There are lots of weird but effective ways to get rid of bad smells in your home. Maybe you let the garbage get a little ripe, let the milk go bad in the fridge, or had an unfortunate pet accident while you were out. Maybe your very juvenile best friend decided to microwave a bunch of stupid things, like frosting and raw eggs and raw chocolate all at once, just for the fun of it, and now your microwave smells like the seventh layer of Hell. Whatever the case, you don't have to buy a new microwave, replace your rug, or even move. Just try some of the following ways to get rid of bad smells.
If you've got a rancid smell in your fridge, here's one of the unbelievable ways to get rid of bad smells. You probably wouldn't expect something as seemingly mundane as oats to banish any raunchy odors, but a bowl of them left in the fridge will get rid of anything, even the unfortunate scent of those overly ripe tomatoes.
So, do people flee the room when you take off your shoes? Happens to the best of us. Well, not me, but I've seen it happen to other people. What they – and you – should do is sprinkle an abundance of baking powder inside of your shoes, enough to cover them. Then, seal them up tight in a Ziploc bag and store them in the freezer. Leave them there overnight, and in the morning you'll enjoy a return to that new-shoe smell. The baking soda neutralizes the smell, while the cold kills off all the bacteria.
Garbage disposals are amazing things, but since they deal with all kinds of old, icky food, they eventually start to smell – and then that smell invades your kitchen. You don't have to replace your disposal or call in your landlord to fix the problem. Just slice up an orange, a lemon, or a lime and grind up that baby in your disposal. Your kitchen should smell lovely shortly.
Vinegar neutralizes lots of odors, but usually you either wash with it or pour some in a cup and let it sit around until it banishes the bad smells. If you're dealing with a kitchen that smells strongly of burned food, fish, or other unpleasant aromas, use your vinegar on the stove. Pour a cup full into a pot and bring it to a boil. Yes, your kitchen will smell strongly of vinegar vapors for a while, but once that fades, you won't have the stink of old food.
Whether you're dealing with a bad stink in your fridge or a raunchy odor elsewhere, coffee does the trick. You know how great coffee smells as it brews, right? Spreading out coffee grounds over a cookie sheet or something similar, in whatever area smells bad, will neutralize that odor and leave you enjoying the fragrance of the grounds instead.
I discovered this when that juvenile BFFL I mentioned decided to have some fun with my microwave. Pour some lemon juice in a microwave safe container and zap that sucker until it starts to boil. That's it! One bowlful will easily deal with the smell of burnt popcorn or something like that, but for something really vile, you may need to do this several times – but it will happen, promise!
Brew up some tea – some Lipton or Nestea will work, don't waste your fancy herbal teas – and then add some lemon juice. You aren't going to drink this concoction, however. Strain it through a coffee filter into a spray bottle, and then spritz around wherever you have a bad odor. Instantly fixed – and it smells so soothing! This is an excellent remedy for dogs who like to have “accidents” on the ottoman when they're mad at you.
If you find that any one of these remedies won't work, just try another one. Chances are good that you'll discover at least one option that works for your particular odor, even if it's the very smelliest smell in all of creation. Do you have any other odd ways to get rid of bad smells in the home?