Tackling Common Household Odours's featured image

No matter how much you clean your home, the odours of everyday life are unavoidable. But don’t let that get you down – here are some helpful tips from the experts at MOLLY MAID to help you rid your home of odours.

Maintaining a Fresh Smelling Garbage

Wash indoor and outdoor garbage bins with warm water and soap to remove excess garbage debris. Leave fabric softener sheets in the bottom of your kitchen garbage to absorb odours.

Cleaning Up Burnt-On Food Spills in Your Oven or Stove

If food from a casserole dish bubbles over onto the stove or oven floor, sprinkle a bit of salt on the spill to absorb the burnt smell. Adding salt to the area will also make it easier to clean up later.

Freshening Up a Stale Freezer

Place a clean sock filled with dry coffee grounds inside your freezer to deodorise it. This will keep your freezer fresh.

Maintaining a Clean Microwave

The awful smell of burnt popcorn seems to remain in your microwave for quite some time until it eventually disperses. To speed up the process, fill a large microwave-safe bowl with 1 and 1/2 cups of water and 3 or 4 sliced lemons along with a fragrant spice such as like cloves. Bring the water to a boil in the microwave, and leave it to steam for 15 minutes. Leave the door of your microwave open for an hour or so to let it air out.

Keeping Your Dishwasher Smelling Fresh

If your dishwasher develops an odour, check to ensure that there is no food at the bottom of your machine. Next, pour some white vinegar into the bottom of your dishwasher and let it sit for about an hour. Run the dishwasher through a full cycle to eliminate the smell. If the odour is still present after the cycle, call your local plumber.

Maintaining a Clean Wooden Cutting Board

To keep your wooden cutting board clean, scrub the wood with a mixture of lemon juice and baking soda or salt. Rinse well and wipe with mineral oil.

Keep Your Fridge and Kitchen Smelling Fresh

Cooking foods such as fish or cabbage can leave behind strong aromas in your kitchen. To help eliminate these odours you can place a small bowl of white vinegar on the flat surface of your stove. You can also freshen up your fridge by pouring baking soda into a plastic margarine tub with holes in the lid. Wipe down fridge walls with white vinegar to get rid of any other remaining odours.

Keeping Your Toilet Clean

When your toilet needs cleaning, pour 1 cup of white vinegar into the toilet bowl and let it stand for at least 5 minutes. Scrub briskly and flush.

Keeping Your Bathroom Smelling Fresh

Dab an essential oil such as cinnamon or orange onto a hand full of cotton balls, and place them in a small bowl on a shelf. This will help keep your bathroom smelling fresh.

Freshening Up Your Carpets

To quickly and effectively freshen up your stale carpets, sprinkle a box of baking soda over its surface and let it settle into the carpet for 30 minutes. Run a vacuum over your carpet to remove the remaining baking soda.

Freshening Up a Stale Mattress

Spray your mattress with a disinfectant to kill the bacteria causing the odour. In between cleanings, sprinkle some baking soda onto your mattress and let it stand for 15 minutes. Run the vacuum over your mattress to remove the remaining baking soda.

Keeping Your Closet Smelling Fresh

Just like your freezer, hanging clean socks filled with dry coffee grounds will help you maintain a fresh smelling closet.