No one likes a stinky, smelly home, least of all me. So imagine my surprise when I walked in the door after being outdoors in the fresh air and went Ewwww. What was that smell? It was not that it was foul, per se, but more of a stuffed up closed-in smell. That, plus the smell of cooked food. How did I not notice that before?
My first response to open all of the windows and turn the fans up to high speed so I could get the air moving. Next, I fired up my diffusers, using one of my favorite blends. It is now five hours later and things are smelling a lot better.
Over the years I have done many things to get rid of odors in the home. Many are common sense but that said, sometimes we all need to be reminded that the simplest of solutions are often the best.
6 Ways to Get Rid of Odors in the Home
1. Set a bowl of white vinegar in the offending room.
While this does not produce immediate results, it does work wonders if you give it 8 to 24 hours. For kitchen odors, you can simmer a bit of vinegar on the stove although you must be mindful that you have done so and not allow the vinegar to totally evaporate. The best part of this vinegar-only solution is that it costs pennies and who doesn’t have a jug of white vinegar in their pantry?
2. Move foul smelling dish rags and cleaning towels to a bucket of soapy water.
Often times, the foul odors are coming from soiled dish rags that are sitting on the counter or under the sink. Since it is unlikely that you are going to drop everything and do a load of wash, prepare a bucket of soapy water and drop them in the bucket. Leave them there until laundry day.
3. Replace your kitchen, bathroom, and cleaning towels daily. All towels!
Get into the habit of changing out your towels daily. This not only makes good sense from an odor point of view but will help to prevent germs and viruses that may linger from drying your hands or cleaning your countertops.
4. Run your kitchen sponge through the dishwasher with each load.
This will keep your sponge fresh smelling and the hot water will kill germs. Having two sponges makes this easy because you can alternate them. It goes without saying that you should toss a sponge when it gets too gross to continue using. You can only take frugality so far!
5. Use a diffuser to clean the air.
I own a number of diffusers and have seen the price come down from a norm of $60 or more to as little as $16 or $20. There is simply no excuse not to own a diffuser anymore. Although I prefer to use essential oils in my diffusers (more about that in a moment), you can also use a 50/50 mixture of water and white vinegar or water and rubbing alcohol. Both will clear the air.
6. Dump the garbage
This may seem obvious but speaking from experience, it is the last thing I check. Yesterday’s scraps can produce quite an odor, especially in the heat.
What Not To Do
Whatever you do, forget about those sickly sweet smelling room sprays you buy at the supermarket. All they do is perfume the air; they do nothing to get rid of odors.
I have also seen a number of articles promoting adding a few drops of essential oils to a bottle of water and using this spray to sweeten the air in your home. More power to you if this works but I think it is a waste of your oils. It has never worked for me.
Essential Oil Blends
Everyone has their own favorites when it comes to using a blend of essential oils in a diffuser. Indeed, I have a favorite for sleep and another for focus while working. In terms of clearing the air, however, my favorite is a blend that to the best of my knowledge is no longer available. It is called Healthy Home and although they no longer offer it in their product line, my friends at Spark Naturals were kind enough to share the recipe with me.
DIY Healthy Home Diffuser Blend
2 drops Melaleuca (also known as Tea Tree)
2 drops Rosemary
2 drops Lemon
1 drop Lavender
All 8 drops can be added to your diffuser when you want to purify the air in your home. If you are happy with the results, I suggest that you premix the oils and keep them ready to go in a repurposed EO bottle. I made up a mixture that included 20 drops each of Melaleuca, Rosemary, and Lemon plus 10 drops of Lavender. This filled a 5ML bottle about halfway.
There are many other blends you can come up with to accomplish the same results. Sometimes I use a thieves-like blend (Spark Naturals Shield is one example) but depending on my mood at the time, find it can be a bit overpowering.
My Favorite Diffusers
As I mentioned, diffusers have come down in price these past few years. In addition, I believe the technology used to mass produce them has improved. Whereas my earlier units died after a year or so, I have not had a failure in quite some time.
Two of my current favorites the AromaSoft (lifetime warranty yay!) and a wood-toned unit from Archeer. Both are bargain-priced put out strong mist and are super quiet.
A Word About My Favorite Essential Oils
Since the beginning of 2019, I have struggled with the fact that I have primarily been using essential oils from a single company. On many levels, it was time for a change.
Alas, this was easier said than done since I needed to assess the performance of various EOs in my tried and true salve and roller ball formulas. In addition, I wanted to find a budget-friendly company that offered 100% free shipping all of the time.
My first successful tests have been with essential oils from Plant Therapy. This was a logical choice since Plant Therapy has always been my preferred source for carrier oils such as Fractionated Coconut oil and Jojoba oil. They carry a huge variety of EOs and are available to purchase directly both on the Plant Therapy website and on Amazon. As a bonus, their web site posts test results individually by oil along with the corresponding batch number. This assures me that the oils are not fake.
While there are many excellent EO companies, I am happy with my choice and hope you will check them out. Wherever you decide to purchase your oils, let your nose guide you. If your essential oil smells like paint thinner, return it. Good oils smell nice.
Suggested reading: The Snarky and Surprising Truth About Essential Oil Companies
Summing it All Up
Interesting enough, this sort of thing rarely happened while living in Washington state where the moderate climate meant windows could remain open to bring in fresh air 24/7. Not so much here in Arizona where an open window means you are spending money to air condition the outdoors. And yes, I turned off the AC today so I could flood my home with fresh air.
Before closing, I want to thank those of you that have followed me to the Strategic Living blog. Although I do not post very often, I am still passionate about sharing my thoughts about living a joyful and healthy life. You are appreciated.
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Don_in_Odessa says
October 31, 2017 at 2:09 amAs for air fresheners, there is one exception, Ozium. It’s expensive but works wonders. My wife has had several colostomies over the years. If you’ve ever lived with someone who has had to deal with that, you know how bad it can be. This product is the only one we found that works. Spray the bathroom and close the door, odor gone in a few minutes.
Gaye Levy says
November 1, 2017 at 8:56 amGood to know. I seriously doubt that a diffuser would resolve serious bathroom odors of the type you mention. Ozium – I am going to check it out.
Mick says
October 31, 2017 at 10:04 amI’m so glad you are still posting. I always learn something new even if it’s just 1 or 2 things I hadn’t considered before. Even though the new guys at Backdoor Survival have some excellent material that I find informative everyone misses you and that’s why we’re still here.
Gaye Levy says
November 1, 2017 at 8:55 amAwwwwww. Admittedly, I do miss Backdoor Survival and the camaraderie we had there. I meant it when I said you are appreciated since I am finding that building a new audience is slow going. That said, every morning I wake up wanting to write something but on most days, do retirement stuff instead!
Jan says
October 31, 2017 at 2:03 pmThanks, Gail, for the info on the AromaSoft diffuser. I’d been researching economical diffusers, but had not yet made a decision. I think this one will work well for me.
Gaye Levy says
November 1, 2017 at 8:51 amThe Aromasoft is a fantastic diffuser. It has a small tank but from I have both learned and experienced, when a diffuser with a large tank starts to get about half full, the oils dissipate with the then empty chamber of the tank and not the air. That means the benefits are staying within the diffuser and not getting out to benefit you.
The other thing is that after having three of my older diffusers go to diffuser heaven, I like having the lifetime warranty. I appreciate a company that stands behind their products.
Karen says
October 31, 2017 at 7:18 pmYou introduced me to essential oils and Spark Naturals, and I have followed you ever since. I’ve learned much from you. I appreciate what you have to say.
Grammyprepper says
November 6, 2017 at 8:31 pmI am wondering how well the vinegar works for the winter, when you don’t have the option to open the windows and doors for fresh air…I am going to give it a try…
Gaye Levy says
November 7, 2017 at 1:06 pmYou are going to be surprised at how well this works. Even in a stinky bathroom!
Bella Hardy @ Healthnerdy says
July 3, 2018 at 5:00 amI am so glad that I found this helpful post. Oregano oil is what I will never lack in my house. We use oregano oil daily, right down to even our laundry and it is quite amazing what oregano has done for me and my family.
Robin Hamilton @Wellness Wires says
September 21, 2018 at 10:44 amOregano oil is unique! I love it cuz it helps with ulcers, warts, viruses, Confidence, flu, athletes foot, and colds!