrogen peroxide
You can remove the smell and disinfect with hydrogen peroxide. But it is more suitable for processing carpets and furniture. Handle clothes very carefully, trying not to spoil.
Removing the smell of fish
For all the usefulness of fish for health, it has a huge drawback: a characteristic smell. If the clothes smell of fish, then they are often considered damaged and discarded. But it is better to learn how to remove the smell of fish from clothes.
If the pollution is not very strong, then you can try to simply wash the clothes in the washing machine with a regular powder. Alternatively, you can add citric acid to the water: it effectively neutralizes the fishy smell.
To be sure to remove the smell, you can soak the clothes in a solution of laundry soap before washing. For this purpose, dark is best suited, as it has a high alkali content. You can quickly dilute the soap solution: grate the soap, mix the water well. The solution should be as thick as possible. In order for the effect of washing to be greater, clothes can be boiled in soapy water.
Instead of soap, you can soak clothes in vinegar for 30-40 minutes. On a basin of water you will need 2 tbsp. l. vinegar.
Some housewives note that detergents do a good job with the smell of fish. Detergents with the smell of lemon are best suited for this purpose.
Advice! If time endures and clothes are not needed at the moment, you can wrap them in a newspaper sheet and leave them in the hallway for a day or two.
Paper absorbs odors well, so by the time of washing, most of the aroma has been absorbed, and it will be easier to deal with it. As an additional measure, a little bit of vinegar can be added to the water already during rinsing, as it can neutralize odors.
4 natural remedies that kill odor
A large number of odor absorbers sold in abundance in stores often do not solve the problems of housewives.
No one can say with accuracy what components the product is made of, how effective and safe it is. Therefore, it is better to make an odor absorber yourself.
It's simple, fast and inexpensive. And most importantly - you can not worry about the quality and safety.
Sources of unpleasant odors in the apartment
The problem of the appearance of unpleasant odors in the kitchen and in the refrigerator is relevant for every housewife. But in addition to these rooms, there are other places in the house where there may be extraneous “flavors”: a bathroom, closets, an entrance hall, corners loved by pets.
- Kitchen.
This is where undesirable “flavors” most often occur. Daily cooking, a trash can, drain holes, a refrigerator - all this cannot but affect the general atmosphere of the room.
- Bathroom.
In the toilet and bathroom, odors can appear due to dampness, poor ventilation systems, and the presence of cat litter boxes.
- Cabinets, dressers.
Closed cabinets can be sources of bad smell. And here, in addition to getting rid of it, it is desirable to make minimal aromatization.
- Entrance hall with shoe cabinets.
The hallway is "at risk" because of the shoes. A large number of shoes, boots and boots will sooner or later make you draw attention to yourself.
How do indoor odor neutralizers work?
First of all, you need to know that the only 100% way to deal with odors is to keep the house clean, timely cleaning all sources of "aromas". Do not store perishable foods in the refrigerator for a long time and rarely take out the trash. However, in some cases it is still worth resorting to the help of professional absorbers.
As a rule, odor neutralizers sold in retail chains are based on Activated carbon or natural mineral zeolite.
The chemical properties of activated carbon allow it to absorb molecules of a certain size and thus absorb odor. Depending on the specifics of the smell, one or another coal is used.
Why are coal and zeolite the main absorbers for domestic purposes? This is due to their environmental friendliness and safety for human health. These are absolutely natural products created by nature itself. In addition, they are convenient to use.
4 natural remedies that kill odor
For "master's" tasks in the kitchen, the favorites are 4 natural means of neutralizing unpleasant odors.
1. Activated carbon
One of the most effective means to combat unwanted odors is activated charcoal. It is this material that is used in the manufacture of most odor absorbers for refrigerators and carbon filters for them. Thanks to its features, this inexpensive, convenient and natural product absorbs odor molecules.
2. Baking soda
Neutralizes and disinfects. Our grandmothers successfully used soda when food spoiled in refrigerators.
3. Vinegar
Also a tool from the arsenal of the older generation, which continues to be fast and effective. It is often recommended to clean refrigerators and microwave ovens with water and vinegar.
4. Zeolite
A natural mineral that perfectly copes with the task assigned to it. Zeolite is used not only in refrigerators. It is an excellent pet litter, water treatment, filters, etc.
How to make a DIY refrigerator odor absorber
Using this little tutorial, every housewife can make such an effective and pretty odor absorber for the refrigerator in just ten minutes. And the materials for its manufacture are absolutely in every home.
The final product will very much resemble candy. As a result, it will not only fight unpleasant odors, but also delight with its appearance.
What will be needed? Just 3 things:
- several activated charcoal tablets;
- porous non-woven material or any mesh material;
- multi-colored ribbon for tying corners.
As a material, it is better to use spunlace. It is lightweight, has excellent absorbent properties, in general, fully meets the task. Spunlace is often used to make napkins, medical gowns, etc.
To make an absorbent candy, first lay out 4-7 tablets of activated charcoal in a “sausage” way.
We tie the corners of our candy.
Everything! Sweets are ready.
You can use bamboo charcoal - it is also a high quality absorbent.
Now you can put our homemade odor absorber in the refrigerator. It not only performs its direct function, but, unlike the same soda, has a nice and original appearance.
Aromatization with natural products
In some cases, in addition to neutralizing the unpleasant odor, a light aromatization is required.
For example, after cleaning the cabinets, it is recommended to use aromatic products. It is not necessary to use aerosol air fresheners. You can use natural remedies. Sachet of lavender will not only fill the closed space with a light pleasant aroma, but will also successfully fight the appearance of moths. Lemon and orange peel, cinnamon sticks perfectly flavor the kitchen.
You can drip essential oils on a piece of cotton wool and leave on the shelves of the cabinet. Making your own air freshener spray is as easy as mixing water and a few drops of your favorite essential oil.
Each apartment has its own unique aroma: sometimes it is the smell of fresh pastries and clean linen, but sometimes unpleasant notes are in the air of housing, which you want to get rid of. Neutralizing the unpleasant smell of cigarettes, mold, burning or dampness is not easy, but there are still ways to help restore crystal freshness to the air in the apartment.
How to neutralize the smell? Air fresheners won't help if you don't eliminate the source.
Eliminate unpleasant odors in the apartment
Neutralizing an odor is easy if you know what is causing it. Aerosol odor neutralizers will help purify the air. Not to be confused with air fresheners!
But what if the whole apartment stinks? Carry out general cleaning:
Remove and wash or dry-clean curtains, furniture covers and other textiles: fabrics have the ability to absorb and retain odors.
Carpets should be thoroughly cleaned with special products.
Unscrew the light bulbs from the lighting fixtures and wipe them with a damp cloth. Often cigarette smoke settles on the lamps, when they are turned on and heated, the smell spreads throughout the apartment.
Check ventilation grilles, change or clean ventilation filters.
How to neutralize the smell of mold? It is necessary to fight the root cause: clean the surfaces affected by the fungus and treat them several times with special fungicides.
Wet cleaning of the entire room will help to neutralize the unpleasant odor
Professional odor control products
If general cleaning was powerless, professional methods of struggle will come to the rescue:
Dry fog treatment. Cleaning companies offer the service of cleaning apartments with special smoke, the aroma of which you choose yourself. The procedure takes no more than 2-3 hours, you will not need to take furniture out of the apartment.
Devices with a photocatalytic filter. Such devices help not only eliminate odors, but also fight viruses and allergens. Photocatalytic filters are installed in high-tech air washers or in medical recirculators. Both devices are safe and can be used in the presence of a person.
An ozonator is a device that generates active oxygen and eliminates unpleasant odors in the air as effectively as a photocatalytic filter, but you must leave the room during its operation.
There are many ways to eliminate unpleasant odors, but remember: if you do not eliminate the root cause of their occurrence, any methods of struggle will only give a temporary effect.
Unfortunately, no matter how you clean plastic food containers, there comes a time when they begin to emit an extremely unpleasant smell.
Even if you've ditched containers in favor of glassware, you probably still have a small supply of these bowls in your kitchen. The latter, by the way, are well suited for storing condiments, stationery, fasteners, growing flowers and seedlings.
If you have plastic containers that you're still going to use, here are a few ideas on how to clean them and get the bad smell out of them.
Before trying the methods suggested below, thoroughly rinse the container with hot water and detergent (the only exception is the cold water method).
Newspaper
A regular newspaper will help get rid of the smell of food in the container. Take a sheet of newspaper, wrinkle it well and place it in a plastic bowl. Be sure to close the lid tightly. The newspaper will absorb the unpleasant smell, and in a few hours the container will be as good as new. For best results, it is recommended to leave it overnight.
Coffee
Coffee will help get rid of the unpleasant smell in a plastic container. After all, by its nature, it is an excellent absorbent and effectively draws out bad amber.
Coffee beans or ground coffee should be poured into a container and left closed for a day. You can also coat the bowl with coffee grounds and place in the freezer overnight. The smell should go.
Lemon
Rinse the plastic container with lemon juice or, more effectively, wipe it with lemon peel
Baking soda
Mix baking soda with a little water. With the resulting paste, carefully rub the inner walls of the container. Leave for a day. Then rinse the bowl and dry. Repeat if necessary.
Charcoal
Place a piece of charcoal in a container. Close the lid tightly and leave until the smell is absorbed.
Vinegar
Fill a container with warm water, add a quarter cup of vinegar and a couple of drops of dish soap. Close the bowl, shake, open and leave for a few hours. Then rinse out the container.
Vanillin
The technology is similar. Fill a container with hot water and add a pinch of vanilla. Shake and leave overnight. In the morning, it remains only to rinse it and dry it.
Sun rays
Sun, air and water are our best friends. And indeed: the sun's rays are capable of removing an unpleasant odor from the walls of a plastic container.
On a sunny day, place your bowls in fresh air. The sun will do all the dirty work for you.
"Night baths"
Fill the container with hot water and add a couple of tablespoons of any detergent. Shake the container well and leave overnight. Rinse the container in running water in the morning. If the smell still remains, pour warm water with baking soda and shake again. After that, the container should be like new.
Cold water
Before you wash the container in warm water with detergent, rinse it in cold water. This will prevent the absorption of an unpleasant odor from the sauce, eggs, gravy into the walls of the plastic container.
If you do not have the opportunity to completely abandon the use of such containers, then change it more often. In addition, plastic containers are not so expensive.
Better yet, use glassware to carry food and/or heat food. Don't skimp on your health!
Do you have any hacks of your own for removing bad smells from plastic food containers?