How to Get Rid of Bad Smells from your Kitchen

Your kitchen is one of the most likely places in your home to develop bad odors.

This could happen after cooking specific meals with strong smells, odors from undisposed trash, especially when it has stayed for long, the stench from your sink or from other sources.

Prevention is always better than cure, so apply useful tips to ensure you always have a fresh smelling kitchen instead of trying to remedy things gone wrong.

Fortunately, there are many ways you can get rid of bad odors effectively and fast.

Natural methods of eliminating kitchen odors

1. Boiling herbs or specific spices

Lingering food aromas are the source of most nasty odors in your kitchen. The smells are left over after preparing exotic recipes or meals like seafood.

To get rid of the smells, you can select multiple spices and boil them together to create an appealing scent. Cinnamon and ginger work great to create a sweet aroma.

In addition, you can boil the flesh and rinds of any citrus fruit that you have around your house.

Once you select the herbs or spices you wish boil, generously add them to a pot of water.

Allow your herbs and the water to come to boiling point before you reduce the heat to medium-low and let the concoction simmer.

In a little while, the evaporating water will get saturated with the smell of your selected herbs.

The scented evaporating fumes will spread throughout the whole kitchen, slowly replacing the unpleasant smell.

2. Use lemon

Sometimes all that is needed is a few lemons to remove that foul odor from the kitchen sink.

Cut 2 or 3 lemons in half or smaller pieces. Toss the pieces into the trash can and let them be ground up.

They will release the scent and the rinds can help in getting rid of any accumulated, unpleasant sticky substance on the disposal blades.

Additionally, you can spray lemon juice on your kitchen cabinets and counters. The juice can help in neutralizing any unwanted odors and entrench the kitchen with the fresh citrus scent.

3. Using vinegar or baking soda

You can wipe all your kitchen surfaces with white vinegar. It is a natural cleaner and can neutralize the bad smell in your house.

While you can remove most odors very easily, smoky odors can be stubborn and difficult to get rid of.

To remove the smoky or burnt smell, put a bowl of vinegar in your kitchen. The vinegar will help in absorbing the odor as the smoke disperses.

Additionally, sprinkling a mixture of water and baking soda on your kitchen’s surface and in the kitchen sink may deal with the issue. Baking soda absorbs bad smell; just let the mixture dry and get rid of the odor.

4. Clean right away

A thorough cleaning of your kitchen, starting with the dishes you use to cook is one of the simplest ways to get rid of lingering food odors.

Allowing food splatters to stick on the stovetop or the dirty utensils to linger in your kitchen sink can contribute to lingering kitchen odors.

You should clean your kitchen as often and as thoroughly as possible.  Getting rid of all proof of having cooked anything ensures that odors do not linger.

You can also use a scented floor cleaner to thoroughly wash your kitchen floor. Many have a unique citrus fragrance and can eliminate any smell-causing agents in your kitchen.

5. Defeat nasty odor with nice scents

Unpleasant odors can be overcome by nice smells. One way to do this is to bake a small amount of butter, brown sugar and cinnamon. The emanating smell from baking this mixture can make your home smell great.

On the other hand, you can use low heat to boil orange and lemon peels in your saucepan for one hour. This can make the whole house smell fresh.

Extras such as bay leaves, spices and vanilla will also work wonders to get rid of smelly odors.

Another option for counteracting the cooking odors around your kitchen is by putting cotton swabs which are soaked in vanilla in some strategic locations in your kitchen.

Other ways to get rid of strong food smells from your kitchen

Everyone loves the appealing scent of food when it’s being cooked. The rich aroma of spices, the smoky aroma of roasting chicken or meat, the sizzle of frying garlic and other appealing aromas originating from the food increase expectancy for the food and allure your appetite.

However, the same scents that smell so alluring when you are preparing meals often change from delicious to nauseating if they stick around for long.

The strong smell of leftover cooking odor can be distinctly unbearable. Add to it the nasty stench of old oil, and the entire house begins smelling awful.

The smells can be even more unpleasant for certain foods such as eggs and fish which create wonderful aromas during preparation but can be very unappealing thereafter.

Here are some other ways of eliminating cooking odors from the kitchen:

1.Freshen your kitchen appliances

Food particles leftover in the refrigerator, microwave or even the toaster will cause stinking in the kitchen.

Consider steaming clean the microwave, clearing the refrigerator of expired foods, cleaning the toaster trays and rinsing the dishwasher filter to remove the musty odor of food.

2. Electric chimney

This will work like a specially designed exhaust fan. This chimney features serviceable filters, which gather grease and draw away the fumes outdoors.

It works more efficiently than an exhaust fan; however, installation and maintenance is very costly but it’s a worthy investment since it is beneficial.

This is a powerful extractor that will help carry the smell out of your house. It will also help to prevent the build-up of permanent grease in your kitchen.

3. Reduce build-up of oil

During the cooking process, oil usually splatters or evaporates and can condense on cooler surfaces. This build-up of oil will emit a musty odor. If you don’t clean it well, the oil build-up will become permanent.

If you do a thorough cleaning of your kitchen once every month, then the build-up might be causing the nasty odor. To prevent this type of odor, clean the kitchen at least once weekly.

You can use a cleaner to get rid of all traces of grime and dust from the backsplash, stovetops, and counter. Also consider using an antibacterial solution to wipe the surfaces.

4. Clearing the drain pipes

People often pour liquids and throw small food bits down the sink. These food particles will stick in the drain pipe and spread around a foul odor.

Get rid of the odors by ensuring you clear out the debris from the drain pipes. You can use a pipe cleaner for removing any food particles which might be stuck inside and use lots of water to flush them out.

5. Get rid of odor using air purifiers or fresheners

This is one of the most common solutions for people dealing with bad odors within their homes. This is because they are readily available and easy to use.

Air purifiers and fresheners will help in neutralizing stinking air and bring a fresh ambiance in your house. You can use them for clearing the air lingering meals odor and enjoy the pleasing scent.

Air purifiers require an initial investment since you need to purchase them. There are various options available in the market for air purifiers.

Analyze the needs you want your air purifier to meet so that you can purchase one that is fit for purpose.

If you want an air purifier that deals with smoke, ensure the one you purchase is suitable for that purpose.

Once you purchase your air purifier, and you read the instructions for use before using it for the first time, subsequent use should be easy.

Depending on how strong the odor is or its cause, air fresheners may not deal fully with the problem but only mask it. In addition to using them, you may still need to deal with the cause of the problem.

Some people cannot withstand strong scents or may even react to some of their ingredients, so beware of the specific needs of your family members before purchasing any air fresheners.

For individuals who have allergies or are sensitive to perfumes, care should be taken with air fresheners. Instead, consider investing in an air purifier to avoid these reactions to air fresheners.

6. Installing the best exhaust fan

Exhaust fans aid in removing excessive moisture or even eliminating odors from the room where they are installed.

If kitchen odors are a constant nuisance for you, installing an exhaust fan that will help deal with these stale smells should be a priority for you.

The best exhaust fan, if put in the right way, will be effective in removing nasty odors from your kitchen.