How to Get Food Odors Out of Walls

Eliminate food odors on your wall with natural household products.

Cooking releases food odors in the air that usually dissipate after a few hours have passed, but powerful scents from garlic, onions or fish can result in lingering odors on your home's walls days after cooking the odoriferous cuisine. If left uncleaned, the smell builds up on your walls and creates a foul, stale stench that affects the air quality in your home. White vinegar is a natural cleaning solution that can be used to eliminate left-behind odors, or baking soda can be used to neutralize the smell without damaging the wall's surface.

Things You'll Need

• Cleaning cloths
• White vinegar
• Bowl
• Baking soda
• Sponge

Instructions

Cleaning With Vinegar

1. Wipe down the walls with a soft cloth to remove dust.

2. Pour 1/2 cup of distilled white vinegar into a bowl and soak a new cleaning cloth into the vinegar.

3. Wring out excess vinegar into the bowl and wipe down the walls in a circular motion.

4. Wait for the walls to air-dry then rewipe the walls with the vinegar solution the following day to eliminate remaining odors.

Cleaning With Baking Soda

1. Wipe down the walls with a soft cloth to remove dust and pour 1 cup of baking soda into a clean bowl.

2. Pour 1 tbsp. of water into the bowl and mix the water into the baking soda to turn the soda's powdery texture into a thick paste.

3. Dampen a clean sponge and dip it into the paste mixture.

4. Spread the paste onto the walls and leave it on the walls for up to one hour.

5. Rinse off the paste with a damp, clean cloth to remove the paste from the walls.

References

• Vinegar Tips: Cleaning With Vinegar
• "Green This! Volume 1: Greening Your Cleaning"; Deirdre Imus; 2007