Friday, February 11, 2011

Controling Strong Odors in Your Home


I am surrounded by stench. No I do not live in a swamp; I live in a house full of males. Don't get me wrong. Woman can emit strong odors, too, but males really have a talent for it. When the weather doesn't allow all my doors and windows to take care of the offending party naturally, I look to creative solutions. Some people are happy with scented candles and sprays. After growing up around a mother who lost her sense of smell after a bad cold and still refused to stop wearing L'air du Temps perfume in quantities she could smell, I find many scents offensive. This includes many natural fragrances and flowers from the most delightful vacation spots in the world. So, what is a gal like me to do? I have found a combination of natural deodorizers and passive light fragrance, layered in continuous trouble spots to work well. Here are some of my fixes for tough rooms:


KITCHEN

Anyone who cooks regularly will eventually need to prepare something that offends the nose. I always say the best way to get rid of an odor is to prevent it in advance as much as possible. Big cooking offenders are fish, cauliflower, garlic and onions. Whenever I can cook fish on the grill outdoors, I do. Otherwise, I will bake fish in a covered dish and while I am preheating the oven I start my vent fan on low. Pre-venting is extremely helpful. Close off the kitchen to prevent the smell from reaching other rooms, especially ones with lots of fabric like towels, bedding, upholstered furniture,curtains and closets. Onions, garlic and cauliflower can only be contained then covered up later. I find the odor removing candles work pretty well in a small contained space after I'm done cooking. They impart a small scent, but it's not very intense.

The refrigerator is all about packaging. A sliced onion wrapped in plastic will smell more than if you put it in a zipped plastic bag. Take a trip to a house wares store and buy tight sealing containers for the items you regularly keep in the refrigerator. Foods like butter, milk, cheeses, some vegetables absorb more odors. Wrapping them in good containers and keeping a fresh box of baking soda is still the best helper here.

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