If the smell of what you’ve cooked yesterday still lingers on the next one, it can be pretty nauseating. Usually, the culprit is fried fish, but strong odours can come from other exotic foods with strong spices and flavours. Of course, the odour has a source, and if you can find it, then you will be able to neutralize it, and remove it.
For this, you will need some vinegar, some water, some citrus peels, a large shallow pan, a stove, a degreasing dish soap, several soft cloths or some sponges.
1. First, clean the area of all food splatters and grease.
2. Wipe the area around the stove using the degreasing dish detergent. You should especially do this if the food in question is fried. The odour may come from the old grease splatters.
3. Next, wipe the stove top, the cabinets and the floor in front of the stove, as these may have some grease and food parts that could release the odour.
4. Open all the windows and doors and let the air circulate through your home. If it’s warm enough, put a fan on the window – it will pull in some fresh air and push out the odour-filled air.
5. Mix one part water and one part vinegar in the shallow pan.
6. Add some lemon juice or some pieces of citrus peel to the mix in the pan for a pleasant scent.
7. Heat the mix on the stove until it starts simmering and leave it like this for a couple of hours (don’t let it boil). If needed, add more of the water and the vinegar.
8. The vinegar will neutralize the odours that are still around.
9. After a few hours of simmering, turn the stove off and leave the pan with water and vinegar to absorb the odour for the rest of the day.
If there are any dirty dishes in the kitchen or food scraps in the trash, they may be the odour source. Clean the dishes and take out the trash and the odour may just disappear.
If the odour is unbearable, try using potpourri to mask it for a while.
You can use some fresh coffee grounds to absorb the odour. Fill some bowls with it and place them around the room. After several days the odour will be gone.
If you’re afraid that the meal you just cooked will leave an odour in the air, quickly wash the pans and plates that you used for cooking, and dispose of leftovers before they start smelling badly.