Banish Odors From Your Smelly Home.







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SHOES

  • Make your own deodorizing shoe pouches. Grab a couple clean socks and add few spoonfuls of baking soda or activated charcoal into each one. If you want, you can also place a few drops of essential oils in each sock. Place the socks inside your shoes whenever you are not wearing them. They baking soda or charcoal will remove any foul odors. 
  • Use newspaper to soak up moisture. If your feet sweat a lot, make sure you wad up some newspaper and stuff inside them between uses. The newspaper will absorb any excess moisture and odors.
  • Put them in the freezer. Place each shoe inside a Ziploc bag and leave them in the freezer for a couple days to kill the odor-causing bacteria.
  • Place them in the sun. The sun has some amazing odor killing powers. Pick a day with no or low humidity for best results.

Some Amazing Products to consider:

  • Most Powerful Shoe Deodorizer – Scientifically proven to destroy odors not just mask them. One amazon reviewer said, “Easily the BEST shoe deodorizer I have used… and I pretty much have tried Everything for my Very smelly feet.”
  • Sof Sole Sneaker Balls Shoe – These small balls can be placed inside your shoes, locker, or gym bag, to remove odors. 
  • Outdoors Natural Shoe Deodorizer Spray with Tea Tree Essential Oils – Tea tree oil is amazing for removing odors and this deodorizing spray has the reviews to prove it. One user states, “O. M. G. One soak in this stuff & the smell was GONE! I sniffed hard to find that underlying stank that I was sure was there. Gone.”

DRAINS

  • Boiling water. If your smell drain is due to hair, and other gunky build up on the pipes, then removing the odor can be as simple as pouring a pot of boiling water down your drain to loosen up and get rid of the gunk. 
  • Baking soda and vinegar. To remove more stubborn build up, dump a cup of baking soda down your drain and follow up with a cup of vinegar. Let sit for an hour then follow up with a pot of boiling water.
  • Use citrus peels. Save your orange and lemon peels and toss them into your garbage disposal along with a couple ice cubes and tablespoon of course salt. The citrus will help remove foul odors while the ice and salt will remove and junk from the blades.
  • Hot vinegar. While vinegar removes odors, hot vinegar can remove the more stubborn smells. If you have a coffee pot, it’s a good idea to clean it out once a month with vinegar. Afterward you can dump that vinegar down the sink to clean your drains. This will keep your coffee pot clean and prevent smelly drains. 

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Some Amazing Products to consider:

DISH RAGS

  • Wash often. Use each rag for no more than one day before washing.
  • Don’t just toss a wet rag in the laundry basket. Unless you are planning on doing laundry that day, hang your rag up to fully dry before tossing it in the dirty clothes basket. leaving a wet rag in your hamper will not only promote mildew and mold growth but it will also spread the smell to your other clothes.
  • Use hot water and don’t use fabric softener. Hot water works best for removing smells but fabric softener creates a thin film on the rags which can hold in smells longer.
  • Do not let wet rags sit in the washing machine over night. Get them out and into the dryer as soon as you can. I like to set the timer on my washing machine to start a couple hours before my alarm goes off. That way as soon as I wake up I can toss them in the dryer.
  • Use vinegar. Vinegar works great on smells. Add 1/4 to 1/2 cup to your washing machine with your rags.
  • Hang up to dry. If it’s a sunny use the powers of the sun to get rid of smelly odors. 

Some Amazing Products to consider:

  • Swing Arm Towel Bars – Install this in the cabinet under your sink to hang your towel between uses.
  • Sink Caddy – If you like your dish rags out were you can get to them easily, try one of these drying racks instead.
  • NO ODOR Dish Cloth – These odor free dish are said to last 7 times longer than a sponge and they clothes have great reviews on Amazon.
  • Silicone Dish Washing Scrubber – Ditch the cloth rags and try out these silicone scrubbers. Drys faster than your typical dish rag and super easy to clean. 
  • Magic Dishwashing Gloves – These silicone gloves have built in scrubbing power. 

TOWELS

  • Wash often. Use each towel for no more than a couple days before washing.
  • Hang up after each use. Don’t let wet rags sit on the floor and don’t wad them up and stuff them in the towel bar. They need to be allowed to fully dry between each use.
  • Do not toss your wet towel in the laundry basket. Just like with the dish rags, you don’t want a wet towel stinking up your other clothes and promoting mildew growth.
  • Use hot water and don’t use fabric softener. Hot water works best for removing smells but fabric softener creates a thin film on the towels which can hold in smells longer.
  • Do not leave in the washing machine for more than a couple house. For the same reason that you don’t want a wet towel left in the hamper. Mildew loves humid conditions. The longer you wait to place them in the dryer the more chance they have of smelling
  • Use vinegar. Vinegar will remove smells. Add 1/4 to 1/2 cup to your washing machine with your rags.
  • Hang up to dry. If it’s a sunny use the powers of the sun to get rid of smelly odors. 

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9 Super Simple Cleaning Hacks

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Some Amazing Products to consider:

  • Nutrl Home Waffle Weave Bath Towel – A patented, permanently infused antimicrobial treatment guarantees this bath towel to stay odor free
  • All-Natural Smelly Towel and Laundry Cleaner – Award winning! Add a capful to your wash to remove bad odors, mildew, and musty scents. This product has 4.4 out of 5 stars on Amazon reviews. One user wrote, “Oh my goodness…. This powder, I don’t know how, but it indeed removed the stinky towel smell that I was trying so hard to remove for a longest time.”
  • Bath Towel Hooks. This is a must if you have kids (or a husband) who don’tlike to hang towels back up. It is much easier to hang a towel on a hook than a bar so your kids are more likely to hang them up. 

CARPET

  • Spray with vinegar. Vinegar doesn’t just mask odors, but rather absorbs and neutralizes them. Pour vinegar into a spray bottle and spray on the carpets before you go to bed or before you leave for work then allow them to air dry. 
  • Sprinkle with baking soda. Baking soda will absorb odors. Sprinkle some on your carpet and let sit for 30 minutes to an hour (or overnight if you can. Then vacuum as normal. 
  • Steam clean carpets. Whether you rent a steam cleaner, purchase one, or hire a professional to come clean your carpets, it’s a good idea to clean them at least once a year. More often if you have pets. 
  • Vacuum often. Carpet tends to hide dirt and grime, but just because you can’t see it, doesn’t mean it’s not there. Vacuuming often will keep dirt and grim off your carpet and help with odors.

Some Amazing Products to consider:

  • Carpet Steam Cleaner – Most of these are reasonably priced and have really good reviews. If you have pets, be sure to get a steam cleaner that works well with pet hair. 
  • Vinegar and Baking Soda – There are several carpet powders and odor removers sold online and in stores but I have yet to find any that work as well as vinegar and baking soda. They are inexpensive and can be found in any grocery store. 
  • Robot Vacuum – If you can’t find the time to vacuum every day then a robot vacuum is a must. The prices vary from a couple hundred to $1000 or more. Choose the one that works best for your home and budget.

DOGS

  • Feed high quality food. If your dog stinks, it could be due to the food you are feeding. There is a lot of controversy over which foods are better for your dog. I’m a strong believer that, just like humans, every dog is different and what what works for one may not work for another. Try out some different brands, (or go raw) and see what works best for your dog
  • Regular brushing and bathing. Also be sure to clean their ears on a regular basis (to avoid ear infections which tend to smell), and trim their nails. Regular grooming can help keep your dog healthy and smelling fresh. Keep in mind that some dog breeds have skin that tends to dry out and itch if bathed too often.
  • Clean floors often. Dogs track in mud, dirt, and all sorts of other yucky stuff. Not to mention all the shedding and drool! We will eventually be getting rid of all the carpet in our home because the amount of dirt and other yucky things that get trapped in carpet horrifies me! (If you’ve ever had to remove old carpet, you know what I mean.) but if you do have carpet, it’s a good idea to vacuum daily and clean your carpets often. I’ve read many forum commenters (commentators??) that swear by using robot vacuums to keep up with pet hair in the home. You should also be sweeping and mopping your solid floors on a regular basis as well. 

Related posts:

6 Brilliant Dog Hacks Every Dog Owner Should Know

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Some Amazing Products to consider:

  • FURemover Carpet Rake – Rub this across your carpet to remove all that stubborn dog hair that your vacuum can lift up. This thing has great reviews and at only $16, you can’t go wrong.
  • Robot Vacuum – As I stated above, so many people swear by these for keeping on top of pet hair. The prices vary from a couple hundred to $1000 or more. Choose the one that works best for your home and budget.
  • Bissell Pet Stain and Stink Remover – This is a must for new puppy owners who are trying to potty train (and for those older dogs who still have accidents). Not only does this spray clean up dog urine, it also removes the smell. 
  • Mighty Paw Smell-Proof Dog Collar – I buy new collars for my dogs at least once a year, sometimes more. No matter how much I wash them they still smell. This Mighty Paw collar is made from PVC-based coated nylon material that is smell-proof, waterproof and easier to clean than regular collars. 
  • HandsOn Gloves – A must have for bathing and grooming your dog. Helps with circulation and distributing natural oils for healthy skin and coat. There are too many good comments about these to share just one. Click on the link and read them for yourself. 

LINGERING SMELLS 

  • Simmer pots. Fill up a pot of water then add some smell-good items, and let simmer on your stove. My favorite things to add are are orange and apple slices, cinnamon sticks, and cloves. You can do a quick google search to find many more recipes.
  • Air purifier. They can be expensive but they are definitely worth it. Air purifiers help rid your home of odors from smoking, smelly pets, stinky teenagers, and cooking. They can also help reduce the amount of germs and mold spores floating around your home.
  • Bowls of vinegar. As said before, vinegar absorbs odors. fill a few small bowls or glasses and place around your home to remove odors. Place them behind photos or plants so that they can’t be seen by house guests. 

Some Amazing Products to consider:

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