The Home 6a The Top Five Worst Household Odors—And How To Handle Them (NAPSA)—Call them “America’s Most Unwanted.” They’ve been known to hold entire households hostage, causing shortness of breath, nausea and panic in their victims. At the very least, they keep “home sweet home” from smelling so sweet. Theculprits are household odors and these are the worstof the worst. Survey Of Stinks According to a recent nationwide survey, more than eight out of 10 Americans think rotting garbage or garbage can odoris the most offensive household smell. Rounding out the top five, in order, were pet odors, mold, body odor/sweat and tobacco odor. Nearly 70 percent of all respondents ranked these five smells as the worst smells in the home, with significantly more women (75 per- cent) turning their noses up at tobacco odors as compared to men (59 percent). How To End Odors Fortunately for men and women, simply vacuuming can eliminate many household odors. “Because odors are commonly trapped in carpets, these ‘foul five’ are some of the most notoriously difficult to eliminate,” said Leiah Nhem, product managerfor ARM & HAMMERvacuum acces- sories. “Vacuuming is an important first step in safely and naturally eliminating these odors from your home.” Scientists say the human nose can pick up on 10,000 scents. Getting rid of some of the worst may now be a bit easier. Instead of covering up the offensive odors, ARM & HAMMER vacuum accessories eliminate smells through the natural odorfighting power of baking soda. As air moves through the vacuum, the odor comes in contact with baking soda crystals that are bonded to the bags andfilters. The odor is then permanently sealed inside the crystals—turning even the most offending odor particle into a new, nonodorousform. Vacuums with a HEPAfilter trap and remove odor-causing particles such as pet dander, mold spores, dust and other allergens up to 75 times smaller than a humanhair. These microscopic fragments can ferment in carpeting and upholstery, creating the acidic fumes that result in unpleasantodors. Some of the biggest odor complaints from the survey are smells that can originate from the tiniest of particles, such as mold or pet hair. These stubborn odors reappear after traditional remedies such as air fresheners or candles lose their strength, but using odor-eliminating vacuum bags and filters can help permanently—and naturally—neutralize odors so they’re gonefor good. Other Odor Remedies Other ways to deodorize your house include: * Open a box of baking soda and place it on a shelf in the room. Wash dish sponges in the dishwasher. Mix two teaspoons of baking soda with two cups of water in a trigger spray bottle and spray the room with the mixture whenever it needsit. Asprinkle of baking soda dissolves odors in garbage cans, diaper pails, boots and litter boxes, too. If you have a garbage disposer, put lemon or orangerinds down it every monthorso. Clean out the refrigerator regularly to remove spoiled food and put a new, open box of baking soda in every four months. Learn More For more information and to locate odor-eliminating bags and filters for a specific vacuum, visit www.armhammervac.com.
