Cheap and Easy Odor Solutions

[noparlpf]

Living in a freshman boys' dorm for two years and then somehow an even worse dorm this semester, I've tried a couple of different things to make my room a safe haven for my nose, and was wondering what solutions other people have tried to deal with smelly living spaces.

Personally, I've tried candles occasionally (don't tell on me, 'cause that's against the rules), but what I like better is to leave a sliced orange out for a couple of days. You have to get rid of it before too long though because of fruit flies. Of course, if you're like one girl I know and can't stand the smell of citrus, that's probably not for you.
And right now, I'm trying a (half-assed) orange-and-clove pomander. Just poke holes around an orange and stick cloves in, then bake it at about 200°F for an hour and a half. Smells great so far.
Supposedly to do it right you're supposed to pack the cloves a little closer together than I did, then roll the orange in a mix of cinnamon, nutmeg, allspice, and something I've never heard of called orris root, once a day every day for a week, then let the whole thing sit somewhere dry for another couple of weeks while the orange dries out. But that sounds like way too much work. (Though I'm moving out later this week, so after I dust and vacuum my new room I might try to do this properly.)

[snoopy13a]

Febreeze? (extra stuff to have 10 characters)

[DraPrime]

Open up the windows to let it all air out. That can do a lot to get rid of stench build up Besides that, I'd recommend buying some good air fresheners. I've always particularly like the solid ones. Also, try to clean up what you can. It's no good to put up a good scent if you can't get rid of the source of the bad.

[noparlpf]

Open up the windows to let it all air out. That can do a lot to get rid of stench build up Besides that, I'd recommend buying some good air fresheners. I've always particularly like the solid ones. Also, try to clean up what you can. It's no good to put up a good scent if you can't get rid of the source of the bad.

I should clarify a little. I'm a very clean person. Do my laundry regularly, wash my bedsheets regularly, take out trash quickly, stuff like that. The only time this semester I closed my window was during the hurricane. But even so, a small room will start to smell stale after a while, especially with smoke floating in the windows, and besides a guys' hall tends to just stink regardless of individual rooms' states.

[DraPrime]

I should clarify a little. I'm a very clean person. Do my laundry regularly, wash my bedsheets regularly, take out trash quickly, stuff like that. The only time this semester I closed my window was during the hurricane. But even so, a small room will start to smell stale after a while, especially with smoke floating in the windows, and besides a guys' hall tends to just stink regardless of individual rooms' states.

I was referring more to messes left behind by roommates. Don't just clean up everything, but in public areas like bathrooms. However, if there is nothing to be done, then just buy some high quality air fresheners.

[denthor]

This works well for odor and fleas. (I know you do not have a problem with fleas)

Arm&Hammer baking soda. Three boxes

one open to absorb odor in air.

Two used on the floor. Vaccum up after two to three days. For fleas leave powder under bed(you can do the same thing for odor but less effective)

Change the open box every three weeks or so dump a little each week until empty. Replace. Repeat.

If you can stand the powder on the floor it will take up a lot of the odor.

[scurv]

Add alot of parsley into your food, For some young men it can tone down the natural body scent

Incense can help as well actually, I get my best results with sage, but your results may be different

<edit>

Dish soap and simple green can be quite useful for smell removal as well.

[noparlpf]

That's interesting. I add a bit of powdered parsley to most of my cooking, but that's not all that much. Do you mean like, eating a sprig of raw parsley every day or something?

[Holocron Coder]

One I've heard about that only works if you enjoy the smell: coffee. Buy a tin of coffee and leave it open in a room or other location. You have to replace the coffee occasionally (as it eventually loses all smell), but in the meantime, the odor of the coffee overpowers everything else (but in a good way, if you enjoy coffee).

[otakuryoga]

if you like the candles but dont want to worry about the open flame being against the rules they have little hotplates designed just for the standard size candles that warm them up to release the fragrance w/o worry about catching anything on fire

[Fri]

I heard activated carbon can remove odor, but is this true? There are boxes of activated carbons here that you put in rooms but I don't know if it's actually working or it's just suggestion.

[WarKitty]

Tricks from those of us who don't use perfume (speaking as someone who's allergic to pretty much every commercial fragrance out there):

If you have something that can keep an open bowl of water hot, mix up some spices in water and keep hot.

An extra-strong pot of tea will also do this, and will work fine with the ultra-cheap tea you buy for $2 for a giant box.

Get a fan. Set it in the window blowing in, and put something nice-smelling right in front of it.

Also, a word from your local allergy crew: Please be careful with putting air fresheners in public areas. Your room is find, but it's a nasty shock to walk into your hall bathroom and find out you can't shower that morning because of the scent.

[GnomeFighter]

It all depends on what the smell is TBH. Some things work on some smells, some work on others. Personally I hate unnatural scents such as aftershave and air freshener. It's amazing how many people think "clean" is covering smells with other smells...

If your problem is just stinky boys who have not yet realized clothes and bed sheets don't clean themselves, I recomend a combination of plenty of ventilation, a drying agent (keep it from getting damp, which is where allot of those smells come from) and get an essential oil ring for your light bulb if you have one:

Like this:
http://www.pagan-magic.co.uk/shop/household-products-burners-brass-ring-p-16430.html?utm_campaign=google-product-search-us-en&utm_medium=product_search&utm_source=google-product-search-us-en&gclid=CKnRpdPZgLQCFcbLtAod83QA0g

[Sipex]

I second baking soda, it's cheap, easy to find and does wonders. Stick it by your door to keep the outside smells from entering the area, replace once every month for optimum performance (although yes, it will last longer as others have pointed out).

Maybe back it up with something which smells nice? Nothing which needs to overpower the stink (since, hopefully it'll be gone), just something to give your nose a pleasant contrast when you're forced to traverse through the stink when coming home.