Home Recipes to Absorb Odors

Room

• To freshen an entire room, dilute 1/2 cup of white vinegar in 1 1/2 cups of water in a spray bottle. Add about 15 drops of essential oil to the bottle and mist the room to neutralize odors. Adjust the the ratio of ingredients to create the strength you prefer. More vinegar and less water results in a stronger deodorizer. It won't leave a vinegar smell behind either, because the smell of vinegar vanishes when it dries. For stubborn room odors, leave an open dish of vinegar in the room overnight to absorb the odor. To give a room a pleasant smell, moisten a cotton ball with a few drops of essential oil and place it somewhere inconspicuous, such as on a shelf in the bathroom or under your bed.

Cooking

• Cooking can leave strong unpleasant odors in the kitchen long after mealtime. To help combat the lingering smell of your fish dinner, place a small bowl of white vinegar next to the stove as you cook and leave it sitting out afterward as needed.

Carpet

• To get pet odors and other bad smells out of your carpet, sprinkle baking soda liberally over the carpet. Leave it for 30 minutes before vacuuming.

Garbage Can

• Drop a few used fabric-softener sheets into the bottom of trash cans before putting in the trash bag to absorb smelly garbage odors between trash-pickup days.

Car

• Pour baking soda into your car's ashtray to control unpleasant odors while you're on the road, or hide fabric softener sheets under the seats to keep things fresh.

Shoes

• When your shoes start smelling, eliminate the offending odor by sprinkling baking soda into the shoes and letting it sit overnight. Dump out the baking soda in the morning for fresher-smelling sneakers.

Mildew

• Wipe away musty-smelling mildew with full-strength vinegar for heavily mildewed areas, or equal parts water and vinegar for lighter touch-ups. Use it on walls, tile, shower curtains, furniture or just about anything around the house.