Open the doors and windows: Expel that smell

Ever walked into someone’s apartment and wondered if that conversation shouldn’t be taken outside due to the offensive smell of indoor humidity in the air, such that makes you feel the desperate need for a breath of fresh air?

More often than not, people forget the importance of fresh air to their homes and replace with Air Conditioners (AC) and fans, depriving the home of healthy ventilation and thereby accumulating humidity that worsens with all sorts of inevitable human odour, smells from carpets, rugs, upholsteries, kitchen utensils, appliances, damp and dirty clothes, sweaty beddings, stains, etc.

As a matter of fact, some family members have become accustomed to the certain stench that they reek of it even when they are out of their homes. Their home smells in a certain offensive way and they also carry around the same smell. You can tell a member of such home is approaching from a distance. You cannot breathe around them; you are desperate to have them leave your presence or compelled to call a spade a spade.

Well, it is time to save your home and self the embarrassment, first, by turning off the AC and fan, then opening all the windows and doors in your home for at least seven hours every day to expel the offensive odour. However, during periods of nice weather, just open the windows all day and let the fresh air blow through and push out bad smells.

Having done that, the next step would be to get rid of smells in your fabrics, cotton, carpets, upholsteries, kitchen area, bathroom, bedroom, living room, wardrobe, everything.

Three Important Items That Expel Smell From Your Home Effects
Some people try to hide bad odour behind body sprays and perfumes, but when their effect is done, they are back to square one. So, whether it is a smell that has turned your home into a stink-nest, where people run away from or the lingering smell of something you cooked spoilt food or leftovers, there is absolutely no need to cover it up when you can neutralise it with vinegar, lemon and baking soda.

How To Use Baking Soda To Expel Smell
• Place an open box of plain baking soda in the refrigerator to neutralise bad odour.

• Sprinkle some into the bottom of the trashcan and into the trash bag itself for similar results.

• Put half cup of baking soda in two quarts of water and a soft cloth or brush also work well for cleaning the fridge, scrubbing down and freshening the tub, tiles, sinks, drains, trashcans and toilet bowls.

• You can get rid of smells from upholsteries, rugs, and carpets by sprinkling baking soda liberally on the items.

• Leave the baking soda in place for several hours, then vacuum or shake it out.

• A couple of months after having purchased a new mattress, it may start to smell musty. Give your bed a refresh by sprinkling baking soda on the mattress, letting it sit and then vacuum it up.

How To Use Lemon To Rid The Home Of Smell
• Simmer lemon peel in a pot of water for a fresh whole-house scent.

• Put leftover lemon down your garbage disposal to banish bad smell from accumulated food odour.

• Soak a sponge in lemon juice and place it inside your refrigerator, microwave, etc. to absorb odour.
How To Use Vinegar To Expel Smell

• To completely expel the smell that has taken over the entire home, vinegar might be your best solution. All you need to do is pour a cup of white vinegar in a saucepan on your stovetop and bring it to poach.

The poaching vinegar would release more odour-fighting power into the air, and if you let it go for a while, it would deodorise your whole house.

It might smell a little vinegary at first, but after a little while, it won’t smell like anything at all.
• For stronger disinfecting properties, scrub with a strong vinegar solution.

• Boil two parts water with one part vinegar in a microwave-safe container to remove bad smells from your microwave. The vinegar smell itself dissipates quickly.

• Add half a cup of vinegar to a quart of water and allow poaching on the stove for a few minutes. This would remove the smell of burnt food and any odour from your kitchen.

However, it is important to maintain the freshness of your newly found indoor air by leaving the windows and doors open from time to time. But when you have to keep the doors and windows shut for AC, endeavour to use air purifiers too.