How to Get Rid of Kitchen Odors Without an Exhaust Fan
If your kitchen doesn’t have an exhaust fan, you may feel like you need to give up on certain foods that tend to be delayed due to odor. Fortunately, the days of roasting and deep-frying are not over, as there are several strategies you can apply to get rid of the smell and refresh yourself after a particularly spicy meal.
- Divide and ventilate: First, close all doors you can to keep the smell out of the kitchen and open nearby windows. If you have a box fan, point it out the window to get rid of smoke and odors outside.
- Clean and remove debris immediately: Drain the cooking oil as soon as possible and wipe off any sticky or greasy dirt. Take out the trash, even if it is not full, and put it in the refrigerator as soon as possible.
- Simmer odors: Eliminate bad odors with good scents by boiling citrus zest, cinnamon sticks, or other aromatic ingredients in a saucepan of water for half an hour or so. (Just make sure you don’t forget about this, as the water can dry out, causing the cinnamon sticks to burn and smell bad.)
- Make coffee: Besides being a tasty and essential part of your morning, coffee has excellent nasal repair properties, and steeping in a kettle can help hide lingering odors until they are completely gone.
- Neutralize with acid: Instead of hiding a less unpleasant odor, you can get rid of it by boiling a little vinegar in a saucepan. (Yes, it will smell a little vinegar, but it will disappear along with the memory of that evening onion and garlic surprise.)
Plus, never underestimate the power of a truly beautiful candle. Something citrusy usually helps.