Keep your home odour-free with these easy tips

It's not just the food itself that creates strong odours; where we store and cook food also contributes to the problem. Here are some tips and tricks to keep your home smelling clean and fresh.

• Combat musty smells in kitchen cabinets by washing them with vinegar and water, or bag up coffee grounds from the coffeemaker; the coffee will neutralize any remaining odour.
• Eliminate odours in your oven: put a bowl of white vinegar on the rack, or place a few orange peels in a warm oven. Want to blast out nasty smells in a hurry? Rub down your oven with half a lemon.
• Avoid hair-raising odours in the refrigerator by always wrapping foods separately and making sure that containers are tightly covered. If the occasional bad smell seeps through anyway, try placing a bowl of vinegar, half an apple, or a little baking soda in an open bag or on a plate or bowl in your fridge.
• Sprinkle a little baking soda in the bottom of your dishwasher to eliminate unpleasant odours the next time you run the machine. Just as effective: add a few drops of concentrated orange oil during the next wash cycle.
• The smell of onions or garlic can cling to a wooden cutting board. To freshen it up, rub it with half a lemon, and rinse. Lemon will work wonders for your hands as well.
• Destroy musty smells that can develop in clay and ceramic pots by rinsing them out thoroughly with hot vinegar.
• Refresh stale-smelling thermos bottles by rinsing them with tap water, and then filling them with hot water and a little baking soda. Let the solution sit in the thermos for five minutes before thoroughly rinsing with tap water.
• Banish grungy smells from the trash can by adding some citrus peels or baking soda.

And there you have it. Still smell something in the air? It may not be home-related at all. Check to see if your pets are due for a bath — maybe even the children, too!