Building Odor Eliminators

Citrus is a natural air freshener.

Indoor odors are caused by a wide variety of things. Dirty laundry, cooking smells, bathroom odors and pets are a small sampling of things that create undesirable smells inside of a building. Although you cannot control when unwanted odors occur, you can control how long they stay around. There are several effective solutions to eliminating unwanted odor from the air. Many odor eliminator solutions use items that are already available in the home.

Things You'll Need

• Small plastic food container with lid
• Activated charcoal
• Ice pick
• Coffee beans
• Sock
• Essential oil
• Cotton ball
• Glass jar with lid
• Glass bowl
• Cinnamon
• Water
• Microwave
• Dish towel or oven mitts
• Trivet

Instructions

Activated Charcoal

1. Fill a small plastic food container half full with activated charcoal.

2. Poke holes in the lid using an ice pick, and place the lid securely on top of the container.

3. Place the container in odor prone areas such a laundry rooms, closets, bathrooms and pet areas.

Coffee Beans

1. Place 2 to 3 tbsp. of fresh coffee beans into a clean sock.

2. Tie the end of the sock into a knot to secure.

3. Place one sock into each closet or laundry basket to absorb clothing odors.

Essential Oil

1. Pour 1 to 2 tsp. of essential oil onto a cotton ball. According to Good Housekeeping magazine, some good oils to use are orange, lemon, vanilla, oil of cloves and peppermint.

2. Place the cotton ball into a small glass jar. Punch holes in the jar lid using an ice pick, and screw the lid onto the jar.

3. Set the jar in any area that is odor prone to freshen the air.

Heated Cinnamon

1. Place 2 tsp. of cinnamon into a small glass bowl, and add 1 cup of water.

2. Place the bowl in the microwave, and turn the microwave on for 2 minutes.

3. Open the microwave, and use a towel or oven mitts to remove the hot bowl. Place the bowl on a counter to freshen the air. Make sure to place the bowl on a trivet or towel to protect the counter from the hot bowl.

Tips & Warnings

• Activated charcoal is available in the pet supply section of most stores.

• Essential oil is available at natural food stores.

References

• Good Housekeeping: How to Get Rid of Household Odors