Dear Heloise: My housemate fed his dog a new wet food that apparently disagreed with his digestive system. The next day, he (the dog, not the housemate) had a major mess in his crate, while we humans were both working an extra-long shift at our jobs. Ugh. Even after we cleaned up, the smell was horrendous, even permeating downstairs. It was too cold to open the windows, and many air fresheners are bad for pets, but I had an easy and safe solution waiting in the kitchen.

I emptied a fresh box of baking soda into a gallon-sized zip-close plastic bag, and then added a dose of my favorite essential oils. (I used sweet orange, bergamot and a small amount of clove bud.) I used about a teaspoonful, or so, of oil in total. After sealing the bag, I kneaded and shook it to mix in the oils and break up lumps.

I then emptied the mixture into two bowls (glass or ceramic is best), which I placed on a high dresser and a bookshelf — well, out of reach from large, boisterous canines — in my housemate’s room. We turned the ceiling fan on low to circulate the air, and in a couple of hours, the “doggie butt bomb” smell had been replaced by a fresh citrus-spice scent. — Lori Z., Camp Hill, Pennsylvania

NEW ALARMS

Dear Heloise: A visit to a home improvement store reveals many newer options for fire and carbon monoxide alarms with hard-wired 10-year batteries. — M.D., Springfield, Illinois