6 Things in Your Kitchen That Get Rid of Bad Smells Naturally

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Allow me to start with a rather simple statement — holy heck, there are a lot of things out there that can smell bad. I mean, there are all of the things out there that can smell bad on their own, and then there are all of the things that those terrible-smelling things can touch.

Even worse? A lot of those terrible smells are in your home. But there's some good news — some of the most powerful tools to battle bad smells are already in your house as well. Here are a few common kitchen items that eliminate nasty odors naturally. (See also: 6 Secret Homemade Stain Removers That Kick Butt)

1. Baking Soda

One of those inexpensive, natural wunderkinds, baking soda neutralizes pH levels, effectively cutting through bad smells. Keeping an open box of baking soda in your fridge is an old standard. But you can sprinkle baking soda anywhere you want to remove odors, including:

• Trash cans
• Shoes
• Carpets
• Litter boxes
• Laundry hampers
• Clothing

To clean and deodorize at the same time, scrub surfaces with baking soda mixed with a little bit of water. This is usually what I use to clean my tub.

2. Vinegar

White vinegar can be used to neutralize many of the same smells as baking soda. An open cup of vinegar in the fridge is an alternative to the box of baking soda, or an open cup or bowl of vinegar can be left in a room where you want to eliminate an odor. Vinegar is also an effective cleaner for everything from shower glass to kitchen counters.

Some people dislike removing smells with vinegar because it has a strong smell of its own, but it dissipates soon after use.

3. Oats

As Chris recently wrote in his post about unexpected uses for oats, the heart-healthy grain is also a decent odor-absorber. Leave a bowl of oats out anywhere you want to suck in smells.

4. Coffee Grounds

While it only works if you like the odor of java, unbrewed ground coffee can be used to eliminate smells, especially in things that used to belong to smokers, like cars or furniture.

5. Lemon Juice

You don't need to cover up smells with fake "lemon-fresh" scents to improve odors with lemon. The fruit is especially useful in the kitchen. It's great for neutralizing the smell of the same foods it's often served with, including garlic and fish. Try rubbing lemon juice on your hands after handling garlic, or rubbing half a lemon over the cutting board you just cut fish on.

Reader's Digest also recommends running a few teaspoons of lemon juice with the water though your humidifier to keep it smelling fresh, and tossing a few lemon peels in the garbage disposal will keep it on the up-and-up.

6. Spices

This does more to cover up a bad scent than neutralize it, but if there's a kitchen smell you'd like to cover, you can simmer water on the stovetop with "fall" spices like cinnamon, allspice, and cloves. Similarly, if you bake something that smells delicious, like cookies, that'll help too.

Are there any other common kitchen items you use to neutralize odors? Share in the comments!

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