Households are being urged to leave bowls of white vinegar around their home overnight heading into the winter. White vinegar can be used to help banish unpleasant odours from your home, experts say.
Homeowners know all too well that poor ventilation and forgetting to clean certain areas can result in stubborn and unwelcome smells, and this can be all the more pronounced once the rainy weather sets in and it becomes harder to open windows as frequently.
Cost-effective methods to try
They're not always easy to get rid of, but the important thing is tackling the source of the problem. Thankfully there are some cost-effective methods you can try using things you may already have at home, without having to buy chemical cleaning products.
Last year, MarthaStewart.com gathered advice from a trio of leading figures in the US cleaning industry, including Katie Dills, director of operations at Maryland-based firm The Cleaning Authority, who has shared a variety of ways vinegar can be useful around the home.
How vinegar works
Ms Dills says the tangy liquid "can help neutralise odours in the home, such as in the kitchen or refrigerator". While many air fresheners simply cover the odour, the main ingredient in white vinegar, acetic acid, neutralises alkaline odour molecules that are often behind pesky pongs that hang in the air.
The outlet recommends leaving out a dish, which might include a bowl or pan, filled with half an inch of white vinegar in the room where you want to get rid of the smell until it's gone away. Cooking site AllRecipes.com suggests leaving a bowl of it out overnight to tackle lingering cooking smells.
Other uses and warnings
You can also use baking soda, which is also effective, instead, the outlet says. Ms Dill's tip is one of 27 sustainable uses for white vinegar around the home compiled by MarthaStewart.com. You can learn more on their website.
Vinegar can also be a useful tool for wiping down surfaces, and is great for getting rid of grease stains around the kitchen area. However, a beauty brand product developer and content creator who shares body and home hygiene tips on social media as Madam Sweat has issued a warning about where - and where not - to use it.
In a video on TikTok she explained that you should never get vinegar on natural stone, hardwood flooring, or rubber components like dishwasher or washing machine seals as the liquid can damage it.
