Dear Home Ec 101,
I live in an apartment, and my kitchen is open to the living room like in most apartments. The house always has a remnant cooking smell even when I keep all the doors and windows open. My carpet, couch and everything smell. It is a little embarassing when i have company. Air refresheners don’t seem to solve my problem either.
Please help!!!!
Signed,
Apartment Dweller
Ivy says:
I also live in a house where the kitchen is open to the living room, so I understand where you’re coming from. I have several suggestions, a combination of some or all of these might solve your problem. First, I’m sure you already are, but just in case- if you’re not using the range hood fan whenever you cook something on your stovetop, make sure you always use that. It makes a big difference.
What you want to do is try to neutralize the smell. I’d start with renting a floor/uphostery cleaner and giving the carpet and upholstery a good cleaning. I like to use Kids N Pets whenever I’m using one of those. It does a good job of neutralizing smells. Between cleanings, Febreze Fabric Refresher is good for keeping things smelling nice.
When cleaning, don’t forget to wipe down your walls, windows, and blinds. Walls especially can harbor smells. If you have flat paint, you will not be able to wash your walls, but if you have any other finish, you can actually wash them.
When you’re having company over, you can use a simple boiling pot with cinnamon in it to make the house smell fabulous. The cinnamon sticks work the best, but ground cinnamon works as well. Or, you can just use some awesomely smelly candles, if you’re into that sort of thing.
Well, Home Eccers, did I forget anything?
Random Posts
Loading…
{ 9 comments… read them below or add one }
I live in an apartment and had this problem too. (Oh my, the smell of bacon lingers for days.)
Sad to say, most range hoods in apartments don’t really do anything. What has worked the best for me is to generously sprinkle baking soda over the carpet, sweep it in with a broom, and then vacuum it up the next day.
Or just start baking bread in the bread maker really often. Your couch and carpet pick that up, and who doesn’t like that smell?
I lived in a dorm room, and when I moved in, it was rather, let’s just say smelly, from the guys who drank and smoked there. Since i was not able to hire a carpet cleaner, I just kept vacuuming, and using febreze on my curtains and carpet daily. After about a week it got MUCH better, and after two weeks the smell was completely gone!
If you don’t have cinnamon sticks or don’t want the stove on, here’s a quick variation. Liberally wet a paper towel and sprinkle cinnamon on it. Pop it into the microwave for 2 or 3 minutes (depending on how wet your towel is). The inviting smell of cinnamon will be wafting in a matter of minutes! Rather than throw away the towel, just re-wet and pop it in again!
You can always bake cookies when having company, to cover up any yucky smells.
Amy @ http://prettybabies.blogspot.com
When I moved in to my house the guy before us smoked in it and well it smelled. I bought two air purifiers that were on sale for pretty cheep and in a couple of weeks there was no more smell. They work really well and are great in the kitchen. I don’t have a range hood thingy, so this is what I use.
I just burned fish in my apartment the other day, so I speak from experience. Try filling a saucepan full of water with 2-3 lemons juiced into it; throw the rinds in as well. Let the whole thing boil for 20-30 minutes. For really persistent smells you can boil white vinegar, but you’ll probably want to follow with the lemon water to get rid of the vinegar smell!
Vanilla works great for a kitchen that smells. Put vanilla(a few tablespoons) in a very small bowl. Microwave on high for 30 – 45 seconds.
Whenever you have to cook odoriferous foods in your own apartment, try placing a small bowl of white vinegar on your stove top. It absorbs the odor instead of masking it.