The smells disappeared in minutes, and I didn’t need to scrub anything
Cooking at home is great as you can add in all the flavours you want and feel a sense of accomplishment once the meal is on the table. Many dishes include onions and garlic, which are great for elevating dishes.
However, they are not so great at keeping your home and kitchen smelling fresh. Many times I have cooked delicious meals, but I end up with a smell of onions and garlic in my kitchen for the rest of the evening.
It can be hard to get rid of the smell of cooked food, even with the window open and the extractor fan on. I came across a hack from Lynsey Crombie, who is the self-confessed Queen of Clean.
She claimed you can eliminate cooking smells with one very cheap household item. I was impressed by her suggestion on social media, so I decided to try it out for myself after cooking a pasta dish that used onions and garlic.
All you need is white vinegar, boiling water and a washing-up bowl. Following Lynsey’s advice, I poured a cup of white vinegar into my washing-up bowl while the kettle boiled.
I picked my white vinegar up from Sainsbury’s for just 45p, and it is stocked at a wide range of supermarkets and household stores. Once my kettle boiled, I poured the water into my washing-up bowl.
Steam started to evaporate from the bowl, including the white vinegar. The natural and cheap method made my cooking smells disappear.
I only got a slight vinegar smell as the steam rose from the bowl, and I was left with a neutral-smelling kitchen in minutes.
If you need to tackle even stronger smells, others have said you can add lemon slices, cinnamon sticks or cloves to the bowl. Plus, you can follow Lynsey’s hack by boiling the white vinegar water in a saucepan to make the steam last longer.
How to get rid of cooking smells using white vinegar
All you need is a bowl, white vinegar and boiling water.
Simply measure out a cup of white vinegar and place it into your bowl.
Boil your kettle, and pour the boiling water into the bowl.
Leave the mixture to stand. You will see steam start to evaporate from the bowl, clearing the air in your kitchen.
If you need to get rid of stronger smells, pour the white vinegar and water into a saucepan. Allow it to simmer until it reaches a boil for around 15 to 30 minutes.
