How to Get Rid of the Smell if I Burned a Pan on the Stove

A forgotten pan on the stove top leads to an unpleasant burning odor.

A busy schedule or sudden distraction is enough to forget you have something cooking on the stove top. When a burned pan odor permeates your home, it might be too late to save the pan but you don't have to live with the smell. A combination of air circulation and cleaning and deodorizing techniques removes the burned pan smell and replaces it with a fresher scent that's more conducive to a clean, pleasant-smelling home.

Things You'll Need

• Bucket
• 1 qt. white vinegar
• Clean cloths
• Baking soda
• Microwave-safe bowl
• 2 tsp. ground cinnamon

Instructions

1. 

   Fresh air from an open kitchen window helps burn smell dissipate.

   Open windows in the kitchen to circulate fresh air. If you have an exhaust fan above your stove top, turn it on.

2. Combine 1 qt. of hot water and 1 qt. of white vinegar in a bucket. Wet a cloth with the diluted vinegar solution and wring it out.

3. Sprinkle baking soda over the moistened cloth. Scrub the stove top and surrounding areas to remove any stains from the burned pan as well as deodorize the burned pan odor. Rinse the cloth, as needed, and apply more solution.

4. Rinse the stove top with a damp cloth then dry it with another cloth.

5. 

   Cinnamon is a natural odor remover.

   Pour 1 cup of water into a microwave-safe bowl. Sprinkle 2 tsp. of ground cinnamon into the water. Place the bowl in the microwave and heat the mixture on "High" for one to two minutes. Remove the bowl from the microwave and allow the scent to waft into the room to freshen the kitchen.

Tips & Warnings

• Mix a 50/50 solution of vinegar and water or lemon juice and water and pour it into a spray bottle. Spritz the mixture into the room to get rid of burned pan smell and other unpleasant odors.

• Use a timer when cooking on the stove top. If you get sidetracked, the timer will alert you before it's too late.

• Allow the burned pan and hot stove top to cool before you begin the clean-up process.

References

• "Good Housekeeping"; How to Get Rid of Household Odors; Heloise
• University of Kentucky; Odors: What's That Smell?; Linda R. Adler, M.A.; January 1997
• "Reader's Digest": Home, Sweet-Smelling Home
• "Mother Earth News"; Greener Cleaners: 5 Ingredients for Less-Toxic Cleaning: Vinegar; Annie Berthold-Bond; April/May 2004
• EPA: Safer Cleaning: Air Fresheners