How to Get the Smell of Burnt Food out of The House

Getting the smell of burnt food out of the house

November 1, 2022 | Linda Jeasie | Life Hacks

How to Get the Smell of Burnt Food out of The House

That’s how it sometimes goes – you’re cooking or baking, you get distracted, lose track of time, turn off the stove too late, or set the wrong temperature. Everything is burned, and this nasty smell spreads through your home. Luckily, it’s not that difficult to get rid of the stuffiness, and that’s with normal household remedies. First, you should thoroughly clean everything where the smell has settled, and then you can easily make your air fresheners with our instructions so that your home will smell nice again soon.

Contents

1 Clear the area
2 Absorb odors
3 Cover the smell

Clear the area

Remove any burnt leftover food.

Whatever you got burned on, let it cool and then dispose of it. Put the burned food in a plastic bag and take it outside to the trash. It needs to get out of the house, so don’t just throw it in the kitchen bin. The smell would only become more entrenched.

Open the windows

Open all the hatches, let the smoke and stench go out, and let the fresh air in. This is the quickest and easiest way to get the air moving in your home. You should, especially, open windows and doors near the kitchen.

Turn on the fan.

To speed up the air exchange, simply dig out any fans you can find around your house and place them near windows and doors. Turn it up to the highest setting to get the air pumping. If you have a range hood in the kitchen, it should also be turned on.

Clean all surfaces.

Wash all surfaces in all of the rooms in your home where the odor is noticeable. For example, you can use a disinfectant or chlorine cleaner to wipe surfaces and floors. If the odor is extreme, washing down the walls may also help.

Wash or discard any items that have acquired the nasty odor.

Throw in any fabrics that smell burnt, such as tablecloths, curtains, and chair and sofa covers. Use a detergent with a bleaching effect, but which should not attack the fabrics. If the smell has settled in any boxes in the kitchen, put the items in plastic boxes or bags instead and discard the cardboard boxes.

Absorb odors

Make lemon water.

Boil water in a saucepan. Cut a lemon into small slices. Then put the lemon slices in the boiling water and let the broth steep for about 10 to 30 minutes to spread the fresh lemon scent throughout the house. Alternatively, add whole cloves to the boiling water instead of the lemon slices.

Set out bowls of onion water.

Chop an onion and place the pieces in a bowl of water. You then place this bowl somewhere in the middle of the kitchen. If your whole apartment smells bad, you can also set up several such onion skins in different rooms. It’s best to let them sit overnight to give them time to absorb the bad smell.

Dip bread in the vinegar.

Bread and vinegar can also eliminate odors. Put some water in a saucepan and add 2 cups of vinegar. Bring the vinegar water to a boil and then simmer gently for 15 minutes. Then dip slices of bread in the liquid, place them on a plate and wait for them to pull the smell out of the air. You can also just set out bowls of vinegar. It works even better if you heat the vinegar beforehand.

Mix water and baking soda.

Baking soda is excellent at absorbing all sorts of smells, especially in the kitchen. To get rid of the burnt smell, spread about 120ml of the baking soda and water mixture into several bowls. You then place these everywhere in the kitchen and, if necessary, in the rest of the apartment until the smell has disappeared.

Cover the smell

Let the pleasant smell of freshly baked goods fill your home.

Preheat the oven to around 100°C. Place aluminum foil on a baking sheet and place a tablespoon of each of butter, cinnamon, and sugar on top. Then turn off the oven and leave the tray in the oven for about 2-4 hours. Your apartment will smell like you just baked something delicious.

Spray lemon water.

Pour equal parts water and lemon juice into a spray bottle and spray the mixture around your home as needed. It will neutralize the bad odor and leave a naturally fresh lemon scent without chemicals.

Make your air freshener with essential oils.

To do this, mix about 175ml of water with about 30ml of vodka, rubbing alcohol or real vanilla extract and 15 to 20 drops of any essential oil that you like the smell of. Then put the mixture in a spray bottle, shake well and spray as needed.

Combat the odor with store-bought sprays.

If you don’t mind the slightly artificial scent, you can use a commercially available air freshener to eliminate the bad smell. However, you should use it very sparingly. Otherwise, you will replace one nasty stench with another. These sprays mask odors more than homemade alternatives.

About the Author

Linda Jeasie

Linda Jeasie is a writer and content editor with over a decade of experience covering consumer gadgets and mobile tech. Before going freelance, she got her start as an editor at MoneyGuide.com, a coupon and review website. These days she writes about gaming, life hacks, apps and software, and financial subjects for a variety of publications.

How to Get the Smell of Burnt Food out of The House