Do you have lingering household odors that just never seem to go away? Maybe you’ve cleaned, sprayed air fresheners, and tried plug-ins, but nothing seems to work.

We get it.

But did you know that conventional air fresheners only mask odors rather than eliminate the source? Unfortunately, that quick cover-up often leads to the odors returning.

Not to mention, they're highly toxic and are filled with harmful chemicals like synthetic fragrances, VOCs, and phthalates, all of which pollute your indoor air quality and negatively impact your health.

If you’ve come to this article seeking a solution, then you’ve come to the right place.

At Branch Basics, we live and breathe human-safe cleaning products, especially those that improve and maintain good and healthy indoor air quality.

In this article, we share several natural odor eliminators and absorbers that are simple, affordable, and really work!

The Benefits Of Using Natural Odor Eliminators Vs. Air Fresheners

Eliminating the source of odors, rather than masking them, truly improves indoor air quality. Unfortunately, most conventional air fresheners just cover up smells while polluting your home’s air and harming your health.

In 7 Non-Toxic Air Fresheners & How To Remove Odors Naturally, we discuss in depth the dangers of toxic conventional air fresheners.

Choosing natural odor eliminators over conventional air fresheners is a wise choice for many reasons.

By doing so, you’re:

• Avoiding synthetic fragrances and endocrine disruptors;
  
• Addressing the root cause of the odor versus covering it up;
  
• Avoiding VOCs;
  
• Improving your indoor air quality;
  
• Avoiding allergens in synthetic air fresheners; and
  
• Creating a safer environment for everyone, including older people, babies, and pets.

The good news is that many natural odor eliminators are easy to find at your local grocery store, inexpensive, and they actually work!

Keep reading to learn how they work and discover a few of our favorite human-safe methods for freshening up your indoor air.

How Natural Odor Eliminators Work

To understand how natural odor eliminators work, we first have to understand what an odor is.

An odor is a teeny-tiny, microscopic cluster of molecules. When these molecules are inhaled, they bind to receptors in the nose, sending a signal to the brain that – yuck – that stinks! [1]  

This often indicates a need to make sure all surfaces are clean.  

After cleaning with a human-safe cleaner, if the odor remains, the next step would be to try an odor eliminator. 

Most conventional air fresheners don’t do much to actually “eliminate” odors. Instead, they just mask the smell with the use of synthetic fragrances, VOCs, and other harmful chemicals.

Natural odor eliminators like baking soda, activated charcoal, enzymes, and distilled white vinegar, however, work to absorb, neutralize, and even break down odor molecules.

Baking soda, for example, contains porous absorbent materials that trap odor particles. Distilled white vinegar is an acid, which neutralizes and eliminates alkaline odor molecules.

Get more tips on freshening up your indoor air in How To Get Rid Of House Smells Naturally | 6 Simple Methods.

7 Natural Odor Eliminators That Really Work

1. Vacuum and Ventilate

One of the easiest ways to eliminate odors naturally is to HEPA vacuum and ventilate your home.

To freshen the air, open the windows and turn on a fan. This will increase oxygen and clear the air.

Follow up with a thorough vacuuming.

If you have carpets or rugs and notice a particular odor, try sprinkling the area with baking soda and let sit for 30 minutes before vacuuming.

Learn more about the importance of doing regular HEPA vacuuming and its benefits for your health in HEPA Vacuum: Indoor Air Pollution’s Worst Enemy (& How to Choose One for Your Home).

2. Baking Soda

There’s no better or more powerful, natural odor absorber than baking soda. Due to its alkaline properties, baking soda reacts with, traps, and neutralizes acidic odor particles.

That’s why baking soda is especially useful on carpets, rugs, and inside refrigerators.

Here are a few ways to use it:

• Put an open box of baking soda inside your fridge and freezer to keep them smelling fresh. Swap the boxes out every month.
  
• Refresh your mattress. Sprinkle baking soda and let sit for 30 minutes or longer to absorb odors. Vacuum.
  
• Store open baking soda boxes in closets to absorb and deodorize odors from clothes and shoes.
  
• Sprinkle shoes with baking soda overnight to absorb odors. Before wearing, vacuum them out.

Over time, baking soda will lose its odor-absorbing ability. If you notice it’s no longer effective, swap it out for a fresh batch.

3. Activated Charcoal Packets

The porous structure of activated charcoal naturally traps and eliminates odor molecules, making it a highly effective deodorizer through adsorption.

Activated charcoal doesn’t absorb odors like a sponge, but has millions of microscopic pores that adsorb, attracting, and causing odor-causing molecules and gases to stick to the charcoal surface.

Activated charcoal works best on musty odors, pet odors, smoke, chemical, and food odors.

Making your own DIY activated charcoal packets is simple: just fill a breathable fabric bag or sock with granular or powdered activated charcoal, then seal it.

If you’d rather buy pre-made options, we recommend Breathegreen and Moso.

Slip these packets into smelly shoes, tuck them under a car seat, or place them anywhere you notice odors.

Activated charcoal works especially well in damp areas like basements, bathrooms, and even attics.

For best results, refresh the packets out in the sun for several hours every few months. This allows the charcoal to release the odors it has absorbed, so it is ready for reuse! 

4. Branch Basics Oxygen Boost For Laundry

Branch Basics Oxygen Boost is a foundational, human-safe, and environmentally friendly cleaning product that can be used directly on surfaces, clothing, and fabrics, or dissolved in water to activate its sanitizing, odor-neutralizing, and stain-lifting properties.

This versatile product contains baking soda and sodium percarbonate, both powerful and effective natural deodorizers.

For most laundry loads, adding Oxygen Boost to the wash cycle is enough to tackle everyday odors.

But for tougher, stinkier jobs, presoak items in a sink filled with water and a scoop of Oxygen Boost. Then wash as usual with Branch Basics Laundry or Branch Basics Laundry Detergent plus Oxygen Boost.

Learn more about Oxygen Boost and its many uses around the home in How To Use Branch Basics Oxygen Boost [Complete Guide].

5. Vinegar

Distilled white vinegar* is a versatile cleaning ingredient that can also be used as a natural odor eliminator.

A few ways to use it include:

• Boil a teaspoon of white vinegar in a pot of water to remove strong cooking odors in the kitchen.
  
• Add a cup of vinegar to the washing machine to freshen and soften clothes.
  
• Place a small bowl of white vinegar around your home to absorb odors. Just make sure the bowl is in a spot where it won’t get knocked over and is out of reach of children and pets.

*Note: When cleaning with vinegar, caution should be used when using a spray bottle, as acetic acid is an eye and lung irritant.

Make sure you avoid breathing the fumes and provide good ventilation to clear the air of acetic acid quickly.

We also don’t recommend using vinegar around children, pets, or people with chronic illnesses.

Related reading: Apple Cider Vinegar Versus White Vinegar: Which is Better for Cleaning?

6. Baking Soda + Vinegar for Drains

Food debris, grease buildup, and soap scum can all contribute to odors coming from your kitchen drains.

To flush them out, try our favorite natural drain cleaning combo: baking soda, vinegar, and hot water.

This safe and effective mixture loosens trapped particles, while the vinegar naturally disinfects and deodorizes.

Pour a few tablespoons of baking soda down the drain, followed by a cup of distilled white vinegar.

Let fizz for about 10 minutes, then pour boiling water down the drain to rinse (if you have PVC pipes, use very hot water, not boiling).

This method is gentle on your pipes but tough on the buildup and lingering odors.

Related Read: Get Rid of Kitchen Sink Smells Permanently With These Solutions.

7. Cheap Vodka

Vodka is an excellent natural odor eliminator and can be used as an unscented air freshener.

Add 1 part inexpensive, unflavored vodka to 3 parts distilled water, then fill the spray bottle. Gently shake and spritz to reduce stale and musty odors.

Diluted vodka can also be sprayed onto linens, bedding, towels, clothing, and fabric furniture to freshen them.

Although vodka is odorless, as with any aerosolized product, avoid breathing it in while the solution is still aerosolized.

Natural Odor Eliminator FAQs

Now let’s answer some of your natural odor-eliminating FAQs.

Q: Can Natural Odor Eliminators Handle Strong Odors Like Smoke And Pet Accidents?

A: Absolutely!

Vinegar, for example, is especially useful for removing smoke and perfume odors. Simply mix 1 teaspoon of vinegar with a spray bottle of water to neutralize these odors.

For pet accidents, mix equal parts white vinegar and water, then spray the area. Follow with a generous sprinkle of baking soda and let sit. Vacuum and repeat as needed.

Noticing chemical odors? Check out How to Prevent Chemical Odors in Your Home.

Q: Are Natural Odor Eliminators Safe To Use Around Children, Pets, And Sensitive Individuals?

A: Yes, they are.

But some – although natural – should be used with caution.

For example, distilled white vinegar and vodka should not be inhaled when aerosolized. So, if you are spraying either of these products to remove odors, we recommend ventilating the room. Also, avoid spraying vinegar or vodka around the elderly, chronically ill, young children, and pets.

Also, use care when leaving open boxes or bowls of any natural odor eliminator around the house. Always store them in inconspicuous areas where they are out of reach of children and pets.

Q: How Often Should I Replace Natural Odor Absorbers Like Charcoal And Baking Soda?

A: For regular maintenance, aim to replace or refresh pouches, boxes, or bowls of baking soda once a month.

Activated charcoal should be sunned to remove absorbed odors once every month or two.  

Activated charcoal placed in more contaminated areas should be refreshed more frequently; most last one to two years before needing replacement.

This may vary, however. If you notice the baking soda or activated charcoal is no longer as effective, swap it out for a fresh batch.

Let Branch Basics Help You Create A Cleaner, Fresher Home

We hope this article has inspired you to swap your conventional air fresheners for natural odor eliminators and absorbers.

Simple, inexpensive, and effective products and methods, such as vacuuming and ventilating, baking soda, distilled white vinegar, vodka, activated charcoal, and Branch Basics Oxygen Boost, can get the job done without compromising your indoor air quality or your health.

As you work to remove harmful chemicals from your home, consider replacing them with Branch Basics.

Our products are the vehicle for our mission to help people experience the power of pure by tossing the toxins and creating a cleaner, fresher, healthier home.

Our no-cost online Toss the Toxins Course to Create a Healthy Home and Diet is built on decades of experience helping clients remove products that hijack health, the ability to heal, and our potential. It is a simple, efficient category-by-category process that immediately improves air quality and takes a load off the immune system.

To get started, check out our Branch Basics Premium Starter Kits (available in reusable plastic or glass). Each kit comes with our all-in-one Concentrate and five bottles to make your own All-Purpose, Bathroom, Streak-Free, Laundry, and Foaming Wash. You’ll also receive a full bag of our popular Oxygen Boost!

Or, if you’re ready to dive in headfirst into the world of truly human-safe cleaning and living, check out the Branch Basics Ultimate Starter Kits (also available in reusable plastic or glass). These kits include everything in our Premium Starter Kits, plus a full-size bag of Laundry Detergent and Dishwasher Tablets.

Make the switch today for a natural way of living, free of toxic chemicals!

References:

1. https://www.nih.gov/news-events/nih-research-matters/how-nose-decodes-complex-odors