Removing Odors Cleaning Tips

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Odor Removal Cleaning Tips

How To Remove Odors

If you’re like most people, you absolutely hate strong and pungent odors. It doesn’t matter if it is trash, pet smells, or simply the smell of mildew. Odors can wreck havoc on one’s nose and they are simply nerve/nose wracking. Although air fresheners can help mask some smells, they don’t always do the job of completely removing odors. So, before you get frustrated or hire an expensive odor removal professional, you can take control of those odors before they take control of you. In this article, we will discuss 10 proven tips for removing odors from your home.

General Odors

Sniff, remove and clean. First of all, you should use your nose to do the “sniff test” to detect general odors. This means that you should concentrate on sniffing out the odor by utilizing your sense of smell. Simply, sniff around the area and determine where the pungent smell is coming from. Once you find the item that is causing the odor, you should remove it promptly and dispose of it. After removing it, you should wash the odorous area with warm water and use an antibacterial agent, like Dawn antibacterial soap. Once it is completely clean, you can then air out the area. Follow up with an odor-neutralizing spray like Fresh Wave or put 1/2 cup of vinegar in a bowl and leave it in the affected area for an even fresher and cleaner scent.

Smoke Odors

These can be tough to get rid of but we’ve found that if you place small bowls of pine-sol throughout the house, the odor will be absorbed. If this doesn’t work, you may want to hire a professional cleaner.

Remove Pet Odors

Again, you’ll be required to use your nostrils to do the sniff test. To do this, you should get down low and truly sniff out and smell the area to find the urine stain. Once you find the stain, you should blot out the area with a white paper towel and then use an enzymatic cleaner to completely remove the area which will partially get rid of the odor. Once it is completely dry, you can vacuum with baking soda or some other type of carpet powder, specifically for pet stains. For those older odors that you can’t find with your nose, you should use a pet stain backlight that allows the stain to be seen in fluorescent light. Once you see it, you should attack and then clean it thoroughly with an enzymatic cleaner.

Removing Refrigerator Odors

For odors in your refrigerator, the first thing that you have to do is remove all items from your refrigerator and clean out all offensive items. This means completely getting rid of all smelly items. Then you should clean all trays and the entire inside of the fridge with a mixture of bleach and water or baking soda and water. Once you’re finished, rinse it out completely with clean warm water and then let it air out. After wiping down all items with a clean, soapy cloth and then rinsing with a clean rag, proceed to replace everything and make sure that you leave an open box of baking soda in your clean refrigerator. By doing this, you’ll ensure that your refrigerator stays fresh-smelling.

Get Rid Of Cooking Odors

To remove pungent cooking odors that come from cooking cabbage, cauliflower, etc, you should add a tablespoon of lemon juice to the cooking water. You can also add lemon juice to your dishwasher cup so that it smells lemony clean. For smelly cutting board, you should clean it with an antibacterial soap and then rinse it with baking soda and water. If you want to avoid having stinky hands while cleaning, rub vinegar on them before you get started.

Stop Carpet Odors

To remove odors from carpet, you should take a box of baking soda and spread it all over the floor. Leave it there overnight and then vacuum the floor the next day. You’ll then have a fresh smelling and aromatic floor. For really tough odors, you may have to steam the floor first and then use the above mentioned baking soda treatment.

Remove Sink Odors

. For really terrible sink smells, you should take some detergent and mix with some hot water and then pour it in the sink. For stubborn smells, you should take some bleach and hot water and then pour it down the sink. If you notice a sewer smell emanating from the sink itself, you should pour some commercial cleaner down the sink’s small hole. If this doesn’t work, you may have to call in a professional plumber.

Garbage Disposal Odors

. For smelly garbage disposals, make sure that you clean the rubber stopper thoroughly and then pour a hot water, vinegar or baking soda mixture down the disposal. Lastly, you should grind up some lemon or orange rinds to give it an even cleaner smell.

Sponge Odors

To remove odors from sponges, you can run them through the washing machine, or soak them in one gallon of water and 2/3 cup of household bleach. Not only will this get rid of the odorous smell but it will also get rid of germs as well.

Remove Household Odors

. If you want to eliminate common household smells and have a house that smells like fresh fruit, you can try a commercial product like Advantage Multi purpose cleaner. It has pleasant citrus fragrance and serves as an excellent deodorizer in areas such as bathrooms, trash disposal units and even pet areas. It emulsifies dirt and leaves a refreshing and clean scent. To use it, you simply spray it on the odorous/dirty area and wipe it away with a sponge. You’ll then clean and deodorize at once. On the other hand, if you prefer to go the homemade cleaning odor removal route, you can also still have a home that smells fruity, specifically like oranges and cinnamon too. To do so, take two tablespoons of cinnamon and some orange peels and boil them in a cup of water so that the cinnamon scent permeates throughout your house. Then, allow the fresh scent to permeate throughout your house. This will give you a fresh smelling house and everyone will comment on how good your house smells.

Toilet Odors. If you want to eliminate toilet bowl odors, you should clean up the area thoroughly with a commercial cleaning product and then add a commercial toilet cleaning freshener. Remember to clean around the sides of the bowl thoroughly. You will find that the smell won’t leave and the toilet bowl moves from side to side, the wax ring might have eroded and needs to be replaced. This can be done a professional plumber.

In conclusion, you can safely remove all types of household odors, including sponge, cooking, pet and general odors by simply following the tips mentioned in this article. By doing so, you’ll not only save yourself a ton of grief but you’ll be the envy of all your friends and will soon develop the reputation of having the best smelling house in the group!