Handy Tips

Vanilla extract

Eliminate lingering smells in your home, refrigerator, and microwave with vanilla. Wipe down the inside of the fridge with vanilla extract. To prolong the fresh vanilla scent, soak a cotton ball or a piece of sponge with vanilla extract and leave it in the refrigerator. Is the odor of fish, or some other strong smell, lingering in your microwave? Pour a little vanilla extract in a bowl and microwave on High for one minute. Now, that’s better. If you would rather not have the unpleasant smell of fresh paint in your house, mix 1 tablespoon vanilla extract into the paint can when you open it. The house will smell delicious! Try an old Realtor’s trick. Put a drop or two of vanilla extract on a light bulb, turn on the light, and your house will be filled with the appealing scent of baked goods in the oven.

Vinegar

If you’ve recently burned a steak—or if your chain-smoking aunt recently paid you a surprise visit— remove the lingering smoky odour by placing a shallow bowl about three-quarters full of white or cider vinegar in the room where the scent is strongest. Use several bowls if the smell permeates your entire home. The odour should be gone in less than a day. You can also quickly dispense of the smell of fresh cigarette smoke inside a room by moistening a cloth with vinegar and waving it around a bit.