Household odors can be a rather unpleasant phenomenon but lucky for us there are easy ways to get rid of them even if we refuse to employ commercially provided chemicals and products.

Baking soda

Most of the solutions you will be able to make yourself, and they will be located in your kitchen at this moment. One of the greatest weapons you can use against household odors of many kinds is baking soda. Its effectiveness and versatility are undeniable.

Make a simple little solution of baking soda and water. You can use it to remove some odors from your carpet and even upholstery furniture, but you have to use very little, because otherwise you can damage them (check the labels first and don't do anything if they are dry clean only). You can also pour some soda down the drain and complement it with some warm water. The chemical reaction will take care of the rest. You can also use the solution for the garbage bin.

White vinegar

White vinegar is the green cleaner's strongest ally. You can use it for everything – from an all purpose cleaner, to window cleaner, to odor remover. Baking soda alone won't be enough to get rid of the tobacco smell in your living room, but placing a bowl of white vinegar and warm water sit there for the night will be able to help. That's one of the few things that help against the repulsive smell of tobacco. Also, you might want to stop this harmful habit altogether – that's the best solution to deal with the odor (or at least go and smoke outside).

You can also use it in your microwave to both clean and deodorize it. It's really effective.

Mint or lavender

Now this one might seem a bit unconventional but it's really effective. The kitchen usually smells just like the meal you've cooked and as time passes, the different odors start to mix and it's not really something you want to expose your nose to. Having mint or lavender in a bowl of water and then throwing it on the stove (please, don't throw it literally) and then leaving it there until it boils will fill your kitchen with the scent of either one.

Plants

This may sound like a pretty obvious solution for battling household odors but it's one of the most effective ones you can possibly employ. Spread more live plants around your home and while making sure that you don't have many sources of unpleasant odors, you will be able to easily contain the situation within normal perimeters.

Citrus Peals

There are several ways in which citrus peals can be used, mostly in relation to the garbage can. After a nice meal, there are usually leftovers lying around and after a day or two, you throw them away, but since you can't take the trash out because it's not quite full yet. Throwing a few citrus peals in there should be able to mitigate the effects of bad odors.

Dehumidifiers

This is one of the more high-tech solutions. Some areas with high humidity concentrations, such as basements are the perfect environment in which a wide variety of bacteria and germs can thrive. That's why usually when you go to the basement it smells bad – because of the whole eco-system located there. One easy (although not as cheap) way to deal with the problem is purchasing a dehumidifier. By lowering the humidity in the area, it will change the conditions in the environment and will reduce the number of microorganisms located there.

Author Bio: Connie Jameson loves to write about cleaning and hygiene. She currently works a part time job for a local oven cleaners and she loves her job because she has enough time for herself.