I’ll be honest; I love my home, but I don’t always love how it smells. The kitchen trash can become quite odorous after disposing of food scraps. The carpets develop a unique scent from the dogs lounging around nearly all day. My washing machine tends to accumulate a bit of mildew over time. Closets can get musty, and let’s not even start on the bathrooms. Then there are the teenager’s shoes—the smell can be overwhelming! Ugh! My ongoing battle against unpleasant odors in the home hasn’t been alleviated by store-bought deodorizers or other masking agents like scented trash bags. They either fell short of expectations or just left my home smelling like chemicals. Fortunately, years ago I started using essential oils for improved sleep, and soon after I uncovered their remarkable ability to clean and eliminate pervasive odors from pets, smoke, food, mildew—you name it! Below, you’ll find 13 easy DIY recipes that I use to combat those stinky smells, ensuring my home remains clean and fresh.
What Causes Household Odors?
Most household odors originate from bacteria, mold, and mildew. Bacteria from food, dirt, and debris can accumulate in garbage disposals, trash cans, furniture, flooring, or even shoes, leading to unpleasant household odors. Most mold and mildew develop in areas where excess moisture collects—like washing machines, showers, windows, and basements. The fibers in carpets, rugs, and upholstery tend to attract and trap odors. These fibers can absorb smells from food, spills, pets, smoking, and anything else that wafts through the air. Moreover, a lack of fresh air and circulation contributes to stale smells in corners and enclosed spaces such as closets, basements, and storage areas.
Masking Odors Vs. Neutralizing Odors
Some odor-fighting products merely mask odors, while others neutralize them. What’s the difference, you ask? Masking odors involves covering them up with a different fragrance, whereas neutralizing odors entails the actual removal of the odor-causing molecules through a chemical reaction. When the masking scent fades, you’re left with the same smelly issue, but when you neutralize an odor, you eradicate the odor-causing bacteria, fungus, mold, mildew, smoke, and the odor is eliminated for good.
Best Deodorizing Essential Oils
Essential oils come to the rescue when it comes to odor removal! Many of them possess antimicrobial properties that help kill those tiny offenders and prevent their growth, as well as antibacterial properties to eliminate odor-causing bacteria and antifungal properties to tackle mold or mildew, all working together to clean your home while leaving a fresh, pleasant scent.
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Cinnamon Essential Oil
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Citronella Essential Oil
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Eucalyptus Essential Oil
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Fir Essential Oil
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Lavender Essential Oil
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Lemon Essential Oil
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Lemongrass Essential Oil
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Lime Essential Oil
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Rosemary Essential Oil
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Tangerine Essential Oil
- Tea Tree Essential Oil
- Thyme Essential Oil
A powerful antibacterial and antimicrobial agent, cinnamon essential oil is clinically proven to inhibit the growth of odor-causing bacteria, all while providing that delightful cinnamon aroma.
Known for its antibacterial and antifungal properties, citronella essential oil helps prevent the growth of odor-causing bacteria and is effective against mold and mildew. Its fresh scent closely resembles that of lemongrass.
This oil’s antiseptic and deodorizing properties make it an excellent choice for a room freshener. Eucalyptus oil is antifungal, antibacterial, and antimicrobial, helping to keep your home clean and sterilized while offering an invigorating scent.
Fir essential oil is a potent germicide that eliminates odors swiftly. Its alpha-pinene and beta-pinene properties are renowned for their cleaning and freshening abilities. It also contains limonene, which is found in lemon and lime essential oils—both favorites for deodorizing.
While lavender is celebrated for its calming scent, it also boasts antifungal, antibacterial, and antimicrobial qualities. It effectively removes a broad spectrum of unwanted odors and blends well with citrus, herb, or woodsy essential oils for powerful combinations.
Rich in limonene, lemon essential oil efficiently neutralizes odors in the air, leaving your home smelling fresh and clean. It serves as an excellent natural deodorizer with a crisp scent.
With its antifungal and antibacterial properties, lemongrass essential oil is effective for treating mold and mildew, as well as combating odors from bacteria, such as rotten food. Its citrusy fragrance leaves a refreshing aroma.
This oil works wonders in eliminating a variety of household odors, including stinky shoes, lingering smoke, and trash cans that have seen better days. Lime essential oil can also neutralize musty odors that contribute to that “old house” smell.
Known for its antifungal, antibacterial, and antimicrobial properties, rosemary essential oil serves as an effective natural odor neutralizer. Just a few drops can combat unpleasant smells from stinky shoes, and its antifungal properties make it useful against mold and mildew.
Like other citrus oils, tangerine has a bright and refreshing scent. Its antibacterial and antimicrobial qualities make it ideal for eliminating unpleasant odors throughout your home.
Renowned for its antifungal and antibacterial properties, tea tree oil effectively eradicates musty, stale odors. It’s fabulous for tackling nasty smells like decaying food, dirty trash cans, and stinky shoes. Many commercial odor removers incorporate tea tree oil, promoting it as “nature’s solution to odor.”
What Are Some Other Natural Odor Eliminators?
There are several inexpensive household items you likely have on hand that work as excellent odor neutralizers: baking soda, vinegar, diatomaceous earth, charcoal, and coffee grounds. Combine these with essential oils to create powerful all-natural deodorizers that can effectively eliminate unpleasant odors. For instance, mix vinegar with essential oils to remove musty smells from clothes or pair baking soda with essential oils to freshen carpets. Now that we’ve identified the sources of those lingering odors, let’s explore some solutions. It’s really quite simple. We’ll blend essential oils with natural ingredients to tackle any unwanted smells.
Here are 13 effective methods for using essential oils to neutralize odors in your home.
1. How to Make Odor Eliminating Spray with Essential Oils
There’s no need for air fresheners loaded with harsh chemicals. It’s straightforward to use a few natural ingredients along with essential oils to create your own odor eliminator spray. This solution doesn’t just mask odors like many store-bought air fresheners; it neutralizes odors and removes even the most persistent smells. Use it to freshen bathrooms and kitchens, eliminate stale, musty odors, and tackle pet smells, among others. Click here for how to make an odor eliminator spray with essential oils.
2. How to Get Musty Smell Out of Clothes and Towels
In our fast-paced lives, we sometimes leave laundry in the washer long enough for it to develop a moldy or mildewy smell. This simple DIY method naturally eliminates those musty odors, powered by tea tree essential oil. Here’s what I do:
- Set the washing machine to the hottest water setting.
- Add 1 cup of vinegar and 20 drops of tea tree essential oil to the detergent dispenser tray.
- Run the washing machine.
- Stop the washing machine before the rinse cycle and let the vinegar-tea tree solution soak in the tub with the clothes for 30 minutes.
- After the 30 minutes of soaking, allow the washing cycle to complete.
- Run another cycle in the washer—this time, add 1 cup of baking soda to the washer drum along with the clothes and your usual amount of laundry detergent to the detergent compartment.
3. Get Rid of Trash Can Smells for Good
The inviting aroma of a clean kitchen can be quickly overshadowed by a stinky trash can. Fortunately, using essential oils, it’s easy to create your own homemade trash can deodorizer, either as a spray to eliminate odors or DIY deodorizing tabs to prevent odors from accumulating. Make a trash can deodorizing spray by mixing a few natural ingredients in a spray bottle along with essential oils; give it a shake, spray, and odors vanish in seconds! Alternatively, create one or two of these trash can deodorizer tabs to absorb the pungent odors from trash cans. (These deodorizing tabs can also be effective in other odor-prone areas around the house, such as refrigerators, laundry hampers, and more!)
4. Stinky Shoe Remedy
Foul-smelling gym shoes, pungent boots, and malodorous flats—stinky shoes happen to the best of us. Luckily, there are a couple of DIY essential oil solutions for this common problem. This stinky shoe spray is incredibly easy to make and far superior to any store-bought shoe deodorizer I’ve ever used! If you prefer not to use a spray, this deodorizing shoe powder offers a simple all-natural solution to eliminate bad smells and prevent them from returning.
5. Deodorizing Diffuser Blends
If you want to disperse some odor-eliminating essential oils into the air for a fresh, clean aroma in your home, try one of these diffuser blends and let the deodorizing commence.
Fresh Air Diffuser Blend
3 drops lemon essential oil
3 drops lavender essential oil
2 drops eucalyptus essential oil
Lemony Fresh Diffuser Blend
3 drops lemon essential oil
2 drops lemongrass essential oil
2 drops citronella essential oil
Spotless Kitchen Diffuser Blend
3 drops lemon essential oil
2 drops rosemary essential oil
2 drops lavender essential oil
1 drop thyme essential oil
Odor Destroyer Diffuser Blend
2 drops lemon essential oil
2 drops lime essential oil
2 drops tea tree essential oil
1 drop fir essential oil
Clean Linen Diffuser Blend
3 drops eucalyptus essential oil
2 drops lavender essential oil
2 drops tea tree essential oil
1 drop peppermint essential oil
Stop the Stink Diffuser Blend
2 drops citronella essential oil
2 drops rosemary essential oil
2 drops lemongrass essential oil
1 drop tea tree essential oil
1 drop lavender essential oil
6. Cure for Smelly Washing Machine
Over time, front-loading washing machines can accumulate dirt, mildew, and soap scum, which can hamper their cleaning efficiency. Eliminate that mildewy smell and other buildup with this all-natural method for cleaning your washing machine with essential oils.
7. No More Stinky Bathrooms (Homemade Poo-Pourri)
With a few quick sprays of my homemade Poo-Pourri toilet spray before you go number two, the odors are trapped discreetly inside the toilet bowl and flushed away. No one will ever know!
My favorite essential oil combos for no. 2 spray:
20 drops lemongrass + 10 drops peppermint
15 drops grapefruit + 10 drops lavender + 5 drops peppermint
15 drops lemon + 15 drops lavender
15 drops eucalyptus + 15 drops spearmint
15 drops lavender + 10 drops lime + 5 drops spearmint
10 drops tangerine + 10 drops grapefruit + 10 drops bergamot
20 drops orange + 10 drops cinnamon
15 drops fir + 10 drops orange + 3 drops cinnamon + 2 drops clove
8. How to Get Rid of Funky Refrigerator Smells & Keep Fridge Smelling Clean
Your refrigerator can be a notorious source of foul odors in the home. Regularly using an essential oils-powered DIY Refrigerator Deodorizer can keep your fridge smelling fresh and prevent unpleasant smells from spreading.
9. Carpet Freshener
Who doesn’t love walking into a house that smells fresh and clean? Essential oils can be utilized in a simple DIY carpet freshening powder to achieve that delightful aroma. Carpets not only trap dirt, food, and debris, but they also harbor odors. This two-ingredient powder boasts excellent odor-busting properties. Just sprinkle it over carpets, let it sit for a while, and then vacuum. Your room will smell fresh and inviting in no time.
- Combine 1/2 cup of baking soda with 30 drops of essential oil in a mason jar with a shaker lid and mix well.
- Here are a few EO combinations I love for this carpet deodorizer:
- Option 1: 10 drops lemon + 10 drops tea tree + 10 drops lavender
- Option 2: 12 drops eucalyptus + 10 drops spearmint + 8 drops rosemary
- Option 3: 15 drops orange + 5 drops lemon + 5 drops lime + 5 drops grapefruit
To use:
- Sprinkle over the carpet.
- Allow to sit for at least 1 hour.
- Vacuum.
10. How to Clean Garbage Disposal to Get Rid of Stinky Odors
Sometimes your garbage disposal can smell worse than the dumpster behind a restaurant and needs a bit of assistance to clean and deodorize it. Use this straightforward process to restore your garbage disposal’s fresh scent:
- Pour 1/2 cup of rock salt and about 12 ice cubes down the kitchen sink drain, then run the garbage disposal for 1-2 minutes to break up any stuck food and debris.
- Switch off the disposal and unplug it.
- Pour 1/2 cup of baking soda, 5 drops of lemon essential oil, 5 drops of tea tree essential oil, and 1 cup of vinegar down the drain. The baking soda and vinegar will react and fizz.
- Allow it to fizz for 15 minutes to work its magic. The acidity of the mixture, combined with essential oils, kills bacteria, deodorizes, and will leave your kitchen smelling fresh again.
- While the mixture is working, create a thick paste using 2 tablespoons of baking soda and about 1 tablespoon of vinegar. Use an old toothbrush to scrub this paste onto the rubber flaps that connect the disposal to the sink, where bacteria can accumulate.
- Run hot water down the drain to clear out the baking soda and vinegar mixture.
- Plug the garbage disposal back in and run it with hot running water for 1 minute.
Tip: Use this method sparingly (once a month or so) because vinegar is acidic and may damage the rubber components inside the garbage disposal.
11. How to Clean Your Dishwasher
While dishwashers are incredibly convenient, they can accumulate rotting food remnants over time, which can affect their performance. The dishwasher tub can also become a breeding ground for mold and mildew. Regular cleaning of your dishwasher is essential to keep it functioning well and smelling fresh. Click here for step-by-step instructions on how to clean your dishwasher with essential oils.
12. How to Freshen Clothes without Washing
Clothes that have been stored in the closet for months can develop a stale or musty smell. This DIY linen spray revitalizes clothing without needing to toss them in the wash. It also works wonders for bedding, towels, pillows, and other linens that have been sitting unused.
13. Anywhere You Need It
If your home has enclosed spaces, pets, teenagers, or even a husband, you may find the need for these DIY essential oil deodorizing pads to eliminate odors and infuse your home with fresh scents. Use them to freshen trash cans, closets, drawers, shoes, and more.
- Add 3-5 drops of essential oil to felt Scotch brand adhesive felt pads (which come in various sizes and are often used under furniture to prevent scratching on wood floors).
- Peel off the paper and stick the felt pads wherever deodorizing and freshening are needed. Here are some suggested locations: trash cans, pantry, kitchen drawers, clothes drawers, shoe bins, closets, recycling bins, cupboards containing seasonal holiday decorations, and laundry hampers.
- The essential oil scent should last at least a few days or longer. When you need to refresh the scent, simply add a few more drops of essential oil to the felt pad. If the felt pad is placed on a vertical surface, position a tissue below it to catch any essential oil drips. If you do notice any drips on the tissue, you can place the tissue in a drawer or bin to scent and deodorize that space. “Waste not, want not,” as my grandmother used to say.
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