If you’re having trouble achieving a fresh, clean smell in your house, rest assured—doing so generally does not require industrial-strength chemicals. Unless you’re dealing with a mold infestation, all you need to get the job done is some natural odor eliminators. Go natural! Smell great!

But first you need to identify the source of the stink. Take a step back and look at your cleaning habits: If your bathroom smells musty more often than not, it probably means you’re not cleaning enough … or using the right cleaners.

Natural odor eliminators lying around your own home

We tapped the expertise of cleaning maven Marla “Fly Lady” Cilley for her tips on deodorizing every inch of your home from the fridge to the cat litter box. Here are her simple suggestions to slay odors using green products that you probably already have in your pantry.

1. Don’t use heavy-duty scented cleaners

We might associate “clean” with the strong smell of certain products. But Cilley assured us that soap is soap.

“We don’t need heavy-duty cleaners to clean our homes,” she says. Opt instead for unscented, green cleaners that don’t leave behind a signature scent. Or make your own all-purpose cleaner using 1 part castile soap to 8 parts distilled water.

2. Swish and swipe your toilets daily

Relax, no one is suggesting that you get down on your hands and knees to deep clean your toilets every single day. Just make a habit of giving the bowl a quick swipe with your toilet brush to keep mildew from building up.

3. Visit your unused bathroom

If you have a bathroom you don’t use very often, make sure you flush the toilet and run the sink for a few seconds every day. Cilley says when water dries in the trap, it can start smelling. So once you refresh the water in that powder room or basement bathroom daily, you’ll have a fresher environment for guests.

4. Kill the mildew

To banish mildew from grout in your shower, spray directly with 3% hydrogen peroxide, let it sit a few minutes, and then scrub it away. Oxygen bleach is another good option—but not chlorine bleach, which is too toxic to clean with. If you’ve done this and your home still smells dingy, you might want to look at some of the places where mold can hide.

5. Clean the cat litter box daily

We know, it’s a hassle. But hey, you wanted a cat, right? It goes without saying that you should clear the box daily. But you should also change the litter and wash out the container at least once a week. Keep it in a well-ventilated area, uncovered. Alternatively, consider getting a dog.

6. Clean your pets’ beds

If you can, use bedding with removable covers you can wash regularly. Wash the cushion itself, too, a couple of times a year. Run it through a cycle with vinegar to kill bacteria first, then another cycle with unscented detergent. If that doesn’t work, try soaking the bedding in a tub of hot water and detergent for 20 minutes and then washing. Dry your pet’s bedding outside in the sun, if possible.

7. Keep the really smelly stuff in the garage

Your kids’ soccer cleats, sweaty uniforms, etc. ”There’s not a whole lot you can do with those,” Cilley says. So don’t let them enter your home.

Instead, reserve a special spot in your garage for your family’s stinkiest shoes ‘n’ stuff, and keep a laundry bin nearby.

8. Keep activated charcoal in the refrigerator

Charcoal has been shown to reduce odors better than the classic box of baking soda. No, we’re not talking about those charcoal briquettes you used on your barbecue last weekend. Activated charcoal pellets can be found at your local pet store. Put about 2 cups pellets in an open container, and change it out every two months.

9. Pour baking soda down the garbage disposal

Here’s a better way to use that baking soda to remove stale food odors. Put a couple of spoonfuls in the garbage disposal and then run it.

Another idea: Cilley says you can put small bits of lemon peel down the garbage disposal.

10. Declutter

We hate to mention this because it’s probably the most time-consuming of all of these tips. But all that random stuff you have lying around kind of smells.

“Get rid of surface clutter,” Cilley advises. “Stop leaving things out.”

Stagnant clutter will attract dust.

11. Spritz your sheets

You’re laundering your sheets weekly, right? For an extra refreshing smell in your bedroom, skip the fabric softener. Instead, Cilley recommends adding a few drops of essential oil (e.g., mint, jasmine, eucalyptus, or lavender) to water in a spray bottle and spritzing your sheets.

12. Keep your trash clean

Hear us out on this one. If your garbage—especially the kitchen garbage—smells gross, it could be due to how you’re cleaning your trash can, not just what happens to be in it.

Keep the insides of your garbage cans clean. Use sturdy bags that don’t leak. Avoid letting liquids into the trash. If you’re tossing something truly rank like fish, put it in a separate bag and then throw it quickly into the garbage. And take out that kitchen garbage every day, even if it’s not full. But you knew that already, right?

13. Serve coffee in the closet

If you like to make coffee a home, here’s another idea. Fill a (clean) sock with ground coffee and hang it in your closet. The scent of coffee will neutralize the stale odors in the closet.

14. Open the windows once a day

Let your home air out once a day, even if just for a few minutes. Yes, even in the dead of winter.

15. Let plants clean the air

NASA’s Clean Air Study suggests that certain indoor plants provide a natural way of removing toxins. As such, why not add a few plants like a Boston fern, devil’s ivy, weeping fig, or bamboo palm throughout your home. Just make sure the soil is well-drained so that it doesn’t create another stinky situation.