Alright, let’s talk about that lingering kitchen stink. It happens, right? You cook something amazing, like fish or maybe some strong garlic dish, and then BAM. The smell just decides to move in permanently. I had this issue last week after frying up some mackerel. Great taste, terrible aftermath.
My first reaction was the usual. Threw open the windows, turned on the extractor fan full blast. It helped a bit, but hours later, you could still catch whiffs of it. Felt like the smell had soaked into the walls. Then I tried one of those fancy air freshener sprays. Honestly? It just made the kitchen smell like cheap perfume trying to cover up old fish. Not an improvement.
Getting Serious About the Smell
I was getting properly annoyed. You want your kitchen to feel clean, not like a dockside cafe. I started thinking about old tricks. My Nan used to do something simple, couldn’t quite remember what. So I just started experimenting with stuff I already had.
First attempt: Vinegar.
- Grabbed a small bowl from the cupboard.
- Poured in maybe half a cup of plain white vinegar. The cheap stuff.
- Just left it sitting on the worktop overnight, near where the smell seemed strongest.
Woke up the next morning, took a sniff. You know what? It was noticeably better. The fish smell was mostly gone. There was a faint vinegar smell, but that disappeared pretty quickly once I poured it away and aired the room for a few minutes. Much better than stale fish.
Second try, for ongoing freshness: Baking Soda.
- Found an old jam jar, cleaned it out.
- Filled it about halfway with baking soda.
- Poked a few holes in the lid (or you could just leave it open, I guess).
- Stuck it at the back of the fridge, because sometimes smells start there too.
Harder to tell the immediate effect with this one, but the fridge definitely seems less prone to weird odours now. I just give the jar a shake every now and then and plan to change the soda every month or two.
What Works For Me Now
So, after fiddling around, here’s what I actually do:
- For strong cooking smells: Boil some water on the stove, chuck in some lemon peels, maybe a cinnamon stick or some cloves if I have them. Let it simmer for half an hour after cooking. Seems to tackle the immediate bad smell. Sometimes I still put out that bowl of vinegar overnight if it was really bad.
- For general upkeep: The baking soda in the fridge stays. I also make sure the bin is emptied regularly, obviously. And wiping down surfaces helps stop smells building up in the first place.
It’s not rocket science, just simple stuff. No need for expensive sprays that just mask the problem. Just using basic household things seems to work best for keeping those kitchen smells under control. Took a bit of trying things out, but much better now.
