ust because we consider our pets part of our family does not mean that people who come over to our home or live there next will be as fond of them, especially if they leave behind any lingering odors. Whether you are hoping to sell your house soon or just want to freshen things up, here are some tried-and-true ways to keep your home smelling clean.
One of the biggest mistakes that people make when it comes to pet odors is that they try to cover them up with sprays, scented candles and wall plug-ins. While this may mask the odor for a short time, it doesn’t tackle the problem at its source. To truly eliminate odors, you must be prepared to put in some work. As tempting as it is, avoid cleaning products that contain heavy scents (which can also be off-putting for many people). Instead, reach for the two cleaning products that our grandparents swore by: baking soda and vinegar. Not only are these cleaning products unbelievably cheap, but they are also powerhouses when it comes to removing odors once and for all, due to their chemical compositions.
Baking soda, a sodium bicarbonate, absorbs acidic smells. This is why you will often find open boxes of it in people’s refrigerators, soaking up all the smells from the sulphureous vegetables that have been in the crisper too long and from that takeout container that should have been pitched with last week’s garbage. It’s awesome at neutralizing smells and has earned its keep as a favorite household staple.
Vinegar, on the other hand, gets its cleaning power from acetic acid, a biproduct of fermentation, and what’s responsible for giving vinegar its characteristic strong odor. Due to the strength of this acetic acid, there’s nary a pet stain or smell that vinegar can’t tackle.
How you begin cleaning your home will depend on where the odors are strongest. If you notice that your furniture or carpet seems to be holding in the smells, simply try sprinkling a layer of baking soda directly onto the fabric and letting it sit for a while. The baking soda will begin to adsorb odors, and, after a few hours, you can simply vacuum everything up, leaving your house smelling fresh, clean and inviting.
If the odor has penetrated hard surfaces, like floors or walls, you’ll want to skip the baking soda and spray or mop the area with white vinegar. It’s a strong cleaner that can be used to clean just about everything, but be sure to research whether or not you may need to dilute it for your project at hand. Vinegar can eat away wax on wooden floors or furniture, so test a small area first before you start cleaning everything in sight.
The bottom line is, if you are struggling with pet odors in your home, try not to stress yourself out. You do not have to spend a fortune on fancy cleaning products to get the job done. Just grab some trusted cleaning problems, roll up your sleeves and start scrubbing.
Lana Shovlin lives in Springfield with her husband, three kids and their cat. She knows a thing or two about weird smells.Â
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This article appears in The Pet Issue 2023.
