Strike 3 or 4 wooden kitchen matches. Make sure they are fully alight, then blow them out and wave the smoking match sticks around the room until they stop smoking. It removes (not covers up) all kinds of odors, from damp dog, to doggy 'accidents', to cooked Brussels sprouts without any perfume-y after scent.
Source: My late mother-in-law, who came of age during the depression.
By Catherine from near Boston, MA
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I used to have a small bought gel-type deodorizer in my car that was "raspberry tea" scent. When it ran out, I washed out the container and kept it. A few weeks later my daughter commented that the car was stinky.
I have a chair in my bedroom that is holding up a fan. I don't like the cats to go underneath it. I put this can under the chair and it has made the whole bedroom smell wonderful when the fan is on and when it is off.
Best and cheapest deodorizer is white vinegar. It also kills germs. This is all we use in our house. It doesn't mask odors, it removes them.
Using Small Cat Food Tins for Deodorizing. I have a few tips to make the house smell good. I use the 3 oz. cat food tins.
I love using those many colored jars of deodorizing gel "beads" to suck away odors. I tried "reviving" an old, dried up jar of beads by watering it through the holes in the top lid.
Here are the questions asked by community members. Read on to see the answers provided by the ThriftyFun community.
I am looking for the best and most inexpensive way to deodorize my home. I like it to smell like cookies or apple pie or pumpkin pie, anything yummy. I have a soft heart and have taken in 5 homeless kitties. I don't know if my home smells, but I want to be sure that it smells good!
By Susan from Naples, FL
We have our home for sale and have a steady stream of people in and out so I too want my home to smell good. Aside from trying to have a fresh loaf of bread just out of the oven I use those candle warmer things that you plug in with some really good smelling candles.
I too rescue pets, puppies really :-) My home just smells of animals some times. It's inevitable. I do a few inexpensive things to make sure my home smells fantastic.
I place baking soda (around 50 cents a box) inside the canister of my vacuum then vacuum the floors and furniture to remove the pet hair. Have bags? Sprinkle ever so lightly on the furniture, under cushions and floor.
I then clean my coffee pot while doing this one, I fill the coffee pot with 1 part vinegar 3 parts water. I run this through twice to clean my machine AND to deodorize the air. If you have a larger home, I recommend placing the finished water small bowls (up high away from animals) throughout the home, only main rooms really. Please note Hot steam is vital to neutralizing. Let that steam roll.
Now you have your air neutralized (odor removed). Let's make it smell fabulous!
I take inexpensive dollar store brand (again around 50 cents a jar) sticks of cinnamon. Over a 2 quart pot of water, I grate the cinnamon sticks (2-4 is grate (pun intended :-) right into the water and turn on low. You may use the already ground cinnamon but you'll find it will not last within your home as it's scent has already been partially lost during the grounding process. I highly recommend fresh sticks. Now, take the boiling or already warmed pot in each room allowing the steam to fill the air.
I'm sure adding a few other spices wouldn't hurt either! Always remember the Dollar store sells their spices at 50 cents each, at least here in the south they do :-)
When you've turned this off, This would be a great time to add your potpourri and flowers. Remove to dry out. Place in an old thin t-shirt. Now you have Potpourri sachets and a wonderfully smelling home. Blessings to you all!
I agree with pogrl06. Just take some cinnamon sticks, orange peels, maybe a few cloves, put them in some cheesecloth tie it up place in a small pan cover with water and bring it to a boil. Turn down the heat to simmer for 10- 15 mins. Sometimes realtors will do this before showing a house. It works!
I buy inexpensive spices at the $ stores and use them as popourii! Use the same spices you would use in an apple pie and watch your visitors go straight to the kitchen looking for a fresh pie! I add enough spices of my choice and put an old pot full of water on the stove to simmer for as long as I want.
I buy bottles of vanilla at the dollar stores. I pour a little into a votive cup & place throught the house. My mother did this every time she painted & it really helped!
All I find that these tricks will do is mask, not deodorize. If the cats themselves have an odor, then the same spray you use on a ferret to inhibit smell will work on them.
If it is their litter, invest in a self cleaning litter box and empty it daily. (Saves on having to replace litter as often.) If the cats are trainable to a toilet or outside instead of the litter box, do so. Besides, cats will defecate all over the house if their litter box stinks.
If the Toms are spraying, get them fixed or put them outside.
Buy an odor killer (germ killer). If all those are too chemical, buy a squirt bottle, put a Tablespoon of Tea Tree Oil in it and fill the rest with alcohol. Spray your entire house at least once a week, then use the cheap smells you like.
I used to visit someone that used Hexol as a room deodorizer (they smoked and it was right by the front door). What are the other purposes for Hexol and can you still purchase it?
i just googled hexol and came up with several sites that sell it.
