How to Get Rid of Every Gross Smell in Your Home

Summary

Podcast Summary: The Wirecutter Show

Episode: How to Get Rid of Every Gross Smell in Your Home

Date: March 4, 2026
Hosts: Christine Cyr Clisset & Caira Blackwell
Guest Expert: Caroline Mullen (Wirecutter Staff Writer, Cleaning & Organization)

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Episode Overview

This episode of The Wirecutter Show dives deep into one of the most stubborn and unsettling household issues: how to eliminate persistent, unpleasant odors from every corner of your home. Drawing on listener questions, the hosts are joined by cleaning expert Caroline Mullen to break down actionable, evidence-based tips for eradicating kitchen funk, pet stench, laundry woes, smelly cars, and more, complete with Wirecutter-tested product recommendations and expert insights.

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Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Opening Perspective: If You're Worried, You're Probably Clean

• [00:33] Caroline Mullen:

  “If you're worried about it being stinky, it's probably not. It's the people that aren't worried about it being stinky that probably have stinky houses.”

  • Sets the episode’s tone: most people concerned about smells are proactively clean.

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2. Kitchen Odors

A. Persistent Cooking Smells in Small Apartments

• Main Advice:
  • Ventilation is Essential. Open windows—even in winter—and use fans to create cross breezes.
  • Surface Cleaning: Grease and food residues on surfaces, fabrics, and floors trap odors. Prompt, thorough cleaning is key.
  • Portable Range Hoods & Air Purifiers: Portable range hoods are not significantly better than open windows and fans. Air purifiers only minimally help with odors.
• [05:46] Caroline Mullen:

  “Ventilation is the number one thing that's gonna help you combat cooking odors in your home. ... Put on the fan above your stove, if you don't have a range hood... open your windows and turn a fan on.”

B. Removing Deep Meat Rot Smells from Freezers

• [09:06] Caroline Mullen:

  “Just throw it away. It’s not worth your sanity. You just—you gotta throw the freezer out.”

  • After deeply embedded odors from rotten meat, salvage is rarely worthwhile.

C. General Fridge/Freezer Funk

• Tips:
  • Clean out expired/rotten items regularly.
  • Deep clean with disinfectant (Clorox Cleanup with bleach recommended for its shelf stability).
  • Baking soda absorbs acidic gases; use an open box in the fridge.
  • Store odor-prone foods (like eggs) in airtight containers.
• [10:22] Caroline Mullen on fridge disinfectants:

  “I use our pick, which is the Clorox cleanup with bleach because it’s shelf stable…”

D. Trash Heaters: Warm Trash Smells

• [11:47] Caroline Mullen:

  “You gotta move the trash. If it’s being heated up every day, it’s—it’s gotta move. I’m sorry.”

  • If practical, move heated trash receptacles. Otherwise, clean all surrounding areas thoroughly and frequently.

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3. Pet Smells

A. Litter Box Odor

• [13:20] Caroline Mullen:
  • Wirecutter’s top pick: Dr. Elsey's Cat Litter—forms tight clumps, contains odors.
  • Promptly dispose of used litter; don’t let it linger indoors.
  • Lidded litter boxes can help, but only if your cat tolerates them.
  • Ultimately, routine cleaning is the most effective.

B. Pet Smells You Can’t Smell Anymore (“Nose Blindness”)

• [15:16] Caroline Mullen:

  “If you're worried about your house being stinky, it's probably not stinky. It's the people that aren't worried about it being stinky that probably have stinky houses.”

  • Regularly wash pet beds, blankets, and any soft furnishings pets sit on.
  • Use machine-washable rugs and vacuum often (robot vacuums help a lot).
  • Air purifiers help remove dander/hair but don’t resolve root odors.
  • Avoid scented air fresheners and deodorizers (especially with cats).
  • Cleaning > masking with scents.

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4. Laundry Odors

A. Stinky Workout Clothes (Synthetic Fibers)

• Tips:
  • Wash in cold; hot water can “bake in” odors.
  • Turn clothing inside out.
  • Use less detergent—just 2 tablespoons per load.
  • Pre-treat with hydrogen peroxide (spot test first).
  • Clean your washing machine regularly.
• [21:59] Christine Cyr Clisset:

  "[Use] just 2 tablespoons actually of detergent, even for a full big load."

• [22:24] Caroline Mullen:

  "It won’t get rinsed out. And smells can get trapped inside of the detergent that lingers on the fabrics."

B. Down Jackets/Parkas That Smell

• Key Steps:
  • Pre-treat problem areas.
  • For wet dog smell: avoid excess detergent, rinse at least twice.
  • Dry extremely thoroughly (air/dry on low with a dryer).
• [24:41] Caroline Mullen:

  “The good news is down jackets can be washed…you need to rinse…the comforter or anything with down a couple times...dry absolutely thoroughly.”

C. Mildewy Towels

• Advice:
  • Ensure towels air dry fully—bars/dracks > hooks.
  • Wash towels on hot with a quality detergent; add borax for stubborn smells.
• [27:39] Caroline Mullen:

  “If they’re really stinky, you can wash them on hot with a good laundry detergent or add a scoop of borax…”

D. Urine Smells in Laundry

• Soak items in cold water and detergent overnight, then wash on cold.
• Repeat wash if necessary. Avoid hot water (sets stains/odors).

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5. Miscellaneous Odors

A. Smelly Car (Fermented Fruit Incident)

• [30:55] Caroline Mullen:
  • Baking soda paste (with dish soap/water) left overnight.
  • Heavy rinsing (without harming car upholstery).
  • Upholstery cleaners (like the Bissell Little Green) and their odor-specific solutions recommended.
  • As a last resort: detailing shop, replacing affected upholstery, or using alcohol/vodka sprays.
• [32:18] Caroline Mullen:

  “If all else fails...you might want to get it professionally cleaned and detailed. Or try replacing that piece of upholstery.”

B. Dead Mouse Smell in Cabinet Walls

• [34:10] Caroline Mullen (via Doug Mahoney):
  • Sometimes, you must wait for the smell to dissipate as the carcass decomposes.
  • Odor absorbers (activated charcoal, baking soda) may help—but no guarantees.
  • Finding and removing the source is ideal but not always possible.

C. Persistent Secondhand Weed/Cigarette/Smoke Smells

• [35:46] Caroline Mullen:
  • Air purifiers are helpful for smoke of all kinds.
  • Ventilate; use fans/door towels for drafty areas.
  • Clean all washable items; for items you can't launder, vodka-water spray works to neutralize odors.

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Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• “Ventilation is the number one thing that's gonna help you combat cooking odors in your home.” – Caroline Mullen [05:46]
• “Just throw it away. It’s not worth your sanity.” (on dead meat freezer) – Caroline Mullen [09:06]
• “Keep pets’ rugs and bedding machine-washable and clean as frequently as you wash your bed sheets.” – Caroline Mullen [16:57]
• “If you’re using too much [detergent], it can contribute to smelly laundry.” – Christine Cyr Clisset [39:14]
• On stubborn pests: “You kind of just have to wait for it to…totally go away.” — Caroline Mullen [34:13]
• On home scent paranoia: “The people that aren’t worried about it being stinky that probably have stinky houses.” – Caroline Mullen [15:16]

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Actionable Products & Methods Recommended

• Dr. Elsey's Cat Litter: Holds odor, strong clumping.
• Clorox Cleanup with Bleach: Shelf-stable disinfectant for fridge/freezer.
• Bissell Little Green: For car upholstery and soft furnishings.
• Miss Jessie’s Pillow Soft Curls curl cream: Caroline’s favorite recent purchase (smells like laundry!) – [37:08]

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Timestamps for Major Segments

• Opening & Cleaning Philosophy: [00:33–01:30]
• Kitchen Odors & Listener Questions: [04:44–12:19]
• Pet Smells: [12:25–17:46]
• Laundry & Clothing Smells: [19:47–29:51]
• Miscellaneous (Car, Mouse, Smoke): [29:51–37:02]
• Favorite Product Rec: [37:08]
• Final Reflections & Takeaways: [38:12–39:51]

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Episode Takeaways

• Clean regularly and focus on the source—not just covering up odors.
• Minimal effective product use (e.g., detergent) is key.
• Ventilation and frequent washing are almost always more effective than air fresheners or passive products.
• Pet owners: proactive washing and cleaning of fabrics, plus vacuuming, do more than any air freshener.

“You really do have to deep clean often, consistently.”
— Kyra Blackwell [38:38]

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Resources & Next Steps

Check the episode’s show notes for Wirecutter’s related cleaning guides and product recommendations for every situation discussed.

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Summary by The Wirecutter Show: practical, relatable, real-life cleaning advice for every smelly scenario.

Transcript

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[Caroline Mullen]

If you're worried about it being stinky, it's probably not. It's the people that aren't worried about it being stinky that probably have stinky houses.

[Christine Cyrclassette]

I'm Christine Cyrclassette.

[Kyra Blackwell]

I'm Kyra Blackwell and you're listening to the Wirecutter Show.

[Christine Cyrclassette]

Kyra Christine, it is that time of year again.

[Kyra Blackwell]

Please don't tell me it's cleaning time.

[Christine Cyrclassette]

It's time to clean. Yes, it's spring cleaning. So Wirecutter has a ton of cleaning advice. And if listeners haven't subscribed to our Clean Everything newsletter, you absolutely should. It's really great. It has tons of great advice about how to clean a variety of products we recommend, but also just general things in your home. And today we are going to focus on a particular, particularly troublesome aspect of cleaning. Getting rid of terrible smells.

[Kyra Blackwell]

Yep, we thought it'd be really fun to ask you, our listeners, to tell us about some of the most challenging smells you've tried to remove. And wow, y' all really delivered so many gross smells.

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So many.

[Kyra Blackwell]

We actually have the perfect guest to bring you the answers. Her name is Caroline Mullen. She's a staff writer focused on cleaning and organization. She basically spends every workday figuring out how to clean things and she even recently wrote a piece about how to get rid of gross smells.

[Christine Cyrclassette]

We also have a ton of other experts who know a lot about cleaning because they are experts on cleaning the things that they review. So we had Caroline also go out and ask them for their advice on various smell related cleaning things. So that's great. We're going to get advice not just from Caroline, but from a lot of other wire cutter writers. We'll be right back.

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[Kyra Blackwell]

Welcome back. Today we're talking with staff writer Caroline Mullen, who specializes in cleaning and organizing. Caroline, welcome to the show.

[Listener Caller]

Thank you.

[Caroline Mullen]

I'm so happy to be here.

[Kyra Blackwell]

So happy to have you.

[Christine Cyrclassette]

Okay, so, Caroline, this episode is all about getting rid of the stinky, smelly, gross smells in our homes. Our cars, maybe our clothing. And we have collected questions from a bunch of listeners. They sent in some really disgusting problems for us to solve today. We're hoping that you can help answer their burning questions about smells. So we're going to run this sort of room by room. And we're gonna start with the kitchen. Are you ready?

[Caroline Mullen]

Y. This is kind of what I do every day. I feel like, Great.

[Christine Cyrclassette]

Okay, so here's our first listener question.

[Listener Caller]

Okay, so my name is Catty Yoon. I live in Jersey City, New Jersey, and my issue is whenever I cook in this apartment, whatever it is, especially if it's like steak or even chicken, if there's any kind of burnt. If there's any smoke, fish. Fish is the worst. That smoke gets everywhere. And then that smell gets everywhere. And then going to work, the smell is in all the clothes. Like, there's no way to stop it. And I live in a loft. Masking, it doesn't work like putting up a candle. I have filtration systems and I have a fan, and nothing works. And it's winter and I cannot open those windows. So help.

[Christine Cyrclassette]

Ooh, this one's great.

[Caroline Mullen]

Very relatable.

[Christine Cyrclassette]

Really very real. Okay, Caroline, what do you think?

[Caroline Mullen]

So I also live in Jersey City, and I had to stop making fried fish tacos because I just couldn't. I couldn't deal with it anymore. I also live in a small apartment, and the smell is constantly lingering from cooking. Unfortunately, you do have to open your windows even though it's winter. Ventilation is the number one thing that's gonna help you combat cooking odors in your home. When I cook, for example, I throw all the windows open. I make my husband stand at the front door and move it open and close to try to get a cross breeze going. Put on the fan above your stove if you don't have a range hood. My other teammate, Mackie Yazawa, she tested a portable range hood to try and deal with this issue. And it. It seemed really cool, and it seemed really promising, but she found that, honestly, it didn't work that much better than if you were to just open your windows and turn a fan on.

[Listener Caller]

Mm.

[Christine Cyrclassette]

Yeah. Okay, so that. That makes sense. What about using an air purifier in your kitchen?

[Caroline Mullen]

So I talked to Tim Heffernan, who writes our air purif guide, and he said it. It might help a little bit. Purifiers usually have a small filter that works on light odors for a little while. But people should not expect miracles from. From air purifiers when it comes to cooking smells.

[Kyra Blackwell]

What is a VOC?

[Christine Cyrclassette]

It is volatile organic compounds, our VOCs, and they are some of these chemicals that's being released into the air when you're cooking, and that's sometimes the smell that you're smelling. I sometimes use an air purifier if I've burned something, and that'll help with the.

[Caroline Mullen]

It helps with smoke.

[Christine Cyrclassette]

The smoke.

[Listener Caller]

Yeah.

[Christine Cyrclassette]

So, okay, well, that's. That's interesting. All right, so open those windows.

[Caroline Mullen]

Yes. Also clean after you cook. A lot of cooking smells will linger in fabrics, on your couch, in your rugs, your curtains, everything like that. And I also. When I was talking to Tim about this, he said, make sure you clean the grease off of your floors and your kitchen surfaces too. Cause that will hold a lot of smell.

[Christine Cyrclassette]

That's interesting. And this is maybe a challenge for this listener, because she lives in a loft, and so she can't shut doors to kind of like, you know, keep a spread.

[Kyra Blackwell]

She has to clean everything. Everything she cooks.

[Caroline Mullen]

It feels like that. But honestly, I'm telling you, opening your windows and getting the air going and making sure that all these fabrics, even if you don't have to clean them. Just get them aired out. Like, it just. It helps a ton.

[Kyra Blackwell]

Okay, so we have another listener question about kitchen smells again. And fair warning, this one's pretty gross.

[Listener Caller]

Hi, my name is Alex, and I live in New York. My worst smell scenario happened a number of years ago. I had split a half of a side of beef with a neighbor. I had it stored in a chest freezer. Unfortunately, someone unplugged the freezer and the meat defrosted and then proceeded to rot. Three weeks later, I was confronted with the overpowering odor of dead flesh in the freezer. We tried to clean it for hours and then days, and we were never able to get rid of the smell in the freezer and eventually just threw the appliance out.

[Kyra Blackwell]

So what do you think, Caroline? Did he do the right thing by throwing that whole freezer away, or was it salvageable?

[Caroline Mullen]

I mean, that would be my answer. Just throw it away.

[Christine Cyrclassette]

I'm sorry.

[Caroline Mullen]

It's not worth. It's not worth your sanity. You just. You gotta throw the freezer out.

[Kyra Blackwell]

We also heard from listeners who had less obvious sources of stench in their fridge or their freezer. Do you have any tips about how to remove odors just in general from their fridge or the freezer that maybe isn't a dead cow?

[Caroline Mullen]

Yeah, yeah. I often find that, you know, you find a rotting green bean in the crisper drawer weeks later or, you know, a hunk of brie that you thought was still good, but it's really. It's letting off some. Some smells. So I think you. You need to go back through your fridge, make sure that everything in there is not rotting and deep clean again. Theoretically, putting an open box of baking soda in your fridge should work to absorb some odors. Baking soda is a base. It should counteract some of the acidic gases that are coming off of rotting fruit and vegetables. You can also try disinfecting the fridge and make sure that you follow the instructions on the disinfectant. Leave it sit for long enough so that it's killing any bacteria that's lingering in there, and yet keep your hard boiled eggs in well sealed, airtight containers so that you. When you open the fridge, when you have company over, it's not just a big waft of egg. Yeah.

[Christine Cyrclassette]

So embarrassing. Do you have a disinfectant that you like to use in the fridge?

[Caroline Mullen]

I actually, I use our pick, which is the Clorox cleanup with bleach because it's shelf stable. So when you mix bleach with water to make a disinfectant solution, it degrades really quickly. You have to use it when you make it. You have to use it that day pretty much. But the Clorox cleanup with bleach is shelf stable, so I like to keep that because I can use it for a lot longer.

[Christine Cyrclassette]

All right, we have one more kitchen smell. This one is really hard.

[Listener Caller]

Hi, wirecutter. My name is Janet and I'm from Omaha, Nebraska, and I have a stinky smell for you. A few years ago, we remodeled our kitchen and our builders installed built in trash can into the cabinetry. And it's wonderful because it's nice and tidy and it's all a recycling and trash can all in one cupboard. The only problem is there is a heating register right underneath the trash can.

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[Listener Caller]

And so in the summertime, it's fine, but in the wintertime, the heat is on a lot and the entire house smells like warm trash. We haven't really been able to figure out anything to do other than taking the trash out very frequently. So I was wondering if you had any tips on what else we might do to combat that smell. Thank you.

[Christine Cyrclassette]

Oh, Janet, it sounds like your house smells like New York City in the summertime.

[Caroline Mullen]

I know that smell.

[Christine Cyrclassette]

Well, all right. Well, what should Janet do?

[Caroline Mullen]

Janet, I'm sorry. You gotta move the trash. If it's. If it's being heated up every day, it's. It's gotta move. I'm sorry.

[Kyra Blackwell]

It's like the simplest solution. Also the worst.

[Caroline Mullen]

I know it's sad if you're not open to moving the trash can to a different part of your kitchen. I think just make sure you're keeping it clean. I know that trash cans that are inside of cabinets can get pretty grimy with the tracks and you might miss something. You might miss the garbage can. Throw something in there. It's kind of like lingering on the cabinet floor. So keep it as clean as you can.

[Christine Cyrclassette]

And we actually have a guide for that. We will link it in the show notes.

[Caroline Mullen]

Of course we do.

[Kyra Blackwell]

Now let's talk about another category of smells we heard a lot about from our listeners. Pet smells.

[Caroline Mullen]

Oh, yes.

[Kyra Blackwell]

Yeah. Next question. Here we go.

[Listener Caller]

Hi, my name is Mariana. I'm Italian. I live in France, and I'm a huge fan of the show. I work from home as a translator and live with two cats. So litter box odor is a constant battle. I've tried almost every kind of litter. The timing is what really gets me. They seem to save the litter box visits for my meal times, turning breakfast, lunch, and dinner into an unwanted sensory experience. I'd love your best advice on what actually works to keep litter box smells under control. Grazia mille. Ciao.

[Kyra Blackwell]

Wow, Mariana. I can really relate to this one because my cat's litter box is on the same level as my bedroom. And he also always chooses the worst times to go, like when I'm about

[Caroline Mullen]

to go to bed.

[Christine Cyrclassette]

So inconvenient.

[Kyra Blackwell]

So what do you advise?

[Caroline Mullen]

So I talked to Mel Plout, who is our pet writer, and they recommended trying to switch your cat litter. I actually know that several of our team members have switched to our top pick, Dr. Elsie's.

[Christine Cyrclassette]

I 100% agree. When I had two cats, it was the best cat litter. We got the kind that was, like, for, like, the extra strength or whatever, and we really did not have a problem.

[Kyra Blackwell]

Really?

[Christine Cyrclassette]

Yeah. And we live in a small apartment,

[Caroline Mullen]

so I don't have cats. But I have. It has been reported to me that this litter does an excellent job of containing odors. And another thing that it does is it forms really tight, solid clumps, which makes it easier to scoop and get all that fun stuff out of the box so that there are not lingering odors in there. Another thing that you can do is if the bin that you're putting the detritus in isn't keeping the smells contained, Mel recommends ditching it and just bringing your dirty litter bag straight out to the trash when you scoop, for sure, which does suck, but it will help with the smell. I know that there are litter boxes that you can get that are cabinets so that it keeps the smell a little more contained. I think Mel mentioned in the guide that litter boxes with lids can help keep the odor a little more contained, but you just have to make sure that you keep on top of actually changing the litter and scooping also. Yeah, it's, like, out of sight, out of mind.

[Kyra Blackwell]

I tried that, but my cat did not like having a cover.

[Caroline Mullen]

It really just depends. Cats are so particular.

[Christine Cyrclassette]

With cats, they are very persnickety. Okay, Caroline, one more pet question that, again, I think a lot of pet owners will relate to.

[Kyra Blackwell]

Hi, this is Sarah from Westchester, New York.

[Listener Caller]

I had a question about pet smells that the owners can no longer smell.

[Caroline Mullen]

This owner would be me.

[Christine Cyrclassette]

I know my house smells like my

[Listener Caller]

dog and my two cats.

[Kyra Blackwell]

I have air purifiers.

[Listener Caller]

I have scented air fresheners, but I know it's there.

[Kyra Blackwell]

So how do I get rid of

[Listener Caller]

a smell that I can't even sense myself?

[Caroline Mullen]

Ugh.

[Christine Cyrclassette]

Isn't this, like, a relatable problem? It's terrifying. All right, so what would you recommend for Sarah?

[Caroline Mullen]

Okay, Sarah, I can take up this whole episode talking about nose blindness and whether or not other people can smell your house or smell you. I have two dogs. I know very well what it's like to be afraid that the house smells like dog. I will tell you at the top that I've asked many friends and family, does my house smell? Does my house smell? And they're always like, no, your house never smells. It never smells. And I rarely light candles or use air fresheners. I just try to keep it at as clean as possible. And I think just doing whatever you can and knowing that your house is not stinky, it's probably not stinky if you're worried about it being stinky. It's probably not. It's the people that aren't worried about it being stinky that probably have stinky houses. But some of the things that I've done over the years with two dogs, I swapped out all the rugs in our apartment to machine washable ones. Rugs hold onto a lot of smells, especially if your dogs or cats are having accidents on the rugs. And if you're not washing your rugs when you have pets, at least vacuuming consistently, that can be a big contributing factor to lingering smells. Speaking of that, you also want to make sure you're washing or vacuuming your pets, beds and anything they lounge on. Pets when, when they sit in one place for a while, you know, they start to cook themselves. They get really stinky. So anything that they frequently are lounging on you, you should probably wash. You should probably wash it on the same schedule as your bed sheets, honestly, like once a week, I think with like blankets or stuff that's on the couch, like throw pillow covers, maybe like every two weeks, once a month, see if it helps with smells.

[Christine Cyrclassette]

So in theory, you might also want to make sure that you have whatever your dog or cat bed is, that it probably has like a removable cover that's easy to wash so you're not dealing with like having to dry some filled thing.

[Caroline Mullen]

Definitely. Another thing that can help is running a robot vacuum or just regularly vacuuming. This will help cut down on accumulation of dander and hair and corners and baseboards, places you don't see because that stuff holds a lot of smell from your animals. Air purifiers will also help. They will collect the dander and the hair, which hold a lot of scent. And it's also worth noting that if you have pets or, you know, cats specifically, I think you should be careful about air fresheners. Mel mentioned that they don't recommend using any deodorizers because even though they may be toxic to cats, they also kind of just mask smells. They don't solve the root of the problem. Unfortunately. Unfortunately. I hate to be, you know, a broken record, but cleaning instead of using a scent is going to be the best way to go.

[Christine Cyrclassette]

We are going to take a real quick break and then we are going to come back, Caroline with some even more challenging questions. We'll be right back.

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[Kyra Blackwell]

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[Caroline Mullen]

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[Caroline Mullen]

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[Listener Caller]

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[Caroline Mullen]

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[Caroline Mullen]

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[Caroline Mullen]

Welcome back.

[Kyra Blackwell]

With us now is Caroline Mullen, a writer covering all things cleaning, and she's helping us tackle your worst household smells.

[Christine Cyrclassette]

Okay, Caroline, we're back into our listener questions. We have another category that we had a lot of questions about smells in laundry. This is a huge one. Let's get into our first question about stinky workout clothes.

[Listener Caller]

Hey wirecutter, this is Barton in San Diego. My husband has these workout shirts that are 90% polyester, 10% spandex and I wash Them. I wash them. I wash them and still the stink from workout comes back, especially when you put them on and they heat up a little bit. So what should I do?

Oof.

[Christine Cyrclassette]

This is relatable. It's these synthetic fibers that really hold on to odors. Right. Okay, so what should Barton do for his husband's shirts?

[Caroline Mullen]

So I think the first thing that I would say is to make sure that you're washing these items on cold instead of hot.

[Christine Cyrclassette]

I think that's kind of counterintuitive, right?

[Caroline Mullen]

Yeah, I think that people's knee jerk is to wash it on hot, that it's going to kill a ton of bacteria. But with synthetic fabrics especially, you can end up kind of baking the odors into the items. I also talked to Andrea Barnes, who is our resident laundry expert. We have a lot of laundry questions, so we have a full person who's dedicated to it. And also one of our staff members, Gabriella Dipino, who wrote an article about getting smells out of workout clothes. So some things that you should make sure, if you're not doing already, make sure the clothes don't sit damp. You should wash them as quickly as you can, which can be annoying, especially if you don't have a washing machine in your home. But try and get these workout clothes into the wash as soon as possible. If not, let them dry out. Instead of sitting in the sweat. Turn the items inside out to wash. Yeah, because the inside, if you think about it, the inside is getting the most contact with sweat and odor.

[Kyra Blackwell]

Right.

[Caroline Mullen]

So turning them inside out gives them the best chance to have all that contact with the detergent in the water and get clean. Also, you're gonna wanna switch to a high quality detergent. This is probably something else I'm gonna say a couple times here. You can reference our guide and use one of our picks. A high quality detergent will have enzymes that break down these smells, especially in cold water. And also maybe counterintuitively, use less detergent than you think you need. We recommend just 2 tablespoons actually of

[Christine Cyrclassette]

detergent, even for a full big load.

[Caroline Mullen]

Yes. I was actually recently at a cleaning conference and I heard someone say that if these big companies are recommending you use these small portions, you can be sure you really need small portions. Because, I mean, they want to make money. That's their bottom line. And if they're recommending you use a small amount, you need a small amount.

[Christine Cyrclassette]

What's the issue? If you put too much detergent in your laundry, what's going to happen?

[Caroline Mullen]

It won't get rinsed out. And smells can get trapped inside of the detergent that lingers on the fabrics. Two other things that Andrea suggested. You can pre treat the really stinky spots with 3% hydrogen peroxide before throwing them in the wash. Just make sure you do a spot test before. And she doesn't recommend doing this all the time just to protect the integrity of your fabrics. Also something you might not be thinking about, make sure your washing machine is clean. This is something else I come up with a lot with people asking cleaning questions is being frustrated that they have to clean the appliances that are cleaning things. But washing machines can get a lot of gunk and deposits inside of them, and they can actually redeposit onto clothing and contribute to lingering smells.

[Christine Cyrclassette]

And we also have a guide for that. I'm gonna just be like a. We're gonna have so many links in the. In the show notes. But yeah, there is a guide for how to clean a front lo washer.

[Sponsor/Advertisement Voice]

Wow.

[Listener Caller]

Okay.

[Kyra Blackwell]

Can't escape it.

[Caroline Mullen]

Gotta clean the things that clean. Unfortunately, clean everything.

[Listener Caller]

Yeah.

[Amazon Alexa Ad]

Okay.

[Kyra Blackwell]

Next up, we have two different but related questions about down parkas. It is that time of year, so let's hear what's going on.

[Listener Caller]

Hey, guys, this is Derek calling from Washington, D.C. i recently did a really intense workout. I was super sweaty, and I put on a really nice parka that I wear all the time, but I forgot to put on a sweatshirt over my workout shirt. And now the armpits of my expensive parka smell pretty bad, and I'm afraid to do anything to it. Wondering what is the best way to get that odor out. Thank you. Hi, wirecutter team. This is Adam calling from Lisbon, Portugal. I'm calling because we recently had to wash my partner's puffer jacket, a down. Now, whenever it gets wet, or even if he gets a little sweaty or it's humid, as it is often in Portugal. It's almost like this smell activates and it smells like wet dog. It is foul. What do you recommend? Is it salvageable? It's a brand new, expensive jacket. We really want to save it, but I'm ready to burn it.

[Caroline Mullen]

Don't burn it. Don't burn it.

[Kyra Blackwell]

But I know exactly the smell he's talking about. It's pretty bad. So what should they do?

[Caroline Mullen]

Okay. The good news is down jackets can be washed. They can even be washed in your washing machine if you use a delicate cycle. I checked in with our bedding expert, Jackie Reeve, who's very familiar with down laundering. And we also have a guide on how to wash a down coat. So there's a couple things that might be going wrong. So let's address Derek first with this weddy parka. I would say that you should try pre treating the armpits of your parka before you put it in the wash, either with laundry detergent or dish soap, Give it a little scrub, try to get that smell out and put it in for a wash. And then as far as the wet dog smell is concerned, you might have used too much detergent or not have gotten all that detergent out. Jackie, in the how to Wash a Comforter guide, mentions that you need to rinse the comforter or anything with down a couple times, actually, to make sure that you get all the detergent out because all the residue can get on the feathers and make them kind of sticky and smelly. Another thing that might be going wrong is you might not have been able to get it dry enough. And this is tricky, especially with synthetic fabrics and with down, because you don't want to bake it. But if it isn't thoroughly dried, it can definitely start to smell. So in our guide to washing down parkas, we recommend to air dry if possible. But if that's not working and it's not getting dry, you might want to put it in the dryer, Just tumble dry on low and make sure that it's dry when it comes out, because you want to get those feathers absolutely dry so that they don't sit in their dampness. And if you are air drying and you don't have access to a dryer, maybe let it dry in a warm place like next to a radiator or a wood stove if you're, you know, out in a cabin. And that will. Will help speed up the process and make sure it dries enough before you start wearing it again.

[Christine Cyrclassette]

That's great. And especially if you've spent a lot on this jacket, you. I think all these tips are good.

[Kyra Blackwell]

You don't have to burn it.

[Caroline Mullen]

You don't have to burn it. You don't have to burn it. I really think it's salvageable. And if. If you can't get it done, just send it to me in the mail. I'll give you my address. I'll get it done.

[Christine Cyrclassette]

All right. So this issue with the stinky down kind of reminds me of a question we often get at Wirecutter. It's really common, stinky towels. You know, I've had this happen before where I've washed them, and the smell doesn't go away.

[Kyra Blackwell]

It just like bakes in further.

[Christine Cyrclassette]

Actually, it's just like you're like, this still doesn't smell stink clean. So, Caroline, what do you think? What's the solution there?

[Caroline Mullen]

Oh, man. This is another one close to my heart. The big thing with, with mildew and towels is just making sure they get proper ventilation and they get plenty of air around them. I know a lot of people in, especially in small apartments. I'm one of them. Hooks are, like, the easiest thing to throw towels on, but they tend not to get enough airflow when they're all kind of smushed together on a hook on the back of the door. So if you have a towel bar or even like a drying rack, in the story I wrote about this, some people were saying in the comments that they have heated towel warmers that help a ton.

[Kyra Blackwell]

Like those baskets. No.

[Christine Cyrclassette]

They look almost like a little ladder that's heated and it goes on your wall. Apparently very popular in Europe. Yeah, yeah.

[Caroline Mullen]

The other thing is, if they're coming out of the wash still smelly, you probably need to switch to a better detergent. Or if you want to use the rest of your detergent and try and amp up the power of it. I have had great success with adding a scoop of borax and running them on a hot cyc. We often don't recommend washing on hot, however, towels. Cotton towels can withstand a pretty, pretty good beating in the wash. So if they're really stinky, you can wash them on hot with a good laundry detergent or add a scoop of borax to your current detergent.

[Kyra Blackwell]

Okay, Caroline, we have one final laundry question for you.

[Caroline Mullen]

Hello, wire cutter.

[Christine Cyrclassette]

My name is Elle and I am in California. I would like to know how to get rid of urine smell in laundry. Maybe for some that are incontinent, maybe the clothes stay wet for a few days or I guess stay unwashed for a few days before washing.

[Caroline Mullen]

But just hoping to get some. Some real guidance and effective tips on that.

[Kyra Blackwell]

So what's the best thing to try here?

[Caroline Mullen]

Urine is tough. It's one of those smells that really lingers because when it dries down, it gets that distinct ammonia smell that's very powerful. I talked to Andrea Barnes, and she recommended soaking these items in laundry detergent and cold water overnight and then washing on cold. A soak, which is delightfully hands off, can help a lot more than you think it might. You can even do this in the washing machine. You can fill up the washing machine with cold water, let it run, and leave the item, soak in there, and then you can turn it on for a cycle the next day, but sometimes it also takes two tries. You might have to just be consistent with it. It's just one of those things that really gets stuck in fabrics. And this is another thing that it's tempting to use warm water, but that can actually set the stains and smells in there and cook them into the fibers. So I would default to cold water whenever you're dealing with urine, Especially.

[Christine Cyrclassette]

Now we're moving on to a just a real grab bag of problems. So let's help our listeners. The first one is about a smelly car.

[Listener Caller]

Hey, wirecutter. My name is Drew. I live in Los Angeles, and a few years ago, I was going to a tailgate, and I brought a watermelon in the trunk of my car, and it was wrapped in Saran Wrap. I probably forgot about the watermelon, went to the game, and then I remember going on vacation right after that. Well, about a week later, I came back to get my car to go to work, and there was an awful smell in the trunk. And I went back there, and the watermelon had sort of decomposed and fermented inside of the Saran Wrap and created a vinegary, fermented smell that I, to this day, have not been able to get out of the trunk lining of my car. I've tried baking soda. I've tried scrubbing it with soap and water. Any advice would be appreciated.

[Amazon Alexa Ad]

Thanks.

[Christine Cyrclassette]

Oh, Drew, this could have been me, like, 20 years ago. I would have done this. I totally would have done this. All right, so what's the solution here, Caroline?

[Caroline Mullen]

Okay, so this. This happened even worse to one of my college roommates. She left a Styrofoam cooler full of hamburgers in the back of the car, and she never successfully got the smell out. No one would drive with her. So this is a tough one. It can be particularly difficult to get car upholstery really clean. Cause you can't remove it and toss it in the washing machine like you can with, like, couch covers, pillows, sheets, stuff like that. I think you're on the right track, however, with baking soda, since rotten fruit can become more acidic and baking soda is basic, which can counteract neutralize that odor. I would try maybe making a paste of baking soda with dish soap and water and leaving it sit overnight, then scrubbing and rinsing it in the morning with lots of water. Something that I've learned a lot about cleaning rugs thanks to my dogs is that really rinsing things clean with as much water as you can, without damaging something is the best way to, like, really get it out. You can also use an upholstery cleaner for this in order to get all of that water and cleaning solution out. The bissell little green that we recommend. They also sell odor specific cleaning solutions that are made for that machine. Yeah, I think that an upholstery cleaner is going to be great for truly sucking all of that stinky, stinky stuff out of the upholstery.

[Christine Cyrclassette]

And would you potentially recommend finding a good detailing shop?

[Caroline Mullen]

Yeah, I think if all else fails or if you're just sick of dealing with it and you want to outsource, you might want to get it professionally cleaned and detailed. Or try replacing that piece of upholstery in the part of the car. Also, you might have luck with spraying a solution of rubbing alcohol or vodka and water. It actually is pretty good at removing odors because it evaporates and takes some of the smell with it. Evaporates pretty quickly.

[Listener Caller]

Yeah.

[Caroline Mullen]

But you might need to get that part of the trunk replaced.

[Listener Caller]

Dang.

[Kyra Blackwell]

Get a new car.

[Caroline Mullen]

Yeah. Just, you know what? You're.

[Kyra Blackwell]

A new car. Yeah.

[Caroline Mullen]

We're here for you.

[Kyra Blackwell]

Okay, Caroline, our next listener question actually came in the form of an email, so I'm gonna read a little bit from it. This is from Kate, and she writes, boy, do I have one for you. We had a mouse get into the corner lower cabinet where our lazy Susan is. We took everything out and put a trap down, One of those black plastic snap traps. And then the next morning, we woke up, and there was a trail of blood and no trap.

[Caroline Mullen]

Spooky.

[Kyra Blackwell]

It's like a horror movie. So somehow the mouse was able to survive, temporarily crawled into an area of the cabinet that wasn't closed off. And then a week later, we confirmed that the mouse was dead as an awful stench started to appear anytime we opened the silverware drawer or corner cabinet. This is like my worst nightmare. So she said that she tried using a vacuum to suction up the trap. She tried using a camera to see where the mouse had possibly gone. But it's been four weeks, and now the smell is definitely lingering. What's. What's your advice here?

[Listener Caller]

Oh, this is.

[Caroline Mullen]

This is really tragic for everyone involved, including the mouse. I mean, my first reaction would be, find it. Find it at all costs. But I talked to our home renovation writer, Doug Mahoney, and he thinks it actually might just be a waiting game at this point.

[Kyra Blackwell]

What does that mean?

[Caroline Mullen]

You kind of just have to wait for it to just.

[Christine Cyrclassette]

You just have to put nose plugs in and just live your life, wait

[Caroline Mullen]

for it to decompose and kind of just totally go away.

[Kyra Blackwell]

How long could that take?

[Caroline Mullen]

I mean, luckily it's small. Mice are small again. I mean, my reaction would be like, I have to find it. I'm renovating the kitchen if we can't find this mouse. But Doug also said you might have some luck with an odor absorber, something like an activated charcoal product or a baking soda based one. He said that he used them pretty successfully in his basement to solve some musty smells. But a rotting carcass, he said, is another level. So he doesn't think there's any guarantee that an odor absorber will completely solve the problem. But it might help, at least in the interim, if you can't find the mouse and you're just kind of waiting for him to go away.

[Christine Cyrclassette]

So this next question is about an airborne odor. Let's hear it.

[Caroline Mullen]

Hey, wirecutter. I'm wondering if you can help me with getting rid of the smell of weed. I have a apartment in a complex full of people who enjoy partaking. And while I have no judgment for them, I do have judgment for the lingering smell. And even though I myself do not smoke, my apartment persistently smells like weed. Do you have any suggestions on how to keep that stench out?

[Christine Cyrclassette]

Oh, this has become a pretty common problem in my. In my neck of the woods.

[Kyra Blackwell]

I'm personally invested in your answer.

[Caroline Mullen]

Yeah, well, I think beyond just being a really nice neighbor and maybe bringing them some gummies, some seltzers, instead of something that you smoke, we haven't tested weed smoke particularly, but we. We have tested other kinds of smoke for getting those smells out of your home and out of fabrics and stuff. Tim Heffernan has also written about getting wildfire smoke out of your home. And running an air purifier constantly in the background will help a lot with smoky smells. Another thing is, of course, ventilate as much as you can without the smoke coming back into your apartment. So maybe point a fan towards the window to let it go out instead of coming back in if it's near your front door. For example, you can lay a rolled towel along the crack under your front door. And as far as clothing and soft goods and upholstery, give them a good wash with a good laundry detergent. And when I tested smoke smell removal from clothing, I tested it with cigarette smoke and campfire smoke. I actually found that for things that you can't put in the washing machine, a vodka and water solution Works really well to remove odors. Spray things, let it dry, spray it, let it dry, and it will pull smells out as it goes.

[Kyra Blackwell]

Okay, we've made it to our final question. What's the last thing you've bought that you've really loved?

[Caroline Mullen]

Okay. Something that I have been buying and rebuying is the Miss Jessie's Pillow Soft Curls curl cream.

[Christine Cyrclassette]

Okay, tell me more, guys.

[Caroline Mullen]

I'm obsessed. Okay, So I, like a lot of people have realized from TikTok that I actually do have textured hair and that I have wavy hair that can be coaxed into a curl pattern with the right product. And one of my teammates, Brooklyn White, she wrote about Miss Jessie's Pillow Soft Curl. She uses it on her kids. I have turned so many people onto this. I use it, my husband uses it, A bunch of my friends. I know a lot of our teammates use it. It's lightweight but hydrating at the same time, which I feel like is something that's really difficult, especially if you have fine hair with instead of, you know, making your hair kind of, like, crunchy and weighed down. It's really lightweight, and you can use a lot of it and still not feel like your hair is weighed down by it. And it smells really good, too. It smells like laundry, smells like fresh laundry. But it's the best curl cream that I've tried, and I've been on a journey past couple years trying to figure it out.

[Christine Cyrclassette]

I love it. Well, thank you so much, Carolina. It was great to have you. And I think we should do another one of these. There were actually so many questions that we didn't. We couldn't fit into this episode.

[Caroline Mullen]

So say the word. I'm here.

[Christine Cyrclassette]

All right, we'll have you back.

[Caroline Mullen]

Thank you,

[Christine Cyrclassette]

Kyra.

[Kyra Blackwell]

Christine.

[Christine Cyrclassette]

So many smelly questions we just talked about. That was great. I loved having Caroline on the show. She's a wealth of information.

[Kyra Blackwell]

Yeah, she smells really good.

[Christine Cyrclassette]

I smelled pretty good.

[Kyra Blackwell]

I had to, like, tell her that immediately. She smells really nice. No.

[Christine Cyrclassette]

She shared so many tips in this episode. What are the things that really stood out for you?

[Kyra Blackwell]

I mean, there's the clean everything aspect. You really do have to deep clean often, consistently. For me, I shamelessly have been using a hand vac for everything, and I know that's not good. So I think I need to just invest in a really good vacuum cleaner.

[Christine Cyrclassette]

It will make a difference.

[Kyra Blackwell]

Yeah, just deep clean my carpets. Maybe, like, get a little attachment so I can do my couch too. Just. I think that'll make a huge difference. I also liked her tip about mixing the vodka water solution and putting it in a spray bottle for things that you can't necessarily put in the washing machine.

[Christine Cyrclassette]

Yeah.

[Kyra Blackwell]

And I feel like that could work for some of my upholstery as well as like I have a couple, you know, coats and stuff that I just can't toss in the machine.

[Christine Cyrclassette]

Yeah, I think that's a good one. It was just such a great reminder for me about not using too much laundry detergent.

[Kyra Blackwell]

Yes.

[Christine Cyrclassette]

You don't think about it. And I know this from working at Wirecutter because it's been, we've talked about it before, but I think I sometimes do use too much laundry detergent and you really don't need that much. If you're using too much, it can contribute to smelly laundry. I thought that was great. If you are curious about any of the cleaning advice that we shared in this episode, we will have have links in our show notes to many of the cleaning guides as well as the products that Caroline recommended. Thanks so much for listening.

[Caroline Mullen]

We'll be back next week.

[Kyra Blackwell]

Bye.

[Christine Cyrclassette]

The Wirecutter show is executive produced by Rosie Guerin and produced by Abigail Keel. Engineering support from Matty Mazziello and Nick Pittman. Today's episode was mixed by Katherine Anderson, original music by Dan Powell, Marian Lozano, Rowan Nimusto, Catherine Anderson and Diane Wong. Cliff Levy is Wirecutter's deputy publisher and general manager. Ben Fruman is Wirecutter's editor in chief. I'm Christine Cyrclassette.

[Kyra Blackwell]

I'm Kyra Blackwell.

[Christine Cyrclassette]

Thanks for listening.

[Caroline Mullen]

My husband actually said to me recently that I just thought that's what bathrooms smelled like. Mildew smell. I was like, no, they shouldn't smell like that. You're doing what you're supposed to do.

[Kyra Blackwell]

No.

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