How To De-Stink Your Kitchen Without An Exhaust Fan

If your kitchen didn’t come with an exhaust fan, you may feel like you have to forgo cooking certain foods that tend to linger, smell-wise. Luckily, your frying and high-heat searing days are not behind you, as there are several strategies you can implement to de-stink and freshen up after a particularly pungent meal.

Photo by 一人寿司-Hitori Sushi.

• Divide and ventilate: First, close whatever doors you can to confine the smell to the kitchen, and open up your nearest windows. If you have a box fan, point it out the window to help drive smoke and smells outside.
• Clean up immediately, and take out the trash: Dump out cooking oil as soon as possible, and wipe up any sticky or greasy messes. Take out the trash, even if it isn’t full, and get leftovers in the fridge as quickly as you can.
• Simmer some smells: Fight bad smells with good smells by simmering citrus zest, cinnamon sticks or other fragrant ingredients in a pot of water for half an hour or so. (Just make sure you don’t forget about it, as the water could dry up, resulting in burnt cinnamon sticks, which won’t smell too good.)
• Make a pot of coffee: In addition to being a delicious and necessary part of your morning, coffee has excellent nose-resetting properties, and brewing a pot can help cover up lingering odours until they fully dissipate.
• Neutralise with acid: Rather than covering up an offensive smell with a less offensive one, you can eliminate them by simmering some plain ol’ vinegar in a sauce pan. (Yes, it will smell a little vinegar-y for a bit, but that will fade, along with the memory of that evenings onion and garlic surprise.)

[referenced url=”https://www.lifehacker.com.au/2015/10/remove-odours-from-your-entire-home-by-simmering-vinegar/” thumb=”https://i.kinja-img.com/gawker-media/image/upload/t_ku-large/1455310058805967279.jpg” title=”Remove Odours From Your Entire Home By Simmering Vinegar” excerpt=”We’ve talked about how leaving out a bowl of vinegar can deodorise a room, but what if there’s a smell that’s taken over your entire house? Simmering that vinegar on the stove can maximise its reach and odour-eating power.”]

Also, never underestimate the power of a really nice candle. Something citrusy usually does the trick.