Surprising Household Deodorizers

When odors turn a room sour, don’t you know that there are gentle remedies that you can just grab within your home’s reach, to solve that problem? Here they are:

Vodka: Throw that stereotype thought first and look beyond this one drink’s other-purpose. This deodorizes old clothes. All you have to do is to spritz garments with a small amount of the alcoholic drink (spot-test first). Straight vodka kills bacteria, without leaving that ‘drunken’ scent. Hang clothes to dry in a well-ventilated area.

Orange peels. There’s more to these. It deodorize sinks: Give the disposal something nicer to chew on. Run hot water, drop orange peels down the hatch, and turn on the switch. Lemon, lime, and grapefruit rinds also do the trick.

Your freezer with charcoal (uling) or vanilla extract. Yes. They do wonders too, more than just ending up in the grill! Charcoal absorbs the odor from ice by just placing it in a bowl inside your freezer. To use the vanilla extract, wipe the freezer with a cotton pad dampened with pure vanilla extract. Refrigerator shelves will benefit from a wipe-down with a 50-50 mix of white vinegar and water.

For food storage containers, here’s to it too: Soak plastic containers in warm water and baking soda overnight. Another one, bathe glass jars in a mixture of one teaspoon powdered mustard also and one quart warm water, and that will do the cleaning! Amazing!

Baking soda is also good for your carpets and floors. Just sprinkle liberally and vacuum a few hours later.

Your onions don’t just leave you spilling a cupful of tears for that cooking recipe but it will give your home’s basement area have some fresh air, without that oniony smell of course! Cut it in half, place it on a plate, and leave it in the basement overnight. Once the initial salad-bar aroma dissipates, you’ll attain that fresh air. Like magic! (Adapted by Jessy Pearl)

Source: Martha C. White for realsimple.com