Not just in the kitchen: the incredible usefulness of laurel in removing unpleasant odors
The habit of opening windows daily to ventilate and freshen up the rooms has been passed down through generations. While it might be difficult for children to understand why we should let the cold in every morning, as adults, we know it must be done to change the air.
There are several reasons why a musty smell might develop in a home. In older or long-inhabited homes, it could be due to the accumulation of moisture, mold, furniture rot, and the daily activities/habits of the occupants. In new or low-habitation homes, the main cause is often the lack of air circulation, along with odors from unused drains.
Sometimes, simply opening the windows isn't enough to completely eliminate bad smells. In such cases, a common kitchen ingredient can come to our aid to bring back a fresh and clean scent into our homes: laurel, an evergreen shrub dedicated to various gods in ancient times and appreciated in kitchens and herbal medicine for centuries.
Let's discover how laurel can help rid our homes of bad smells:
Laurel to eliminate unpleasant odors in the home
Laurel has been known since ancient times for its culinary use as a flavor enhancer and for preparing digestive infusions. It is highly valued in herbal medicine and cosmetics for its purifying, digestive, and astringent properties. Always present in our kitchens and often found on balconies and gardens, laurel can become one of our most effective allies to combat persistent bad odors at home.
How can we harness the virtues of this plant to keep our homes always fragrant? There are several ways:
- Fresh leaves can be chopped and boiled in water to spread their aroma throughout the home. This is particularly useful for removing cooking odors in the kitchen.
- Dried leaves can be used to make scented sachets that you can place in drawers, closets, and shoe racks to eliminate bad odors and perfume clothes and shoes. Similarly, you can also use other dried aromatic herbs like lavender, rosemary, and sage, spices like cinnamon or cloves, or mix them together.
- Hanging a laurel sprig on the showerhead will not only help perfume your bathroom but will also promote respiratory well-being. The steam produced by the hot water will rise, enveloping the laurel sprig, releasing its aroma and bringing its inherent benefits to you and the environment.
Other natural remedies to combat bad odors
Laurel is not the only natural remedy for combatting bad odors in the house:
- Baking soda is perfect for deodorizing enclosed spaces like the refrigerator, closets, and shoe racks. Just place a bowl on the shelves to experience its beneficial effects. By adding essential oils and positioning the bowls strategically in your rooms, baking soda will also help freshen up your living spaces.
- White vinegar can be boiled with water while cooking to eliminate unpleasant odors while cooking, especially frying.
- Used coffee grounds can be reused, similar in method to baking soda, to remove bad odors from enclosed spaces. Whole coffee beans are also useful for this purpose.
- Essential oils can be applied to cotton balls or used in diffusers to pleasantly fragrance your home.
How do you deal with unpleasant odors in your home?