DIY Life

Wow, that sounds a lot more harsh than necessary. Did you realize that you can remove the scent of onions and garlic from your fingers by gently sliding the face of a stainless knife across them? Sounds like a joke, but it's true! Gently is the operative word, guys -- unless you'd like to get a bit bloody for Halloween this year.

And yes, it's kitchen hack week here at DIY Life. For more fun and inventive ways to make things easier for you in the kitchen, check out a few of my favorite DIY Life articles below!:

1. Out of cleaning supplies and no time to re-stock? Clean your entire kitchen with one lemon.
2. Have an extra towel rack laying around and collecting dust? Turn your IKEA towel rack into a condiment spice shelf.
3. Learn your freezer know-how: 20 Foods That Freeze Surpisingly Well... and 20 That Don't.

With a toddler and several dogs to transport, I feel like I can never get that lived-in smell out of my car. And summer heat makes it so much worse.

Does your car stink? Obviously, the first step is a thorough cleaning of the interior using a vacuum and fabric shampoo. Beyond that, however, I've discovered lots of clever budget-friendly little tricks for removing persistent odors. Try them out yourself ... and keep your vehicle smelling fresh.

1. White vinegar. Half-fill an open travel mug with vinegar and leave it in your cup holder for a day or two. Just don't forget and take a swig! Or soak a rag or piece of bread with vinegar and keep it in an open container under a front seat.

Join me each week as I explore the naturally aromatic side of DIY. Helpful recipes for your "scentual" pleasure: from essential oils, herbs, and other botanicals to soap-making, body care products and other useful blends.

I admit it -- Diane's Avant Yard post, 75 tricks to get your kids outdoors, inspired me. It's one thing to enjoy scents, to make scented products, and to use essential oils and herbs in your daily life. But have you shared your love of scents with your children?

Inadvertently, you just may have. I know my three-year-old wanders through my garden with me, picking leaves off the basil plant for nibbling (he knows which plants are the edible ones), admiring the hard-working bees at the lavender plants, and of course, stopping to smell the roses (stereotypical, yet true).

Kids catch on, through your modeling, to the things you love. If you feel like spicing it up a bit, though, how about creating a scent hunt for your kids?

There's no such thing as a good sewer odor, right? If there's a persistent, but unexplained, stink emanating from your bathroom the cause could be sewer gas. Sewer gas is supposed to stay down inside your municipal sewer system or private septic tank. Problems occur when it finds its way back up into the house via your toilet. Eeew.

Surprise, surprise. Plumbing experts say sewer gas is something you should take care of, and not just for the obvious reason that the stink is absolutely revolting. Did you know that sewer gas is toxic when breathed in repeatedly? It's also associated with a buildup of methane gas, which is explosive. Eeek! Now that's a potty problem!

According to trusty home repair extraordinaire, Tim "Ask the Builder" Carter, it's best to locate the root cause of the problem as soon as possible. Tim says the cause of the stink is usually a blockage or a crack in the plumbing drain line or vent pipe, with the latter being a lot harder to detect. Plumbers can find the leaks by forcing colored smoke from a smoke generating machine through the pipes. Cool!

Read more at AskTheBuilder.com.

Stink bombs are pretty popular among high-school boys, looking to pull a prank on the school principal or in some twisted way, impress a girl. Well, I know there is a high-school boy in many of you who loves the idea of building the ultimate stink bomb, DIY style. This stink bomb recipe takes a week to perfect, but that will give you time to plan the perfect attack. Personally, I'm more interested in reading about it rather than actually doing it, since the ingredients for this one are pretty dangerous.

What you'll need

1. 50 matches
2. 1/2 cup of ammonia
3. Glass jar with a lid
4. Knife

One third of all household waste is organic. That means that a significant portion of the garbage in most homes could have been composted. If you have the space and a garden that would benefit from rich top soil, consider building a compost bin in your yard.

This compost bin is a simple DIY project constructed from old shipping pallets. You can find recycled wooden pallets at a furniture, office, or hardware store. Most places that ship large items use these pallets and they are happy to give them away.

I really dislike coming home to a stinky house. When I walk in my front door, I fully expect the air to smell wonderful. After all, I am a stay at home mom, and it is my job to make sure my home smells clean and inviting. If it doesn't smell up to par, you can be sure that lil ole me will suffer a hissy fit, while frantically trying to eliminate the odor.

Remnants of last night's supper, yesterday's dirty diapers and that smelly kitty litter box can all be forgotten by making your own air fresheners. Chrisjob over at Curbly.com has compiled a list of things to do with items you should already have stocked in your fridge and pantry. Vinegar makes a great deodorizer. Citrus peels make your garbage disposal smell wonderful. You can make any room smell good by dabbing a few drops of essential oil on a light bulb.

Chrisjob also offers you links on how to make your own potpourri and how to make your own paper air fresheners. I don't know about you, but I need my home to smell wonderful since I am in it almost 24 hours of every day. Taking the time to make sure my home smells inviting to others certainly makes me feel like I am a decent housekeeper, even if there are dirty dishes in the sink.