People spend a lot of time in their bedrooms, and it’s a place where you’ll find everything from dirty clothes to dirty dishes. Unfortunately, without adequate ventilation, it doesn’t take long before the room begins to smell, and in some cases, that smell may linger even after a good cleaning. But is there anything you can do about it?
Natural and artificial odor eaters will absorb smells in your room. Natural odor eaters include coffee grounds, baking soda, bread, and lavender aroma bags. If the smell is particularly pungent, artificial odor removers, such as air purifiers and deodorizing pouches, can be very effective.
This article will cover a few of the best natural and artificial odor removers available and detail their effectiveness so you can find the right solution for your needs.
Use a Natural Odor Absorber
If you don’t want to use chemicals, or if you’re looking for a natural, long-term solution to bad smells, there are a few well-known odor absorbers you can try.
Not only are they natural and effective, but they’re also readily available.
All of the household items listed below are perfect for freshening up your room and can be found for a relatively low price. However, many of them need to be replaced more frequently than other options that we’ll discuss later.
Coffee Grounds
Coffee grounds are a natural odor absorber. They’re also low-cost, widely available, and you can use them for odor removal after you’ve already brewed them.
This is a great choice to cut down on waste and repurpose something you would otherwise throw away. Just be sure to dry them out first.
Since coffee grounds have a pretty strong smell, they not only will absorb the smells but replace them with a rich coffee scent. However, if the grounds have been sitting out for a while, the smell might be more acidic than rich.
Furthermore, one downside to using coffee grounds is that they may start collecting mold or holding onto unpleasant smells if they’re left out too long. So, this is the kind of thing you’ll want to replace every couple of days – more if it’s very warm in the room.
Baking Soda
Baking soda works great as an odor remover, and all you need to do is pour some in a bowl and leave it to absorb. It has little to no natural smell, so you won’t know it’s there, but it does need to be changed out, just like the coffee grounds.
Also, it may take several days to absorb extra pungent smells.
Still, baking soda is inexpensive, especially when bought in bulk. It can be found in grocery stores worldwide and is a prevalent household product – you likely already have a box at home.
Plus, baking soda can also be used:
- In cooking and baking
- As a cleaning product
- To treat acid reflux
That being said, if you’re going to use baking soda as a cleaner and as an ingredient, make sure to buy separate boxes for cooking and cleaning.
The last thing you want is to put the odor-absorbing box into a batch of cookies.
Vinegar
While vinegar might not sound all that appealing, it can be a great resource to get rid of nasty smells. It’s also an inexpensive fix, and you can use both apple cider vinegar and white vinegar to get rid of unpleasant odors.
Vinegar will remove smells and stains well, though it has a powerful aroma of its own which will linger.
So, you’ll need to air the room out after cleaning with vinegar, but it will be very effective at removing the source of the bad smell. This is a crucial benefit of using vinegar over, say, baking soda or lavender – it doesn’t just absorb the bad odor; it gets rid of it at the source.
I would suggest cleaning with a solution of white vinegar and water to remove the odor, then (once the room is aired out) use one of the other methods to keep things fresh.
Bread
You don’t always need to pull the smells out of a whole room. Sometimes, you just need to remove odors from one spot, like your refrigerator.
It’s not uncommon to see mini-fridges in people’s rooms, especially if the kitchen is a shared space. But unfortunately, that can also be a significant source of bad smells, leading to a smelly room.
The simplest way to absorb refrigerator odors is to put several slices of bread on a shelf and leave them for a couple of days. The bread will dry out during that time, but it’ll pull the odor out with it!
Another version of this uses vinegar-soaked bread, but both will get rid of unpleasant odors, especially in a closed space like a fridge.
Keep in mind, though, that the vinegar-soaked bread method will leave a strong smell behind. So, this is best to do when you’re cleaning the fridge out completely – meaning you’ll turn it off and then leave the door open to air out once it’s clean.
Chunks of Citrus
Leaving chunks of citrus in your different rooms can be a fantastic, low-cost option for removing smells. All you have to do is cut up the fruit and leave it out to get rid of odors. You could also poke holes in the fruit to release even more natural oils into the air.
However, one drawback is that you’ll have to leave a cut fruit sitting out, which may attract bugs, especially in the summer.
With that in mind, I suggest saving this method for the colder months. Put the fruit out in the morning, and be sure to throw it away at night.
Lavender Aroma Bags
Aroma bags contain various flowers and herbs that release the smell into multiple rooms. These give a fresh fragrance that can’t be replicated and will remain fresh for a long time.
Popular choices include lavender, rose petals, fresh herbs, and dried citrus.
The smell will be pretty prominent in enclosed areas, such as drawers. But if you hang a few up around your room, they will release a very light and natural aroma.
If clothes are the source of the smell in your room, adding an aroma bag to your closet should help.
Though they release their scent slower than other methods, they last much longer, and you don’t need to worry about molding or pests.
Use Artificial Odor Absorbers
If the smell in your room is strong, or if you need a quick fix, you’ll be better off using an artificial odor absorber.
They tend to be more expensive but can be reused more than the natural options. Plus, They typically last longer.
Although there are many options to choose from, we’re going to focus on air purifiers, deodorizer packages, and kitty litter as they’re the most common synthetic options you’ll find and available worldwide.
Air Purifiers
Air purifiers are an excellent and versatile option to remove odors. They can be pretty expensive, but these machines do great work and apply to various situations.
Not only do these devices come in a typically small package, but they can also remove odors and filter the air around them. This is perfect for anyone who lives in a city with all kinds of smells, pollutants, and allergens in the air.
Most of these machines are small, compact, and use limited power. However, others can be much larger to accommodate huge rooms that need more odor removal power.
While they’re more expensive, they’re an excellent investment with a much longer life than other odor removal methods. In addition, they’re portable, so you can bring them with you to hotels and family visits.
Deodorizer Pouches
There are typically two types of deodorizer pouches:
- One is a pouch with synthetic material.
- Others are pre-made with different kinds of flowers, essential oils, and other scents typically not made in nature.
They can also come in fancy bags or other colors to match any aesthetic. They could be transparent or opaque in every color of the rainbow.
Some even come with a decorative flair like beads or designs to mix and match.
Kitty Litter
Kitty litter is used to keep cat boxes fresh. Along with being absorbent, one of their main selling functions is odor absorption.
So, even if you don’t have a cat, adding small bowls around your room should help to clear up any lingering smells.
Provided you don’t have cats using the bowls; they can be left for days without worry. Then, dump the contents in the trash and refill.
Kitty litter is relatively easy to find, and you can get it at most grocery stores or other big box stores.
In Conclusion
There are many easy options to absorb and get rid of unpleasant smells in your room.
If you need something natural, I suggest cleaning the area with white vinegar and water to eliminate the source of the odor, then use baking soda or aroma bags to keep the room fresh.
However, if you have a strong smell to deal with, you may want to opt for a chemical solution.
Either way, adding an air purifier to your room will help to keep it smelling fresh.
