What can I say? I love onions, I love garlic, and I love seafood! Nutritional experts assure me that these delicious eats are good for my long-term health. But the cooking odors left behind are anything but assuring when guests come by. If cooking smells linger in your home long after food is consumed, you might have “housitosis,” bad breath on a structural scale. But don’t despair, there are ways to deal with persistent food smells and they’re not much harder than brushing your teeth.
- Blow It Away: The best method for keeping your house fresh-smelling is to avoid stinking it up in the first place. If you have a vented hood over the stove, switch it on before you begin cooking. The vent will not only suck up food smells, it will eliminate food particles and carbon dioxide in the air generated by your gas burners.
- Clean While You Cook: It’s always a good idea to clean up as you make a meal. It leaves you more counter and sink space and makes washing up easier after you’re done eating. This is especially true when making fried foods, fish, onions, garlic, and other odorous eats. Wipe down the counters, wash off cutting boards, and rinse out pots and pans and immediately.
- Take Out the Trash: The best way to stop your house from smelling like last night’s dinner is a timely visit to the trash can. Take those onion peels, fish wrappers, and plastic meat trays out to the garbage ASAP.
- Think Sink: Are your sponges and dishcloths clean? Researchers have discovered that three-quarters of all kitchen sponges and counter cloths were loaded with bacteria. These microscopic monsters are not only harmful to your health but they can raise a stink. Clean you sponges by placing them on a dish in the microwave and zapping for 1 minute on medium. Or throw your sponges in the dishwasher with the rest of the dishes.