08 October 2013

Eco-Friendly Tips For Removing Household Odors


Many people are starting to realize that air freshening sprays and other odor-removing chemicals can have health risks and negative impacts on the environment.  However, foregoing using these products altogether and living with the resulting odors doesn't appeal to many people.  Fortunately, there are many environmentally friendly ways to care of unwanted household odors, from simple solutions like buying household plants to high-tech solutions like an ozone machine. 



Focus on Keeping the House Clean

First, keeping your home as clean as possible will play a significant role in preventing and eliminating odors.  You should try to wash fabrics like cushion covers in the washing machine and items like trashcans outside with the hose on a regular basis, before you notice that there is a mess and an associated odor.  Be careful to allow everything that you wash to dry thoroughly to prevent a musty odor from permeating the house.  Make sure to air out the home, too; improving circulation will help clear out unwanted odors.  Taking dirty items outside to air out is always a good idea as well.   

Use Common Household Items to Kill Odors

There are a few household staples that can help you eliminate odors safely.  White vinegar neutralizes odor-causing bacteria; you can leave a bowl of white vinegar overnight in a room, or you can make a white vinegar solution and use it to clean garbage disposals, counters, windows, floors, and spills while dispelling odors.  Baking soda has a similar effect.  You can sprinkle it into carpet, shoes, the trashcan, or anything else to get rid of odors; you can also use a mixture of baking soda and hot water to wash things that have a persistent odor.  You can also buy household plants or move them into rooms with a strong odor; the plants will eliminate odor as well as actual toxins from the air. 

Invest in an Ozone Machine

If you can spend a little extra money or if you don't have a lot of free time to handle house odor removal on your own, an ozone generator is your best eco-friendly solution.  These machines from http://www.odorfreemachines.com/ create ozone, which is highly reactive and will change the structure of the particles that it comes into contact with.  The ozone alters the molecules that cause odors, and once their chemical structure has been changed, they don't produce the odor anymore.  During the same process, ozone molecules convert back to oxygen.  Ozone machines are highly effective because the ozone can reach bacteria and contaminants essentially anywhere in your home that isn't sealed off or airtight.  This process is completely natural, too; ozone occurs in the environment and is responsible for the clean smell after a rainstorm, during which lightning produces ozone.


Making healthy and environmentally responsible decisions doesn't mean that you have to live in an unpleasantly odorous house.  Besides the handful of solutions above, there are various other natural ways to get rid of unwanted odors.  If you're willing to dedicate a little extra time to keeping your home clean and fresh, there are plenty of affordable do-it-yourself options, while if you can invest a little money, an ozone generating machine will deliver reliable and safe results every time.  

32 comments:

  1. I knew I could leave some baking soda out to absorb odors. I did know know about cleaning with it. I'm going to give it a try.

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  2. I do clean with vinegar but never thought of leaving a bowl of it out overnight. Good tip for the holidays! Thanks

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  3. I love the vinegar idea - I usually wash my floors and bathroom with vinegar and water but leaving a bowl out is an amazing idea and is sure to get rid of the odors.

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  4. I use vinegar for everything.

    knickgirl_3 at yahoo dot com

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  5. I love cleaning with vinegar and baking soda. I think I need to buy more plants.

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  6. Love cleaning with vinegar and baking soda. I think I need to but more plants.

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  7. I love cleaning with vinegar and baking soda. I think I need to buy more plants.

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  8. I did not know what ozone machines did. That is so cool, I want one .

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  9. Such a great idea! Cleaning with baking soda and vinegar is the way to go. I also use a little baking soda in my laundry to remove stains, works awesome!

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  10. I love this post, because I agree that so much of what we use to "clean" our home actually adds more chemicals that we don't need in our home. Vinegar can clean almost anything!

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  11. I also didn't know about ozone machines!

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  12. I didnt know about Ozone machines either! Thank you for that. We are doing everything in our power to "Go Green"!

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  13. Thanks for sharing these tips. However, I find leaving the windows open helps a lot!

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  14. I use tons of vinegar. And baking soda. Our sewer recently (last week!) backed up into our basement. We had 4 days of plumbers, roto rooters, backhoes & everyone else in our basement & yard. But when it was all said & done, vinegar is what removed the odor from the basement.

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  15. Thank you for posting these tips. I will have to use more baking soda and vinegar.

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  16. These are all great ideas, I've heard vinegar works wonders! I think I should try it because all the cleaners I use are definitely chemicals and very expensive.

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  17. i am always trying to remove indoor odors we have 5 days and 2 cats i use a lot of ammonia and vinegar and water I should try the Ozone Machine

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  18. I had heard of vinegar and baking soda, but not an ozone machine - I've never seen one! It is good to check out - very interesting!!!

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  19. I've noticed that household dust has an odor. There's one room that's rarely used so it gets dusty. After I swept it smelled fine.

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  20. I love using the vinegar to clean our house, but I have to clean when my husband isn't around since he hates the smell of vinegar. Thanks for the post.

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  21. I use essential oils to freshen rooms and carpets (with baking soda). I make my own room sprays.

    slehan at juno dot com

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  22. Vinegar & baking soda are the bomb! There's practically nothing the two can't handle.

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  23. Thank you for the tips! I feel like I'm constantly using chemicals on everything. We are making a conscious effort to eliminate as many as we can and start using natural products. Definitely going to check out those ozone machines!

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  24. I too use vinegar to clean things & to run through our coffee makers. Baking soda is also a must in our house! I use it in the refrigerator and more! I have even brushed my teeth with it (mixing it in my toothpaste). I have about a dozen plants in my house - my one room looks like plant nursery! But I never knew about the Ozone Machine. I would have to investigate it a little further before I purchased one. Good to know!!

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  25. pretty awesome machine, and yes i use vinegar, love my vinegar and baking soda and i add tea tree oil to help kill germs , this is a great way also to keep out insects , but yes the house does smell nice with just a little vinegar , water lavender oil, thanks for share @tisonlyme143

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  26. I try to keep up with all the deep cleaning and not just the everyday cleaning to keep the mysterious odors away. I also clean odors away with vinegar and baking soda. Very useful. I used to have an ozone machine. It got lost during the move.

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  27. Well its spring cleaning time-- and this just fit right in-- I use a lot of vinegar, lemon, and soda, and salt--I won't let the odor type sprays into the house because of one son it always makes him get headaches, cough, and sneeze-- its just not worth it -- thanks for the ideas-- I find it very uses full

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  28. Great tips! I use vinegar and baking soda as much as possible for cleaning because I like the idea they're so non-toxic that they're even edible. Although I wouldn't recommend mixing the two to make a smoothie.

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  29. This is right on. My family is very sensitive to chemicals, that alone is enough for me to use more natural means of cleaning. I think it's funny that sour smelling vinegar cuts odors, but it's true. My great-grandmother taught me to wash windows with vinegar and newspaper when I was just young, and I've been doing it ever since.

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  30. I use vinegar regularly as a cleaning agent. I wash my bathroom toilets, countertops and windows using vinegar. also I clean my coffee pot and windows. I thought an ozone machine would be very effective for the entire house. Also. a machine like that certainly would eliminate a lot of cleaning hours.

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  31. I often use vinegar and/or baking soda for cleaning. I'd heard of using vinegar to remove odors, but never seem to think of it when there's an odor I want to remove. Next time!

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  32. I use vinegar and/or baking soda for cleaning. I've heard of using vinegar to remove odors but haven't tried it yet.

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