10 ways to get rid of cooking smells

Sick of your house smelling of garlic, ginger and sauteed onions? These hacks are better than Zubaida apa's...

We are all too familiar with the pain of dealing with food odour lingering in our house and on our clothes. It's worse when guests enter your abode and are greeted with the irksome smells of desi household staples; garlic, ginger and sauteed onions.

Hallelujah! HuffPost gives us 10 solutions to help banish these smells:

1. Invest in a good exhaust fan:

This is key to getting rid of kitchen smells; if positioned correctly in your kitchen, it can help reduce and get rid of all food odours.

2. An electric chimney helps too:

A more glorified version of the aforementioned, electric chimneys contain specialised, serviceable filters which collect grease and fumes from cooking. They may be heavy on the pockets, but they're efficient and will prove worthwhile in the long run.

3. Or buy an air purifier:

Invest in a heavy duty air purifier to get rid of the odours. Place in the kitchen to get rid of the smells.

4. Light scented candles:

PHOTO: Goodideasgrowontrees

Candles make pretty decor pieces and some also have therapeutic qualities. Buy them in various scents and place a few in the kitchen. Light one up once you're done cooking and let the aroma do wonders.

5. Counter it with other smells:

Try the following to overpower the 'bad' smells in the house:
- Take a small quantity of cinnamon, brown sugar, and butter, and bake for a few hours. This will make your house smell of freshly-baked cookies.
- In a saucepan of water, boil (or grind) a few cloves.
- Boil lemon peels and orange peels or both in a saucepan for an hour on slow heat.
- Coffee smells heavenly -- roast coffee beans or freshly-ground coffee until the aroma permeates the surroundings.
- Place bowls of white vinegar at different locations in the kitchen.
- Put vanilla-soaked cotton swabs around your kitchen.
- Place bowls of baking soda around your kitchen. You can also boil the baking soda and let it simmer for some time.

6. Soak smelly cutting boards:

PHOTO: houzz

Yes, especially wooden ones, they tend to absorb cooking smells especially of onions and garlic. Soak your cutting board overnight to get rid of the smells, and don't forget to dry it out after.

7. Prevent oil buildup: 

Besides airborne odours, grease and oil are also culprits when it comes to smelly kitchens. Once they reach boiling point, these cling to surfaces including ceilings, exhaust fans and windows and condense on cooler surfaces in and around the cooking area, wreaking havoc to kitchen surfaces.

The problem with these is that the grease accumulates on surfaces over time, so you have to sue strong cleaning agents to counter the grease.

8. Clean your refrigerator:

PHOTO: iheartorganizing.blogspot

Surprising, but true. All the smell from your food gets absorbed and/or generates in the fridge. The smell can be quite overpowering, so clean out your fridge once a week to curb all smells.

9. Air-conditioning in kitchen helps:

A costly solution but it helps dissipate kitchen odours.

10. Rub stainless steel on hands:

Vegetables like onions leaves a strong stubborn smell on your skin. Rubbing stainless steel on your hands vigorously will help alleviate the odour considerably.