How to Get Rid of the Top 10 Stinkiest Home Odors (Naturally!)

Last Updated on August 22, 2024 by Alicia Michelle

Sometimes being a mom just plain stinks.

And I mean that literally!

Think about it: Our lives as moms are filled with opportunities for stinky odors, aren't they?!

From overflowing kitchen trash bins and smelly-clothes-laden laundry baskets to changing multiple dirty diapers, we moms deal with stinky home odors all day long. 

How can we handle this ongoing wave of bad smells? Aren't there some natural odor removers we can use, both habitually and on an “as-needed” basis to keep the smells at bay?

Yes, and yes! You and I may be surrounded by way too many opportunities for stinky-ness, but we don't have to live with these less-than-pleasant side effects of motherhood.

And we don't have to use harsh chemicals to get rid of the smells, either!

I want to share with you practical, natural ways to eliminate stinky home odors, such as:

• How to prevent the smells from happening
• Creative tips for eliminating offensive odors if they do happen
• Powerful natural products that eliminate instead of mask the odor

I totally understand how annoying it can be to live in a smelly house. And as a mom of 4 kiddos, I'm constantly learning new ways to keep our home as odor-free as possible (because, let me tell you, my kiddos know how to stink it up)!

Are your kiddos masters at creating stink too? Then you've come to the right place!

We're going to walk through the 10 stinkiest parts of our homes and talk about some real-world secret weapons for dealing with the stink that can hang out in each place.

It really is possible to keep the stink to a minimum with these awesome tips!

Let's get real here, moms! Let's talk about the stinky side of motherhood and share these ideas!

Top 10 Stinkiest Home Odors (and How to Get of Them!)

You're going to hear me mention several of the Fresh Wave products in this post because they really are a fantastic solution for natural odor removal!

Each of them uses a combination of natural ingredients (no harsh chemicals or harmful ingredients) available as various forms such as a spray, a gel-filled canister or small odor removing packs.

What I really like about the Fresh Wave products is that they don't mask the scent with something else. You know what I'm talking about right? That weird “field of flowers/stinky trash” yucky odor combination left behind when you simply spray a run-of-the-mill air freshener to try to cover up the bad odor?

Instead, the Fresh Wave products use water and natural extracts like Lime, Pine Needle, Aniseed, Clove and Cedarwood to literally remove the odor molecules. There's no masking the odors with another smell–they're vaporized on a molecular level!

Plus, Fresh Wave products are safe for people, pets and the planet, and made in the USA. Love that!

Check out the whole line of Fresh Wave products here.

 

1) Baby rooms

We adore our littlest ones, but oh my can they put out a stink! From soiled linens to never-ending diapers, the baby's room is full of odor opportunities.

Here are some ideas to combat the stink:

• First and foremost, head off odors 24/7 with Fresh Wave's Odor Removing Gel. This is a small refillable canister (with a slotted lid) with naturally-based odor remover ingredients. Simply peel back the lid and leave it on a dresser or changing table.

• Immediately remove soiled laundry to a single place (ours is the laundry room–more on tackling that in a minute)

• Use a Diaper Genie (or these wet bags if you use cloth diapers) to store stinky diapers. Everyone has different standards here, but our rule was that if it was just a pee diaper then we would put it in the Diaper Genie or wet bag (when we used cloth diapers); and if the diaper had a more solid, stinky substance inside then we'd immediately take it outside.

 

2) Bathroom

Ah yes, that old offender. Unfortunately, stinky smells are as much a part of this place as running water.

Try these tips:

• Make your own poo-poo spray. My friend Leah at Fabulous Farm Girl has a great homemade recipe here that does eliminate odors, but you have to use it before you go. Which is great, if you remember to do it (which doesn't always work in a house full of kids).

• Fresh Wave's Odor Removing Gel is a great solution to keep bathrooms continually smelling fresh. Use the Odor Removing Spray on an as-needed basis when smells get (ahem) suddenly intense.

 

3) Kitchen

The kitchen is home to some of the best (and the worst) smells in the house! One day the air can be filled with a delicious, savory scent; while the next it may reek of stinky trash and dishes that have sat in the sink too long.  YUCK!

Here's some ways to naturally combat the stinkier side of kitchen odors:

• Continually deodorize the trash can.  Drop a Fresh Wave Odor Removing Pack at the bottom of the trash can (between the disposable trash bag and the trash can itself).

• Come up with a system for doing dishes that works for your family. Should you do dishes after every meal? Once a day after dinner? Three times a week? Do you and your husband trade off doing the dishes? Or how about getting your kids involved in the kitchen clean up process? Our family's system for washing dishes is continually in flux as our family grows and our weekly outside commitments change.

 

4) Pet areas

Oh yes, pet odors. We have both cats and dogs in my house, and we've found that each species comes with its own stink issues. For the past year we've been potty training our puppy so you can imagine the smells that come from that. But I think the worst offenders are the cats and their litter boxes! Holy cow!

Here's what we do to minimize pet odors in our home:

• Change a cat's litter box everyday. This is a part of our kids' daily chores. They scoop the litter every weekday and then replace it on the weekends. You can even affix a Fresh Wave Fresh Pod on the side of the little box to head off those stinky odors should they get out of control.

• Wash animals regularly. Although we've yet to try it, we've heard great things about Fresh Wave's Odor Removing Pet Shampoo! Wash their linens (dog beds, blankets, etc) every few months or as needed (Fresh Wave's Laundry Booster is a great addition to a regular laundry detergent).

 

5) Shoe closet or hall closet

Our home has a downstairs closet under the stairs where we store all our shoes. Now, I'm sure I don't have to tell you how great it smells in there! Our kids are outside a lot and we raise 4-H animals, so our shoes get smells on them that are, let's say, quite pungent! Phew!

Two ways we battle the smelly shoe closet:

• Get 24/7 odor protection. This was the first place I used Fresh Wave in our house. I grabbed an Odor Removing Pack and simply placed it on the closet shelf (and quickly slammed the door because of the smell!). I opened the door again about 30 minutes later and I couldn't believe that the scent was gone! It just smelled clean.

• Wash shoes periodically. We keep the soles free from mud clods and dirt/sand. And if I find that a certain family member's shoes start to stink, I wash them off with water as much as possible and then spray the inside with the Fresh Wave Odor Removing Spray.

 

6) Home gym or sports equipment

Sweat. Dirt. Lots of it. I think we can all imagine why this can be a stinky home area, right?

Try these techniques to keep your gym area or sports equipment smelling less like a locker room:

Fresh air does wonders. Our gym equipment is in the garage so it's an unspoken rule that we leave the garage door up when someone's working out.

Spray down the equipment frequently with a simple vinegar, water, Lemon essential oil and Tea Tree essential oil mix.

When things start to get stinky, we spray the air with the Fresh Wave Odor Removing Spray. During the hot summer months (or if you live in an especially humid climate) this might be an area where you use the Odor Removing Gel canister.

 

7) Laundry

Whether you have a separate laundry room or just a closet with laundry baskets, there's nothing quite like the odor of damp towels that have been left in a locked hamper for several days (just sayin'). Perhaps the only thing worse is when those same towels have been run through the washer and then never got moved to the dryer. In my house, mildew plus stinky towels equals a not-so-nice momma.

Here's some tips that help us:

• Keep a a single Fresh Wave Odor Removing Pack in the bottom of the laundry basket to keep odors away regularly.

• Find a laundry system that works for your family. Just like the dishes, I believe laundry is easiest (and has less opportunities to be stinky) when it's made into a routine. There's several great ideas here on my “Homemaking” Pinterest board on setting up a laundry routine.
• However, if you do run into a these-clothes-sat-in-the-washer-way-too-long stink, I highly recommend Fresh Wave's Laundry Booster. This is a product used with your regular detergent to naturally remove those really set-in odors (like stinky, mildewy clothes that sat in the washer). And it works!

8) Family minivan, SUV or car

This is one of those stinky areas that catch me off guard! Most days it's fine, but then there are those times when I pick my boys up from a youth group activity, we spend a long day in the pool or we eat breakfast in the car (and someone leaves a half-eaten cereal bowl). Ugh. Say no more, right?

Help for keeping the minivan or car smelling fresh:  

Have a weekly clean-out. Of course in a perfect world we would all get our family vehicle washed and vacuumed every week. But let's get real: If my minivan gets washed once every few months, I'm a happy gal. But, to keep the stink down, we do a quick clean out at least once a week (keeping an eye out for food wrappers, dishes, shoes, towels or anything else that could possibly rot in a warm enclosed environment.

Place a single Fresh Wave Odor Removing Pack near or on one of your car's vents. Again, it's a super simple way to keep unexpected odors from popping up. It's seriously made a big difference in the day-to-day smell of our minivan.

 

9) Tween or teen room

There's a room in our house that is notorious for its smells. Not only is there a cat litter box in this oversized bedroom and bathroom, but a tween and teen boy reside there. And oh my word… the combination of all those hormones with stinky sports clothes! If you have a teenage boy you totally get it.

Try this tip for keeping bad smells at bay in teen rooms: 

Keep your odor guard up at all times. I love my boys, but this is one room where they know that 24/7 odor protection is in effect! We use the Fresh Wave Odor Removing Gel canister habitually and that takes care of a lot of it. We do turn on a large-room diffuser (this helps because it's a big room with vaulted ceilings) with the Purify essential oil if it gets really bad.

 

10) RV/trailers/boats

This past summer we began our first camping and RV adventures. We quickly learned that small enclosed places filled with lots of people (and perhaps not a lot of air circulation) can be a haven for bad smells!

How to keep your RV, trailer or boat smelling great:

Fresh air does wonders. Remember this adage for the gym equipment?  This is especially true when opening a tent or RV that's been shut up for a while.

When traveling in an RV, place a few of the Fresh Wave Odor Removing Packs in various locations.  The Odor Removing Gel canister would work too depending on the size of the space. And of course, keep an Odor Removing Spray handy for the bathroom area!

 

P.S. Let us know in the comment which of these are the smelliest places in your home!

Give these ideas a try the next time you're dealing with one of those stinky mom jobs!

 

FTC Disclosure: This is a sponsored post written by me on behalf of Fresh Wave. All opinions are mine.

 

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