6 Ways to Get Rid of Bad Odors from Your Home

Every house has a smell. “It’s a combination of the people who live there, their perfume, aftershave, the food they cook, and other things. Most of the time it’s a good smell, but sometimes, it’s really not,” says cleaning expert and best-selling author Linda Cobb, aka The Queen of Clean. What to do when your house smells bad? Read on for Cobb’s best tips >>

House just smelling yucky? Cobb creates her own air freshener that's perfect for getting rid of odors in the bathroom, bedroom, or anywhere else in your home. “I buy small decorative spray bottles, fill them with this mixture and place them all over my house,” says Cobb. “Vodka is the secret ingredient.” It soaks up the smell and evaporates quickly.
Linda's Air Freshener Recipe
Mix:

• 3-parts water
• 1-part cheap vodka
  
• 10-20 drops of essential oil such as eucalyptus, citrus, or lavender for the bedroom. (You can find essential oils at the Vitamin Shoppe and your local health food store.)
  

Doggie or cat smell can be tough to get rid of because it’s constant and becomes embedded in fibers. Linda’s favorite solution for getting the smell out of the carpet and fabrics: Odorzout. “It’s 100 percent natural and animals and kids can be around it without worry,” she says. Odorzout is a dry product that you sprinkle on the affected area, and it absorbs the odor. Then you vacuum it up! “A little goes a long way and it works great,” says Linda.

As for a smelly dog, Linda says, “Believe it or not, I’ve found the thing that works best is to take a Massengill Douche (any kind except the vinegar type or medicated), put vaseline over the eye of the bottle so it won’t spray too quickly, wet down your dog, then spray the douche on him." 

Why it works? Douches deal with protein-based smells, and your dog’s fur is made up of protein. Works like a charm.

No one likes a smelly bathroom. First try Cobb’s Air Freshener recipe:
Linda's Air Freshener Recipe
Mix:

• 3-parts water
• 1-part cheap vodka
  
• 10-20 drops of essential oil such as eucalyptus, citrus, or lavender. (You can find essential oils at the Vitamin Shoppe and your local health food store.

 
Or try this other recipe she swears by:

• Combine 2 cups of water
  
• 1 tablespoon white vinegar
• 1 teaspoon of baking soda
• 10 drops of essential oil 
  

Mix and put into a spray bottle to leave in the bathroom.

“Do not put carrot peelings, onion peelings, or potato skins down your disposal,” says Cobb. "These can cause you to call a plumber more than any other foods, and when they start to decay they really smell.”

As for keeping your disposal smell-free, Cobb suggests putting some ice in the disposal and grinding it, then sprinkling Borax down the disposal, running water, and grinding it. The other thing you can do, says Cobb, “Put the stopper in the sink and add three inches of warm water. Then mix in a handful of baking soda. Turn on the disposal and pull out the stopper right away (so you don’t harm the disposal). This creates suction, and pulls the baking soda mixture down the disposal and cleans it.”

If the can itself smells, wash it with warm water and white vinegar. Or try sprinkling in some Odorzout, let it sit a few minutes, then dump out and rinse the can. If the garbage is smelly, but the bag isn’t full yet, Cobb suggests dumping in some coffee grounds, which neutralize smells.

Dirty clothes can stink, especially if they're workout clothes. To make sure the smell comes out in the wash, add half a cup of Arm & Hammer Washing Soda to the laundry. “It’s not baking soda, but it’s similar, and you’ll find it in the laundry aisle,” says Cobb. "It takes the smell right out of fabrics."

Linda Cobb has been widely recognized as the go-to cleaning expert for television shows such as Oprah, Dr. Phil, The View, The Today Show, and Live with Regis & Kelly. She also appears on radio. Cobb is the best-selling author of Talking Dirty with the Queen of Clean, The Queen of Clean Conquers Clutter, and Talking Dirty Laundry with the Queen of Clean. To find out where you stand on the cleaning chart, take Linda's cleaning quiz.