Essential Oils That Can Get Rid of Unpleasant House Odors
Nasty odors in your home can be frustrating. No matter how much you clean your house, some foul odors linger.
Many people use artificial air fresheners to deodorize house odors. However, these synthetic chemicals have adverse effects.
According to research, 34.7 percent of the population suffers from health issues from exposure to fragranced products, such as air fresheners.
As a result, many families end up cutting down the use of air fresheners and other substances to eliminate nasty odors in their homes.
One way to eliminate unpleasant odors in your home is by using essential oils. Some essential oils eliminate odor and produce great scents.
Reasons Why Your House Stinks
The odor that lingers inside your home isn’t caused by one factor. There are various things in your home that release unpleasant smells. These include garbage, pets, furniture, mold, and more.
Here are some reasons why nasty smells linger in your home.
1. Mold
Mold is a fungus that thrives in places with moisture. It’s one of the leading causes of musty smell in homes.
Several species of mold cause different unpleasant odors. They can also be harmful to your family’s health.
Mold releases spores to reproduce and grow on various surfaces, such as walls, furniture, cloth, and flooring. Sometimes these spores cause the odor, and sometimes the nasty smell is from the biological processes of mold, such as growth, digestion, and reproduction.
2. Garbage Disposal
Bacteria in your kitchen drain and sink cause odor in your home. A more stinky smell is released from garbage disposal scraps caused by bacteria.
You should put ice, baking soda, lemon slices, and bleach into the disposal once a week to kill the bacteria and prevent it from releasing an unpleasant smell.
3. Furniture
Pieces of furniture like cabinets, dining tables, and sofas produce odor. They release VOCs or volatile organic compounds into the air.
VOCs are gases like toluene and formaldehyde. These gasses can irritate your throat and nose and cause dizziness, headaches, and cancer.
4. Dead animals and pets
Dead animals in your attic, under your deck, or inside a wall cause a nasty odor in your home. From a faint smell, it can get stronger and stay for several days or weeks.
Your pets can also cause foul odors because of their urine, poop, and fur.
5. Funky fridge
Spoilage bacteria make food in your fridge taste and smell bad. This type of bacteria grows in areas with low temperatures.
Clean your fridge using hot, soapy water, and avoid using cleaning products as they make your food taste like chemicals.
Always check your fridge for expired food.
6. Dirty carpet and towels
Carpets catch dirt, dust, and pet dander. They can also trap mold spores, causing a musty smell in your home.
On the other hand, wet and dirty towels can be a breeding ground for bacteria. If you don’t wash them often, bacteria will thrive and smell like dirty socks.
Your sheets can also release an unpleasant smell if you don’t wash them regularly. You shed dead skin cells when you’re asleep at night, which attracts odor-causing bacteria and dust mites.
Other causes of foul odors around your house are the sewer in the basement and gas leaks.
The Power of Essential Oils
Many essential oils are known for their refreshing and relaxing scents. They can cover smells and leave a room smelling fresh. But can they eliminate odors at the source?
Some essential oils have antiseptic properties, which destroy microbes and prevent bacterial growth. Bacteria, molds, and yeasts are the primary cause of unpleasant odors around your home. They live on surfaces such as tables, walls, clothes, kitchen and dining ware, and more.
These organisms release stinky odors that linger throughout your home. Since essential oils contain antiseptic properties, which prevent bacterial growth, they also prevent those nasty smells. Aside from that, they leave a pleasant and relaxing scent that can energize your body.
Essential Oils that Eliminate Odor
We list the best odor-eliminating essential oils to help eliminate nasty odors and make your home smell refreshing and relaxing without using synthetic air fresheners.
1. Citrus oil
Citrus fruits like lemon, orange, grapefruit, and lime possess limonene. It is a component that makes citrus fruit smell good.
In addition, limonene is a powerful antifungal substance that helps eliminate odors. These include those caused by fungi, such as mold and mildew.
Many people love the scent of citrus fruits, which helps improve moods.
2. Tea tree oil
Tea tree oil contains antiseptic properties that can kill germs and fungi in the indoor air, eliminating foul odors. Also, it helps improve indoor air quality by removing the microorganism source of odors.
Tea tree oil has a strong, powerful, and long-lasting scent. Drop some tea tree oil in a spray bottle filled with water and spray it around your home to eliminate foul odor.
3. Pine or fir oil
Pine essential oil and fir essential oil came from conifer trees. Both essential oils contain limonene and antifungal properties, which eliminate moldy smells.
The scent of pine and fir oil can make your home feel refreshing and remind you of a Christmas tree.
4. Sage oil
Clary sage oil can kill some strains of bacteria, including some odor-causing bacteria. It’s also an effective alternative to common antibacterial treatments.
5. Peppermint oil
Peppermint oil has an aromatic scent that’s cool and refreshing. It also has a form of limonene and can act as an antibacterial substance.
Additional peppermint oil prevents bacterial growth, reduces odors, and leaves your home fresh and energized.
Furthermore, peppermint oil is used in aromatherapy to treat coughs and colds, improve mental function, and reduce pain and stress.
6. Lavender oil
Lavender is known for its sweet and calming scent, which creates a relaxing environment. Also, the smell of lavender helps improve sleep and boost mood.
Additionally, lavender oil can destroy fungal cells and eliminate various fungal microbes. It’s an excellent option for homes with a moldy smell.
7. Cinnamon oil
Cinnamon oil releases a unique, powerful scent. It has a peppery, spicy, earthy, bright, and slightly woodsy aroma.
Cinnamon oil has antibacterial and antifungal properties. It can kill bacteria and various microorganisms that cause foul odors.
8. Clove oil
Clove oil is an effective antibacterial and antimicrobial substance. It can kill bacteria and microorganism odor-causing germs.
Additionally, it produces a sweet and spicy scent as it contains Eugenol. It can neutralize all odor sources, making it an excellent option for odor removal.
9. Eucalyptus oil
Eucalyptus has antimicrobial properties, which can kill microorganisms that cause nasty odors. It can also reduce mildew odors and replace the ugly smells in your home with a refreshing scent.
The minty scent of eucalyptus oil also helps open up your sinuses and create a relaxing mood.
10. Cypress oil
Cypress is a common deodorant ingredient that can eliminate skin bacteria that cause body odor. It’s also used in aromatherapy to help clear the airways and promote deep breathing while boosting the mood.
Cypress essential oil can be used as an air freshener to eliminate odor and create a comforting environment.
11. Rosemary oil
Rosemary oil is proven to kill pathogens and bacteria. By killing odor-causing bacteria, it can neutralize nasty odors in your home.
It has an energizing, citrus-like, evergreen, and herbaceous scent, which can make your home feel and smell energizing and pleasant.
Get Rid of Unpleasant Odor in Your Home With Essential Oils
Bacteria, fungi, and other microorganisms are the primary cause of nasty odor in your home. The odor-eliminating essential oils listed above have properties that can kill these odor-causing organisms, eliminating foul odors. But it’s crucial to keep your home clean to prevent these organisms from thriving.
