10 Effective Ways to Remove Bad Smell
by Sher D Fly on Jul 08, 2007 with 17 Comments
Follow any of the following tips which work wonders and can effectively help you to get rid of bad smell.
The smell of cigarette smoke and durian fruit can give you a major headache. At times, you can even lose your appetite when you get a whiff of dead carcass and garbage. Have you experienced any of these?
It is not an easy task however, to remove bad smells especially within a confined area, for instance in the refrigerator, in the trunk at the back of your car, in the wardrobe or in a poorly ventilated tiny room.
Nevertheless, before you can get rid of the bad smell, it is important first to clean the affected, smelly surfaces with a clean cloth, some water and some detergent or soap. Then, you can perhaps follow any of the following tips, which work wonders and can effectively help you to get rid of the bad smell. Don’t be surprised that most the things that can remove the bad smell can easily be found in your kitchen.
1. Charcoal
Charcoal is on top of my list as it is one of the best absorbent agents that can absorb and soak up the bad odour. Charcoal is also widely used as water filters and in most odour removing commercial products. You can put a medium-sized chunk of charcoal inside your smelly refrigerator for instance, and leave it there for a couple of days. You will notice that it can effectively remove the bad smell.
2. Baking Soda
Baking soda is also a good absorbent. Put a generous amount of baking soda in an uncovered container (the size of the container depends on the size of the confined area) and leave it for several days. Remove the baking soda and replace it with new one and leave it for a couple of days. Continue replacing the baking soda until it has cleared the bad smell.
3. Lemon or Lime Peel
Just put some lemon or lime peels into an uncovered container and leave them inside the confined area for a couple of days. The citrus smell will naturally replace the bad smell.
4. Pandan Leaf (also known as Pandanus or Screwpine)
It is easy to get pandan leaf in tropical countries as it is widely used in Southeast Asian cooking to add aroma to dishes. Its pleasant aroma also acts as natural air freshener. Just take a few strips of the pandan leaves and tie them into knots. Place the leaves inside the confined space and leave them until the leaves withered or dried up. Replace the leaves regularly until the smell goes away.
5. Vanilla Essence
Pour several drops of vanilla essence on a couple of cotton wools. Toss the cotton wools inside the confined space such as your wardrobe. Leave them for several days and you will notice that the area smells nice.
6. Mint Extract
If you favor neither the smell of citrus nor vanilla, you can perhaps use mint extract instead. Pour several drops of mint extract on a couple of cotton wools. Toss the cotton wools inside the confined space and leave them for a couple of days.
7. Fresh Ground Coffee
Ground coffee has a nice, crisp natural aroma. Just put about a cup of ground coffee in a flat, uncovered container. Place the container inside the confined space for several days. If the bad smell is extremely horrible, put more ground coffee. The area will smell of fresh coffee for many days.
8. Tea Bags
If you don’t like coffee, you can use tea bags instead. Just place 2-3 tea bags inside the confined space. The tealeaves in the bags will not only absorb the bad smell but also will release the natural aroma of tea.
9. Orange and Cloves
Get an orange and poke it with sharp objects like needle or fork to form small holes. Place each of the cloves inside these small holes until most of the orange surfaces are covered. It may look like a hedgehog with the cloves jutting out of the orange fruit. Leave it in the confined area for a couple of days. The area will smell nice with the said combinations.
10. Old Newspaper and Slices of Bread
Old newspaper and slices of bread also work wonders in absorbing the bad odours particularly inside the refrigerator. Just place some crumpled old newspaper and two slices of bread (uncovered) inside your refrigerator and leave them for two days. Replace them (especially the bread) regularly until the bad smell is removed.
You can also use the combination of any of the above tips together, to effectively remove bad smell. Try those tips and you will say goodbye to bad smells forever.
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Published in: Homemaking
smelly cat | Jul 9, 2007 | Reply
i have tried charcoal and vanilla to remove bad smells in my fridge…i have to tell u tht it works…thank u for the tips.
screwpine | Jul 10, 2007 | Reply
i put some pandan leaves in my car. smells nice, better than the chemical air freshner.
latte | Jul 15, 2007 | Reply
coffee works well with me…thanx
customerservice | Sep 7, 2007 | Reply
ive put some pandanus leaves in my cats room and it smells aromatically pleasant. thk goodness
Ruby Hawk | Sep 17, 2007 | Reply
You have some wonderful ideas here. I have tried some of them and they do work.
Robynier | Oct 16, 2007 | Reply
Totally love the smell of Pandanus. Its so refreshing and the smell is genuinely pleasant. Wonder if eucalyptus extarct would work as well
Jennifer | Dec 30, 2007 | Reply
I had a teddy bear that I left lying on top of one of those Automatic Febreze Air Fresheners for two days accidently. The smell of febreze has crawled into the teddy and locked itself in there. I’ve tried EVERYTHING, and nothing can remove the smell. You can smell the bear even if you aren’t even in the same room as it…….
Zanzou | Jan 13, 2008 | Reply
thanks for tips. =)
it made a great science fair project!
Lindy Lou | May 21, 2008 | Reply
Very helpful, but what do I do about the smell of a pitta bread which I overheated in the microwave (to a cinder nearly!) The whole house reeks and I had to put the microwave outside!!
Debbie | Jun 26, 2008 | Reply
This all sounds good, but will they work in the microwave. My son cooked some kinda spicey rice dish and now all I can smell is that in my microwave. HELP!!!!!
Lisa | Jul 31, 2008 | Reply
You could try boiling a cut up lemon in a shallow bowl of water for about 10 minutes on high. just make sure the water doesn’t boil dry.
Cakes | Aug 2, 2008 | Reply
Air freshening does not have to passive. All of the materials discussed could easily be placed into a bucket air filter. You just need to fit a fan on the top to pull air up through the freshening material. The air gets pulled in through holes around the bottom of the bucket.
There is a fan from “holmes” that exactly matches a five gallon bucket. or else u can get any fan to fit just by cutting a matching diameter hole in the bucket lid. attach and use a gasket or seal cracks with caulking ($2 USd for that).
cheap small long lasting fans can be found at computer supply stores; the ones they use to cool the towers.
remember the fan faces up and sucks air up through the material.
A material that works very well for bucket filters is ONA. Odor neutralizing agent. Like for diaper pails and janitorial supply; but u can get many kinds with aromatic essential oils added.
The “odor neutralizing agent” is killing the microbes so this is making the air fresh in the best way maybe.
The ONA gets diluted to proper proportions and then poured on water crystals. they sell the water crystals at plant supply; to conserve moisture in soil; about $5 USd.
lin | Sep 18, 2008 | Reply
I have a new Hotpoint refrigerator, it had horrible smell, I am now trying almost all the tips above, hope it will get rid of the bad smell… thanks for the tips.
J | May 8, 2009 | Reply
Thanx for the great tips
Eric | Jun 13, 2009 | Reply
I had some frozen chicken breasts that were left in the car for several days. The car now reaks and has for weeks. I’ve tried all the “odor killing” aerosols, baking soda and others. None have worked. I will try charcoal next and see if that works. Any other tips?
Sean | Jul 5, 2009 | Reply
I just bought a very used car that smells like it was underwater for a while. I’ll try your ideas and report back!
samrith khen | Oct 27, 2009 | Reply
Dear Mr/Madam
Could you share me some informations about how to use component to reduce bad smell from anthracite filter please ?
Because now i have problem with back wash of anthracite filter is not efficience . We just use tap water to back wash .
So you