Deodorize With Vinegar!

Removing household odors just became safer and easier - Deodorize with Vinegar! Vinegar is a safe, economical and environmentally friendly way to deodorize almost anything in your home.

What About the Vinegar Smell, You Say?

Don't worry! When the vinegar is completely dry, you will not be able to smell it at all. It dissipates completely removing household odors as it does. You can rest assured that your unwanted odors are gone when you deodorize with vinegar, not just covered up or co-mingling with the flowery smells of other spray deodorizers!

If you are looking for ways of removing household odors, use the following odor removal tips.

How to Deodorize With Vinegar

Deodorize the Kitchen Drain

Household Odor Spray

Here is a recipe for a vinegar spray that you can spray anywhere you want to control household odor.

• 1 tsp. Baking Soda
• 1 tbsp. White Vinegar
• 2 cups water

Combine ingredients and mix until the foaming stops, then store the solution in a spray bottle, clearly labeled.

Also makes a great air freshener!

To deodorize the kitchen drain, first pour 1 cup of baking soda down the drain followed by 1 cup of hot distilled vinegar.

After waiting approximately five minutes for the mixture to work, turn on the hot water tap and rinse the drain well.

You can deodorize the garbage disposal in the same way, except you will probably only need about half as much of the baking soda and vinegar.

You can also deodorize the garbage disposal by freezing ice cubes made of vinegar and running them through the disposal in the same way you would use it for disposing of leftover food, etc.

Deodorize the Microwave

Here's Another Great Deodorize With Vinegar Tip.

Place shallow bowls containing white vinegar in areas of your home where odor is a problem. (Please keep out of reach of pets and small children.)

This tip also works great for controling the odor in a newly painted room. You may need to change the vinegar once a day for about three days to fully control the new paint odor.

To deodorize a microwave, mix 1/2 cup water and 1/2 cup white vinegar in a bowl (make sure the bowl is microwave safe), place in the microwave and microwave on high until it is boiling.

Not only will the microwave be deodorized, but stuck-on food will be loosened. Just wipe clean.

And you know that bad smell you get when you turn on an oven that you have just cleaned with oven cleaner?

Well, Deodorize with vinegar!

Just wet a sponge with white vinegar and use for the final rinse.

Deodorize a Dishwasher

To deodorize a dishwasher, pour one cup of white vinegar directly into the dishwasher and run it through its normal cycle. Not only will this deodorize your dishwasher, it will also help remove soap scum and hard water deposits. It is a good idea to use this treatment monthly.

More Deodorize With Vinegar Tips

Deodorize Animal Areas and Other Pet and Animal Related Odor Tips

Skunk Odor Removal

For skunk odor removal, bathe your pet in a mixture of 1 qt. of 3% hydrogen peroxide, 1/4 cup baking soda, and 1 to 2 tsp liquid dish soap.

Dawn is best as it cuts the oil base of the skunk spray.

Rub well into your dog's coat (you will probably want to wear disposable gloves).

Leave the mixture on for 10 to 15 minutes, then rinse and shampoo with pet shampoo.

For any lingering odor after deskunking a dog, deodorize with vinegar! Just rinse it with undiluted white vinegar (after following the process above). Be careful not to get the vinegar in the dog's eyes.

I have personally used this skunk odor removal process for deskunking a dog on several occasions with my little dog Zoey, and it works great. You should be aware however, that the peroxide could lighten the coat on dark-haired dogs.

Pet Urine Odor

To get rid of urine odor if your pet has an accident, first blot up as much of the urine as you can, then dampen the area with a solution of white vinegar and water.

Blot again to get it as dry as possible with clean, dry rags or towels.

Finally, sprinkle the area with baking soda and wait until completely dry (preferably the next day), then vacuum up excess baking soda residue.

It is important to remove all traces of the odor because pets are attracted to areas that smell like them, and they could soil the same area again.

Control Litter Box Odor

You can help control your litter box odor by using undiluted white vinegar. After removing the litter, pour about 1/2 inch of vinegar into the bottom of the litter pan and let it stand about 15 minutes.

Pour it out and dry thoroughly, then sprinkle baking soda in the bottom of the pan before adding new litter.

Dead Animal Smell

To get rid of the odor from a dead mouse or rat or any other dead animal, first clean up and dispose of all remnants of the dead animal, then wipe down or spray the area with white vinegar. Bleach can also be used but take care that all surfaces that come into contact with the bleach are colorfast. For any lingering odors, you can place a fabric softener sheet in the area.

Deodorize Sponges

To deodorize sponges, soak in a shallow dish of white vinegar for a few hours. Rinse sponge well and allow to dry.

If the weather is really humid, you can store you sponge in a shallow dish of vinegar to keep it from souring.

Deodorize Carpet

To deodorize carpet or rugs, you can use the household odor removal recipe above, or if you prefer, you can use straight vinegar. A spray bottle works best to get an even coverage over the carpet. Remember to test in a small inconspicuous area before applying to the entire carpet to check for colorfastness, although I have never heard of vinegar damaging any carpet.

How to Deodorize Furniture

You can deodorize furniture in the same way as mentioned just above for carpets. After testing a small inconspicuous area, spray all areas evenly and let dry. Repeat as necessary.

Removing Urine Odor from Mattresses

To deodorize a mattress, especially urine odor, clean the affected area with a mixture of white vinegar and water. Then sprinkle baking soda on the area and allow to dry completely. Use a stiff brush to loosen residue as needed, then vacuum.

Smelly Feet

Vinegar is a great help to people with smelly feet.

Just soak your feet in a gallon of water into which you have added an ounce of white vinegar.

Other Deodorize With Vinegar Tips

Other Kitchen Odors

• White vinegar is great for removing odors from plastic food containers. Just apply undiluted vinegar with a cloth and then wash as usual. This odor removal tip also works with picnic jugs and coolers that have that musty or mildewy smell.



• Freshen and deodorize your toilet by adding about 3 cups of white vinegar to the bowl and waiting half an hour or so before flushing.



• Wipe down walls with full-strength white vinegar to get rid of stale odors, dust and mildew. A sponge mop works great for this, or you can just use a clean cloth or large sponge.



• Freshen your kitchen by wiping down your countertops with undiluted white vinegar once a day. This will also make them bright and shiny!




• Kill odors on your plastic or wood cutting board by wiping it with a sponge dampened with white vinegar.



• Remove onion odor from your hands by sprinkling a little salt on them and then adding just a bit of white vinegar. Rub hands together, then rinse.

Lunch Boxes

If your lunch box is the plastic type that will hold liquids without leaking, you can deodorize it by filling it with water and adding 1/4 cup of white vinegar.

Let stand overnight.

If your lunchbox is not watertight, you can soak a sponge or slice of bread in white vinegar and leave it in the lunchbox overnight.

Refrigerator Odors

To get rid of the smell of spoiled or rotten food from a refrigerator, first clean the inside of the refrigerator well with soap and water. Then spray undiluted vinegar throughout the refrigerator and wipe off with a clean cloth.

Place some opened boxes or small dishes of baking soda in the refrigerator for a few days to get rid of any lingering odor.

As you can see, vinegar can be used to deodorize almost anything in and around your home so - Deodorize With Vinegar!