Make popcorn without fear, thanks to these odor-neutralizing tips
Whether it’s a sheet of cookies you forgot about in the oven, a bag of burnt popcorn in the microwave, or a candle-lighting disaster, smoky odors have a way of taking over your entire house for hours, if not days or weeks. But you don’t have to banish your favorite movie snack from your house or fear trying a new recipe. There are plenty of ways to clean unpleasant scents before they become overwhelming, including these eight tips on how to get burnt smells out of your house by using materials you probably already have.
| Dos of Removing Burnt Smell | Don’ts of Removing Burnt Smell |
|---|---|
| Air out your home for as long as possible | Try to cover up the burnt smell with scented products |
| Remove burnt food from the home | Let pots and pans sit with burnt food debris |
| Neutralize odors in flooring, blankets, and curtains | Ignore other potential causes of burnt odors |
If that extra-cheesy pizza is dripping greasy cheese and sauce all over the bottom of the oven, the residue will create a burnt food smell in the house that will linger the next time you go to bake something. Prevent this odor before it starts with just some regular table salt.
Pour salt all over the spill while it’s fresh. Be cautious not to touch the oven walls, floor, or racks, as they’ll still be hot. The salt will keep food residue from becoming a tough, stuck-on mess.
Scrape or wipe up the spill when the oven cools.
If something burns, you want to start wafting the smoke and smell out immediately. Turn on any exhaust fans around the house. Open as many windows as you can to circulate fresh air inside, and use fans to direct the burnt odor out of the house. Even in the wintertime, when temps can be cold, leaving your windows open until the smell dissipates so you’re not left with the leftover scent is best.
If you let burnt food sit in a pan, the smell will just have more time to set into your home. Instead, toss burnt food or other burnt items out as soon as possible. You may even want to seal these stinky items into an old grocery or plastic bag before tossing them in the trash. Then, take the garbage out to the outdoor garbage can to keep the smell from lingering inside your home.
Air purifiers do more than just absorb pet dander and germs. These handy devices can also get burnt food smells out of your house. Turn on an air purifier, preferably one with a HEPA filter, near the burn area. If you have multiple air purifiers in your home, turn them all on to remove odors even faster.
Strong odors, like smells from smoke or burnt items, can cling to fabrics. If your house has an acrid scent, you'll need to wash linens—like tablecloths, curtains, towels, or blankets—to get rid of the smell quickly. Try these steps:
Fill a clean sink with warm water and 1 cup of white vinegar.
Soak fabrics in the vinegar mixture for about 1 hour.
Wash the fabrics according to their care instructions.
Give your linens a sniff before tossing them into the dryer. If they still have an odor, rewash them.
Wait to dry fabrics until the scent is gone, or you'll risk setting the smell into the fabrics.
Just as you should toss out burnt food as soon as possible, you should also scrub out the pan rather than letting it sit around stinking up the place. Do the following:
Scrape out any burnt food residue into the trash, and then take out the trash immediately.
Boil 1 part white vinegar to 2 parts water in the pan if the charred food is stuck to the pan. This can loosen up stubborn spots.
Use soap, hot water, and a sponge or scrubber that’s safe for your pan until it's clean.
Burnt odors have a way of clinging to fabrics, which is why you could be stuck with a bitter scent in your home for days or even weeks after something has overcooked. While you can wash curtains and blankets to eliminate the smell, it may also absorb into your carpets or rugs. Try taking the below measures to help eliminate a burnt smell in your home:
Pour generous amounts of baking soda on carpets and rugs.
Allow the baking soda to sit overnight to absorb the burnt smell.
Vacuum up the baking soda.
If the smell persists, hire a professional carpet cleaner near you. A more advanced cleaning session can get rid of persistent smoke and burnt odors in carpets.
You need to look no further than your pantry to find odor eliminators for your home. White vinegar or baking soda are great options to get rid of burnt smells in your house. Place bowls or jars filled with vinegar or baking soda near the burn site and around the home to absorb nasty smells.
Another reliable option to neutralize burnt smells is coffee. Fill containers with ground coffee or coffee beans, then place the containers wherever the burnt odor resides. The nitrogen in coffee will help eliminate the pungent smell.
If the steps above don’t work on your tough burnt food smell, you do have other options—and no, you won’t have to throw the whole house away.
Bring to a simmer a combination of citrusy fruits (like lemon or orange) and strong-smelling herbs (like rosemary or clove) in a pot on the stove. As the combination breaks down, it will release a fresh-smelling scent throughout your kitchen. You can leave this on a gentle simmer for two to three hours, but make sure you are always keeping an eye on the stove pot. If you plan to leave the house, just turn off your stove and the aromatics will still work as it cools.
Activated charcoal bags are another option to try to filter any smells out of your air. These are available online and can be reused for up to two years, but you can also make your own by placing activated charcoal in the middle of fabric, like an old shirt, and tying it closed. Place these bags throughout your home where odors are most pungent, like in the kitchen or living room.
And yes, we mean every surface. The burnt smell might be clinging onto kitchen counters, cupboards, stovetops—anywhere. We suggest using a DIY vinegar-based cleaner or a store-bought cleaner with minimal ingredients to wipe down the surfaces in your kitchen that might be harboring the last of the pesky odor.
If your burning smell keeps returning after several attempts or you notice a burnt smell even when you didn’t burn anything in the kitchen, it could be a sign of a much more serious problem. Here are some other parts of your home to inspect:
Furnace: A burning smell when running your furnace after a few months of inactivity is common as dust collected on the surface burns off, but should not persist after an hour. If it continues, it’s best to contact a furnace repair pro near you to ensure everything is working properly.
HVAC: A burning plastic smell could indicate an issue with your HVAC ductwork. A local HVAC repair specialist would be able to assess if you have a malfunctioning HVAC system.
Electrical: If your home’s electrical system is overloaded, you might have a consistent burning smell. Seek advice from a local electrical inspection pro to ensure your home’s electrical wiring is up to code or if it’s a fire hazard.
If a burnt smell lingers long after an incident in the kitchen, you should consider buying a new oven. Call a local appliance pro to explore your options. You should always hire an expert to install a new oven—especially if your oven requiresa gas hookup.
If you burn popcorn or other food items in the microwave, the smell lingers for an uncomfortably long time. To get the burnt smell out of your microwave, remove any leftover burnt food debris and then heat 1 cup of water in a microwave-safe container for about three minutes. Next, clean the inside of the microwave with a soft microfiber cloth, water, and a small amount of dish soap. Dry and let the microwave air out for two to three hours.
Luckily, you can typically eliminate your microwave’s burnt smell within a few hours for most situations. Be sure to let it air out for two to three hours after cleaning to let the odor evacuate your home—if you close your home up too early, the odor will be trapped. For stronger, more stubborn burnt smells, it might take a full day or more to really notice a difference.
Smoke can be tricky to remove from your home, especially after a fire. The best way to eliminate the smell is to open the windows to increase ventilation and air circulation in your house. Then, use white vinegar to wipe down walls, furniture, and floors. Try steam-cleaning carpet and other upholstered items to remove the smell of smoke.
Inhaling smoke from burnt food can be harmful to your health. Smoke and strong odors released when food burns can cause respiratory distress, especially for people with health conditions like asthma or for pregnant people. Even for those without such sensitivities, burnt food smoke can cause lung inflammation and irritation when inhaled.
Onions, peppers, fish, broccoli, and fried chicken taste great—but the leftover smells can be less than appetizing. Even if these foods are cooked perfectly, the odors they leave behind can linger well beyond the dishes being cleared and washed. Fortunately, you can use the same tips to get a burnt smell out of the house and remove stubborn food odors. In addition, make sure you’re keeping your fridge clear of odor-smelling foods for too long to keep the stench from invading other foods.
