Martha Stewart Gets Rid Of Nasty Odors With This Unexpected Liquid

It's never pleasant to walk into a room filled with a nasty smell. It's especially worse if that odor is in the kitchen. You don't want a foul smell reeking in a room where you intend to cook! Thankfully, that's nothing a spritz or two of air freshener can't fix, and if you ask Martha Stewart, you can even make your own. All you need to do is raid your bar cabinet. Stewart's DIY air freshener calls for vodka and some essential oil. Just add the essential oil io the liquor, give it a shake, and transfer the solution to a spray bottle. It's that easy. 

Vodka may be your go-to drink on a night out, but it can also neutralize odors. Thanks to vodka's high alcohol by volume (ABV), it's an excellent disinfectant and can kill the bacteria that cause foul smells. Just spray the solution in the air to freshen the entire room or in corners and around areas like that noxious trash that can be the cause of the stench. The essential oil you add to this DIY air freshener will leave a fragrant scent behind.

The best part is you don't need a high-quality vodka like Gray Goose to get the job done. Any bottle of inexpensive vodka will do the trick as long as it has a high proof. Save the good stuff for your Moscow Mules and martinis.

The best part about following Martha Stewart's tip is that you can customize your homemade air freshener by choosing your preferred essential oil. In fact, you can add more than one oil for an even more fragrant solution. If you lean towards more citrusy aromas, add a few drops of lemongrass  or coriander essential oil, along with bergamot or orange oil, to the vodka. If you're after a fresher fragrance, go with a mix of eucalyptus and peppermint.

As for how much essential oil you need, about 30 to 40 drops will make a potent solution. Just make sure to transfer it to a spray bottle that is dark and made of glass. The dark tint will keep light from entering your air freshener and weakening the smell of the essentials oils. At the same time, glass is a much better material because plastic can leach into the liquid.

Apart from being easy to make, one great advantage of this DIY vodka air freshener is that it doesn't contain harsh chemicals like many commercial products. These chemicals can sometimes trigger respiratory issues and allergies.