How to Eliminate a Burned Odor

The burned odor will turn your home into a smelly mess.

Cooking, fire and smoke can all fill your home with a burned odor. This odor will last for weeks after the initial incident, and trap itself in surfaces around your home. These surfaces will continue to disperse the burned odor into your home. Fortunately, there are various inexpensive and common household items that will eliminate the odor -- instead of simply masking it.

Things You'll Need

• White vinegar
• Spray bottle
• Dish soap
• Cloths
• 1/4 cup laundry detergent
• Baking soda
• Vacuum
• Sponge
• Knife
• Lemons
• Pot
• Cotton bowls
• Pure vanilla extract
• Small bowl
• Aluminum foil
• Cinnamon sticks

Instructions

Vinegar

1. Mist walls, carpets and upholstery with white vinegar. Let the vinegar dry on the items. As the vinegar dries, it will remove the odor.

2. Wash stinky dishes and utensils in a sink filled with warm water, a few drops of dish soap and one cup of white vinegar. Rinse the dishes and utensils with cool water and towel dry.

3. Launder burned-smelling washables with 1/4 cup of laundry detergent and one cup of white vinegar.

Baking Soda

1. Sprinkle a thin layer of baking soda over carpeting and let it sit for several hours. Remove the baking soda with your vacuum. Repeat the process until the burned odor is no longer present.

2. Sprinkle baking soda on a damp sponge and wipe hard surfaces, such as wood and plastics. Rinse the surface with a cloth dampened in cool water and wipe dry with a towel.

3. Place an open box of baking soda in your refrigerator. The baking soda will absorb odors in the fridge. Replace the box every 30 days to keep your refrigerator smelling fresh and clean.

Other Methods

1. Cut several lemons into wedges. Place the wedges in a pot filled with water and place it on a stove. Let the water-filled pot boil dry. The lemons will remove the burnt odor trapped in the air.

2. Soak several cotton balls in pure vanilla extract and put them in a small bowl. Place the bowl on a flat surface to remove odors and fill your home with a pleasant scent.

3. Bake aluminum foil filled with cinnamon sticks in an oven set on 325 degrees Fahrenheit. Bake for 15 minutes, before turning the oven off and opening the oven door.

References

• Good Housekeeping; How to Get Rid of Household Odors; Heloise; Febuary 2005
• Mrs. Clean: Odor Removal Cleaning Tips
• Apartment Therapy; Remove Odors from Your Home; March 2007