There are whole sections of products in supermarkets and discount stores intended to combat odors, but most don’t attack the source. Instead, they cover a bad odor by substitution with another, more pleasant odor, or they contain chemicals to deaden your sense of smell.

 

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Getting at the source of odors usually means removing organic matter, then disinfecting the area in ways appropriate to the affected surface. Organic matter includes vomit, urine, feces, mildews, molds, large amounts of food waste (garbage), and the like. Each gives off molecules while decaying (or, in the case of molds, while eating), which are that unpleasant odor you’ve detected.

Here’s a brief tour of the biggest culprits:

Cooking

 

Everyone knows how bad cooked fish or burned meat can smell several hours after the meal. These odors are in the air, of course. In combination with airborne grease, they’re also on walls, appliances, countertops, windows, doorknobs and in fabrics.

Hard surfaces should be cleaned with a good disinfectant cleaner to remove both grease and odors. Follow up with a rinsing wipe to remove all cleaner residue, and then dry each surface. You may wish to use a degreasing cleaner first on heavily soiled surfaces; this will speed the work of the disinfectant.

Eliminate unpleasant cooking odors by boiling 1 tablespoon (15 ml) of white vinegar in 1 cup (240 ml) of water.

On fabrics, use a fabric refresher. First, dust or vacuum the fabric as appropriate, then spray until the fabric is slightly damp. Don’t use this on leather, and proceed carefully on fabrics that spot easily, such as silk. Choose a product such as Febreze or Oust! that contains odor-eliminating ingredients. Many other products simply mask the odor or – even worse – deaden your sense of smell! 

Mildew

 

Brush or vacuum off mildew-spotted fabrics outdoors to avoid scattering spores inside the home. Let all items dry in the sun for at least a couple of hours. (Don’t leave leather in the sun for such an extended period.) Washable fabrics should be immediately washed in the hottest water safe for the garment. Add bleach, if suitable for the fabric, to kill any remaining growth.

Mildewed leather can be cleaned with denatured alcohol (equal parts rubbing alcohol and water) applied to a clean, soft cloth. Wipe gently until the spot disappears. Then use a leather conditioner to preserve moisture and suppleness. Alcohol can degrade vinyl, so wipe it with a water-dampened cloth and buff dry.

If your nose detects mildew after all the obvious spots have been cleaned, check evaporator pans behind or under the refrigerator, or under the evaporator coil next to the furnace if you have central air conditioning. Scrub with diluted bleach (1 part bleach to 4 parts water) and a nylon brush; use an old toothbrush to get into any tight corners. Wipe with a water-moistened towel and dry completely.

Refrigerator

 

Clean the refrigerator and freezer sections thoroughly at least twice a year using a household cleaner and a sponge or soft towels. Avoid using abrasive pads and gritty cleaners, which they will scratch the soft plastic found inside most refrigerators. Avoid using tools such as putty knives or scrapers to remove stuck-on food. Instead, place (or hold) a wet sponge or cloth over the spot. Leave it in place long enough to soften the food so that it can be wiped away.

Once the refrigerator is clean and dry, tear the tops off two boxes of baking soda and place one in each section of the appliance. Odors that occur between cleanings – and which have no obvious source, such as a spill or a food scrap -- can be neutralized by putting baking soda into a wide, shallow pan or baking sheet and leaving it on a shelf inside the unit for several days.

In addition to keeping it clean, the best way to avoid a reeking refrigerator is to toss out spoiled food before the odor becomes obvious. You weren’t really going to eat that two-week-old Chinese take-out food, were you?

Smoke

 

Natural ventilation on a regular basis will help keep tobacco-smoke odors from building up. Walls and other hard surfaces should be cleaned with appropriate methods. For fabrics, dust or vacuum first, then apply an odor eliminator such as Oust! or Febreze.

 

It's a lot easier to insist that smokers enjoy cigarettes, cigars and pipes outdoors.

Urine

 

Urine, of course, has its own distinctive odor, and it attracts bacteria, which can add to the stench. Immediate action is your best defense against persistent odors.

Try the following procedure:

1. Blot up as much urine as possible with paper towels.
   
   
2. Mix a teaspoon of colorless hand dishwashing liquid in a cup of lukewarm water, then soak a clean, white towel with the solution and blot the stain. Soak up as much as you can with another clean, dry white towel.
   
   
3. Use another clean, white towel to blot the area with a solution of one part white vinegar to two parts water. Use a dry towel to blot up as much of this solution as possible.
   
   
4. Dry the site. If you have one, use a wet-dry vacuum cleaner, but first make sure the nozzle is clean. Whether or not you use a wet-dry vacuum, cover the area with several clean, dry terry towels, weigh the towels down over the area and allow it to dry for at least six hours.

Enzyme-containing products such as Biz or Nature’s Miracle will also help remove the source of urine odors, but check labels carefully before buying. Enzymes should not be used on wool carpets, for example, because they’ll break down the wool as well as the spot. Follow all label directions closely to give the product you buy a chance to work well.

Reference:

Jeff Bredenberg, editor, in Clean It Fast, Clean It Right: The Ultimate Guide to Making Everything You Own Sparkle & Shine.