Tip #1: Remove the Source. Obviously, if you can remove the smell altogether, that's the best option. Take out the trash, clean up the mold, and smoke outside, for instance. The problem is, even once you eliminate the odor, sometimes it sticks around.
Tip #2: Eliminate the Odor. The reason smell sticks around even once you remove the source comes down to porous materials. Fabric, paint, and wallpaper are all porous—they have room in their structure for odor molecules to get in, and once they're in, they often stay trapped.
This means you need to completely remove the odor from your porous surfaces. The good news is, for most mild odors, there's an easy way to do this!
Baking soda is a natural odor absorber. To tackle smells in your carpet or furniture, this will do the trick:
- Sprinkle baking soda on the area.
- Let sit (an hour or more is best).
- Vacuum the surface.
When you vacuum after the baking soda has sat on the surface, it will carry the bad odors with it.
Tip #3: Preventing the Odor. Obviously, cleaning frequently is the biggest help, but even then you can't avoid all odors. To help prevent them, you can place open boxes of baking soda in your stinkiest areas (bathrooms, refrigerators, bedrooms, kitchens) to absorb odors, replacing once a month.
You can also switch to a vacuum with a HEPA filter like the kind The Maids use to help remove contaminants, including the ones that cause bad odors!
