Remove Odors Naturally Using Essential Oils and Other Natural Ingredients

Diffusing essential oils like lemon can help eliminate and camouflage stinky, smoky and musty household odors (scroll down to see a list). But if you really want to eliminate lingering odors, try good old baking soda.

Baking Soda to the Rescue...

A few weeks ago, I re-filled the gas cans for my lawnmower and other lawn tools at the gas station. A small amount spilled in the back of my vehicle. When the smell hadn't left after a couple days, I kept a wide dish of baking soda overnight in it for a couple nights and that took care of it.

I put baking soda to the test a year ago when my basement carpet got wet during a bad storm. Luckily it wasn't sewage, but it was just enough water in a smaller area to make a mess and lead to some pretty ugly odors from drying so slowly...

Even with my wet/dry vacuum, diligently using a carpet cleaner, and several fans, the smell of wet carpet becomes so strong that it can be clearly noticed even two flights up. I'm not a fan of chemical-based products and try to go with natural products and ingredients whenever I can. God bless baking soda. Sprinkled very generously (we're talking LOTS) on the carpet after it had dried, and left like that for a day before vacuuming it up rapidly took care of the nasty odors. Since odors can travel to other areas of the house, I kept bowls of baking soda throughout the rest of the house.

Baking soda can be sprinkled on musty carpets and kept in bowls or shallow pans in rooms that need odor elimination.

A Note About Cats

Cats are very sensitive to essential oils. Since I'm not a guru on aromatherapy for cats, I lean on the side of caution, using a baby gate to keep my cat out of any areas that I'm deodorizing. Refer to AromaWeb's Aromatherapy for Animals article for recommended resources.

Essential Oils to Help Reduce Stale, Musty and Smoky Odors from Rooms

The essential oils shown below can be rather vivid in color. Do not put the essential oils directly onto carpets or fragile surfaces. They are best used in a diffuser.

Aromatherapy Recipes That Can Help Reduce Odors

Other Natural Household Odor Eliminators

White Vinegar

Though stinky during use, soaking or dabbing items with white vinegar can help to remove stubborn odors. For instance, if you forget to put wet clothes into your dryer, rewash the clothes with vinegar. The vinegar also acts as a natural fabric softener.