 Nature's Way
with Alan Hayes
Household Odours
During winter most homes are kept shut tight to prevent cold air from entering and warm air from escaping.
However, it also means that household odours, which can usually escape through open windows, remain, leaving air stale and sometimes offensive smelling. One reader had such a problem and was looking for a simple chemical-free solution to eliminate stale odours in her kitchen and said: "At this time of the year when it is cold, all the windows are kept closed. My family complains if I even attempt to let a little fresh air in. However, I've noticed that the house always has an off-smell during winter, especially in the kitchen. What natural solutions can I use to get rid of the smell?"
Cooking odours are one of the main culprits that cause unpleasant household odours. They, along with all those other nasty smells, can be quickly eliminated. A cup of rosemary vinegar, or any herbal vinegar, placed close to the stove helps to eliminate cooking odours. However, an easy to make air-freshener spray is one of the simplest ways to combat cooking smells and to freshen up a room. Not only will it make your surroundings pleasant, its natural disinfectant and antiseptic properties will help to eliminate airborne bacteria and virus. A big plus at this time of year.
To make your air-freshener spray, first choose from any of the following essential oils, listed in descending order of their antiseptic powers: thyme, clove, lavender, peppermint, rosemary and eucalyptus. Then dissolve thirty to forty drops of your chosen oil in 10 millilitres of methylated spirits and add this to a pump-spray bottle containing 500 millilitres of distilled water. Shake well to mix and use, whenever needed, on a fine mist setting.
A few slices of lemon placed in a shallow dish of water will also help to remove unpleasant odours. To eliminate the smoke smell of an open fire or fuel heater, put half a cup of brown vinegar nearby. Brown vinegar also works well in smelly cupboards, especially those that have a musty or mouldy odour.
Other offensive odours can come from areas such as the refrigerator, garbage bins, including indoor compost buckets, musty drawers and even shoes.
You can deodorise your refrigerator, garbage bin and compost bucket by washing them out with a litre of water, to which has been added one teaspoon of lemon juice. Lavender and other fragrant herbs are ideal for preventing musty drawers. Add your favourite fragrant herb or pot-pourri to little sachets, made from cotton or other coarsely woven material, and place them in the drawers. Renew the scent every few weeks with the appropriate essential oil. Blotting paper drawer liners with a drop of two of essential oil added is also effective.
Shoe odour can be eliminated by sprinkling bicarbonate of soda or dry, powdered herbs, such as chamomile, in the shoes each evening. Make sure that the powder reaches the very inside tips of the shoes.
Reduce the dried herbs to a powder by rubbing them through a fine wire sieve.
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