You can shrug it off as part of being a guy when your place smells of stale food, sweaty clothes and dog, but your girl is not going to want to spend a whole lot of time (or, more importantly, stay overnight) breathing rancid air.

I'm not talking about just opening a window or spraying some air freshener around five minutes before she comes over. Lingering odors from different sources need special attention. And I found a great, quick guide from Real Simple magazine for eliminating those odors.

It shows ways to get rid of the stench from your sink, car, basement, fridge, carpet, and pets using stuff you already have around the house. The best is their suggestion to get rid of the stale odor in clothes by spraying them with vodka. ("Straight vodka kills bacteria, but it doesn’t leave a scent.")

Read the whole guide here.