Tips
Getting rid of household odours
Whether you are preparing to sell your home or not, odours are the number one turn-offs for buyers and guests in general. Here are a few of the main smelly problems and how to eliminate them.
Smelly Kitchen Sink?
Do you have a garbage disposal that is giving off an unpleasant odour? Try putting items in that give off a great smell. Use orange peels, lemon, lime or grapefruit rinds and then run hot water while the switch is on. Now you have a great smelling sink.
Scary items in your freezer?
Remove all items from the freezer and, of course, dispose of old packages or items when you aren’t even sure what they are or how long they have been in there. Wipe the freezer out and take a cloth that has been dampened with pure vanilla extract and wipe the entire freezer. Now you won’t be afraid to open the door when you need to decide what to have for dinner.
Musty carpet?
Make sure you can avoid having traffic in the areas you want to clean for a few hours. Sprinkle liberally with baking soda and after a few hours vacuum it up. If you can’t keep people off the carpet do sections at a time.
Bathroom odours?
In the toilet, pour a cup of full-strength vinegar into the bowl and let it sit for 5-10 minutes. Scrub the toilet and don’t forget under the rim and then flush.
Smelly litter box?
A major odour issue is the litter box. Empty the litter and pour about 1/2 cup of vinegar into the box and completely cover with baking soda; then add several inches of water and stir it all together. Leave the mixture for a few hours, empty and scrub the box with hot soapy water. Make sure to dry the box well, then coat the bottom with a layer of baking soda before adding the clean litter. Problem solved, and your cats will be much happier as well.
Repainting Over Tobacco Smells
When repainting a room that has seen its share of tobacco smoking done in it, add 2 tablespoons of pure vanilla extract to the gallon of paint. It will add a fresh odour to the freshly painted room.
