When you live in a small apartment, it doesn't take much for the stale smells of cooking to overpower your home.
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Over time, the delicious aromas of your tasty meals become a less appealing odor, and something you need to eradicate from your kitchen and from your apartment. Especially if you're learning to cook or perfecting your skills.
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In a survey of 2000 U.S. adults, 3 in 4 believed that the smells in your home reflect who you are, so if you're wondering how to get rid of cooking smells in small apartment homes, then we have a solution for you. Read on to find out how to prevent nasty odors.
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Ventilation
Ventilation for kitchens is important when cooking. One way to deal with it is to shut the doors around your home and then open your kitchen window. This allows air to weave in and circulate, removing the bad smells. If you don't want to deal with this every time you cook, then you should use the vent hood over your cooker. At the very least, run an air conditioner to get rid of stale air.
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Clean As You Go
Another easy method to eradicate nasty smells in your small apartment is to clean immediately. That means cleaning cooking pans, utensils, and chopping boards while you cook. If you won't need to use it again, wash it and put it away.
It might be tempting to leave it until later, but that invites smells to hang around and in a small space, those smells spread quickly.
Oil stains can produce a bad odor, so cleaning greasy pans, and wiping your stove and countertops is an immediate solution.
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A neglected area when it comes to cleaning is the garbage disposal and the sink, yet it's the part of your kitchen that collects food particles. Smells from kitchen drains are usually caused by food remains so scrub your sink with dish soap and water, making sure nothing is left behind and that your drains are clean. Don't forget to rinse your sponges.
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Two last-minute cleaning tips are to take out the trash every day, washing your bin when you do, and clean any appliances that you use often, like toasters and microwaves.
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Scented Candles and Diffusers
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Get rid of unwanted smells from your kitchen by lighting scented candles. You will need one that can handle the aromas of what you're cooking, and it's best to light them after rather than during or before. You can get chef's candles, that are specifically designed to remove bad smells. Another option is a diffuser, which emits aromatherapy oils into the air.
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Baking Soda
Baking soda naturally absorbs nasty smells around your home. Leave a bowl out overnight where the smell is the worst, and it deodorizes the air, and because it's an unscented solution, you won't have a heavy perfume smell in its place.
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A bowl, while you cook, is effective too, and you can also sprinkle it in your bin to deal with stinky trash cans.
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Vinegar
Vinegar is another deodorizing tool for kitchen smells, so you can either leave a bowl out overnight, spritz bad areas or make vinegar steam. You do this by adding half a cup of vinegar to one cup of water and simmering on your stove. This is especially effective in a small apartment if you've been frying fish, and as an added perk: it's inexpensive.
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Air Purifier
A great solution for removing odors is buying air purifiers for kitchens. Run it while you cook and it keeps smells at bay. As well as that, you have the added benefit of air purifiers removing mold and pet dander from the air.
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Create a Better Smell
If you have bad smells drifting through your small apartment, the swap them for better ones. Smells you like. Bake some cookies and you get that freshly baked cookie smell. If that's not your thing, though, then try one of these methods:
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Coffee
This one is a good idea for coffee lovers. To get the delicious aroma of coffee spreading through your home, you can brew a fresh pot and enjoy some after dinner coffee. You can also, place coffee grounds around your apartment and let it absorb the cooking smells. Wet the coffee grounds and leave them overnight to get rid of bad odors.
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Lemons
Lemons are a versatile fruit. They're not just for adding slices to your drinks.
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Make lemon steam by adding half a lemon to a pot of boiling water and simmer for ten minutes. This will get rid of pungent odors that drift from your kitchen and through your home. You can also save lemon scraps and boil them, or you can throw them in your garbage disposal and garbage can to protect from smells there.
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Simmer Pot
Have you ever heard of a simmer pot?
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Cinnamon and cloves are handy spices for eliminating cooking smells, but alternatively, you can opt for your favorites and add them to water, then simmer.
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Or go further with a stove top potpourri. Bring water to a boil and then add citrus peels, all spice, cloves, nutmeg and cinnamon while you cook. The steam absorbs the bad smells.
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How To Get Rid of Cooking Smells in Small Apartment Homes
There are a multitude of cooking smell solutions for eliminating bad smells, and some are so simple they can become habits. Throw away old food and tightly seal any that you're saving, mop floors, and clean your hood filter.
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Plants around the home improve air quality, and they look nice too. Ensure your fridge and freezer are set to the best temperature.
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We hope this article has answered the question on how to get rid of cooking smells in small apartment homes for you. After all, your home should be your place of comfort and where you love to be.
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