The smell of a freshly cooked meal can be a heavenly experience. But sometimes that pleasant food odour lingers on for longer than we would like it too. Yes, garlic baked salmon is quite delicious but no, you do not want to keep on smelling fish smells long after it has been consumed. This situation can be even more unpleasant in open-plan homes in which the kitchen and the living area are part of one big room. If you do not find a way to tame all these potent cooking smells, your sofa may soon start oozing a fishy odour, for instance. That will leave you no other choice but to regularly use thorough upholstery cleaning services in London. While that is something you need to do anyway every few months to maintain your furniture pieces in a tip-top condition, it does not change the fact that you still need to find a way how to cope with stinky food situations in the kitchen caused by:
- Garlic and onions
- Fish
- Smoke
- Spoiled food
Take a Proactive Approach to Kitchen Smells
Some of the fantastic tips we will offer in this guide can even serve as universal solutions against lasting and strong odours caused by almost all types of foods and cooking methods.
Fight fire with fire
The fastest way to banish any smell is by covering it with a different, more pleasant one. By that, we do not mean that you should use an air-freshener spray. Just put something else on the stove or in the oven. For instance, you can boil the peels of citrus fruit such as an orange or lemon or roast coffee beans. Another quick fix is placing a few unbrewed coffee grounds in small bowls around your kitchen to neutralize unwanted lingering smells. Not only do they absorb lingering food smells, but they also add a comforting aroma to your space. If you fear that by doing so, you will run your electricity bill to a stratospheric level, take a few cotton swabs and soak them in a vanilla solution. After that, place them at strategic locations around the kitchen.
Try Natural Remedies like Baking Soda to Eliminate Stubborn Odors
For those particularly pesky smells and food odours, consider adding a small saucepan of white vinegar or a mixture of lemon rinds and boiling water to your kitchen routine. The acidic nature of vinegar helps eliminate lingering odors, cutting through even the most distinctive burnt food smell. You can also simmer cinnamon sticks on the stove as a stovetop potpourri option that creates a warm, inviting aroma while neutralizing any lingering cooking odors. Additionally, placing a little baking soda near your garbage disposal can work wonders to keep unwanted odors at bay. For an extra fresh boost, try opening windows or using an air purifier to circulate fresh air throughout the room.
Using Everyday Items to Keep Kitchen Smelling Fresh
Make the most of your exhaust fan
If you have an exhaust fan, use it. If you don’t, install one if the layout of your kitchen allows for it. Pick a powerful model that can suck out pesky smells out of the kitchen and at the same time do a good job at moving the air around the room. Additionally, a range hood or a charcoal filter splatter screen can help get rid of cooking smells before they travel to other rooms in the house.
Clean your oven regularly
Food debris, oil and grime build-up on your oven can both shorten the lifespan of the appliance and fill up your kitchen with smoke every time you use it. To avoid that, simply clean and wipe any spills and splashes as soon as they occur. Leaving them to dry will only make this task more difficult than it has to be and that is often a recipe for further procrastination. Don’t forget the stovetop either! Wiping it down right after you cook can prevent unwanted smells from seeping into your cabinets.
Do the same with the fridge
Cleaning your refrigerator every single week may sound like a nightmare for some but that will allow you to spot spoiled food before it stinks up the insides of this appliance. Also, wiping the racks and compartments in it will prevent smells from building up and lingering on. Once that happens, it can be hard to reverse. Try placing a little baking soda in a small bowl inside your fridge to absorb any unwanted odors.
