You’ve tried your usual cleaning methods and the obvious supermarket products, but some household odors just want to keep enjoying your hospitality. Donna Smallin, author of Cleaning Plain & Simple, offers a crash course on how to say sayonara to bad smells.

Culprit: Cooking Odors That Linger, Even Hours After a Meal
Cure: To remove foul reminders of fried fish or burned popcorn, place a bowl of vinegar on the counter overnight.

Culprit: A Stinky Garbage Pail
Cure: Your best bet is to take out the trash daily. Second choice is to sprinkle baking soda into the pail. Smallin also suggests using Glad ForceFlex Odor Shield Drawstring Bags, $7.29 for box of 34, drugstore.com, which help keep nasty smells at bay for up to three days.

Culprit: A Refrigerator That Reeks
Cure: Put three cotton balls in a bowl and let them soak in a small amount of vanilla extract. Leave the bowl in the fridge overnight — by morning everything should be smelling fresh. Keep an open box of baking soda in the fridge to help prevent odors in the first place.

Culprit: A Garbage Disposal That Puts Out a Strong Stench
Cure: Toss the rinds of citrus fruits like oranges, lemons, limes or grapefruit into the disposal with a few ice cubes, then turn on the disposal and grind for a fresh fragrance.

Culprit: Kitchen Sponges That Give Off an Unpleasant Odor
Cure: Sponges are a breeding place for germs, so they can get smelly fast. To avoid bacteria buildup, try to disinfect on a daily basis by tossing sponges into the dishwasher with a load of dishes. A quick trick is to toss wet sponges into the microwave and heat them on high for one minute.

Culprit: An Unbearable Whiff of Cat Litter
Cure: A citrus spray sometimes works at killing the cat-litter smell. But if the spray makes the box unappealing to your creature, sprinkle about 1?4 cup baking soda over the top of the litter. Or invest in a litter tray with a filter that reduces box odors.

Culprit: A Pet That Urinates on the Carpet
Cure: Immediately blot the liquid to remove as much moisture as possible, then wipe with a prepared solution of 1?4 tsp. liquid dishwashing detergent and 1 cup lukewarm water. Smallin also suggests spraying Nature’s Miracle Stain & Odor Remover, $4 for 16-oz. bottle, petsmart.com, which is a natural enzyme-based product that eats the bacteria that’s causing the odor.

Culprit: A Hamper That Stinks of Dirty Clothes — Even When It’s Empty!
Cure: Place sheets of fabric softener inside to keep the stench from lingering.

Culprit: Carpets That Smell Like Smoke
Cure: Smoke is one of the hardest odors to remove from your home. In fact, to really get rid of the smell, you need to clean every surface. Smallin suggests a cleaning solution with ammonia to tackle walls and ceilings. Carpets should be steam-cleaned or shampooed, then sprinkled with baking soda when dry. Upholstery can be cleaned with a machine rented from your local home-improvement store, while curtains can either be machine-washed or -professionally dry-cleaned, depending on the fabric. Heating and cooling systems should be professionally cleaned.