How to Get Burnt Smell Out of Your House?

The wonderful aroma of a proper home-cooked meal can be a massive source of pleasure. However, if you accidentally burn your dinner, the lingering odor or burnt food can stay for hours if you don’t take prompt steps.

Burning food accidentally is a huge safety hazard, and you may immediately ask yourself “how to get burnt smell out of the house”, especially when it seems like the odor has seeped through every inch of your home.

Most homeowners will agree that unpleasant smells from your home can be quite difficult to remove – this is especially true for stubborn smells like that of burnt food. However, there are a few things you can do to remove all burnt smells from your house.

In this article, we will learn about the 3 main ways you can eliminate any burnt odors from your house and get back to enjoying your space.

What Do We Mean by Burnt Smells?

Burnt smells mostly include tough to remove VOCs (Volatile Organic Compounds), which can come from smoking, burnt foods, building materials, and other such materials which release “off-gas” into the indoor air.

Each chemical has its own levels of toxicity, but the risk of health effects depends on how long the smell has been inhaled and the origin of the odor.

How to Get Burnt Smell out of the House?

Neutralizing burnt smells completely is not an easy task, as it often requires a set of tools and some proper elbow grease. There are, however, a couple of tried and tested methods you can follow to eliminate all noxious smells from your home.

1. Cleaning the Room

The first course of action should be to clean the room, whether it be the kitchen or any other room where the smell originates. Cooking accidents and other mishaps are quite common; removing the smell depends on how well you clean the room.

• Remove the Burnt Food Entirely: The first step to cleaning out your room of the stench is to entirely remove the burnt items from your home. It’s best to take the source outside and dump it in the garbage.
• Open the Windows: Simply open the windows, ideally at the opposite ends of your house, so the fresh air can easily flow through and remove the odor.
• Turn on Ceiling or Exhaust Fans: If there isn’t any breeze or wind from outside to carry out the smell, it’s best to turn on a couple of ceiling fans or an exhaust fan to get the job done.
• Clean All Surfaces: If the stench remains persistent after all the smoke and the initial noxious air has been removed, it’s best to wipe down all the walls, ceilings, and fixtures with a strong citrus-based cleaner.
• Wash or Discard Items that Smell: If, after everything, the smell still lingers in your house, the best course of action would be to wash or discard any fabric items that have been contaminated. Use color-safe bleach and fabric softener to wash out any leftover smells.

2. Absorbing the Stench

Absorbing the burnt smell using strong-smelling solutions and cleaners can also be a viable method for substituting burnt smells with other smells.

• Use Lemon Water: This home mixture can easily remove burnt smells. Simply mix 1/8th cup of baking soda, a few cups of water, and half a cup of lemon juice. Pour the mixture into a spray bottle and apply it on fabrics and furniture.
• Use Onions: Although this may sound counterintuitive, placing fresh-cut onions near the center of the room can help remove smells of smoke and paint.
• Absorb Bread in Vinegar: Put a slice of white bread in a bowl with enough white vinegar to fully absorb the slice of bread. Keep it in the corner of the room until the smell is gone.

3. Covering the Smell

If the burnt smell isn’t too overwhelming, covering it up with pleasant smells might be the easier route to take.

• Try Baking: Baking a simple loaf of bread or even cooking up some pancakes can easily mask any burnt stench with a sweet aroma of baked goods.
• Use Essential Oils.: If you’re not a fan of strong-smelling air fresheners, applying a couple of drops of essential oils to 2-3 cups of water and spraying it on the necessary surfaces might be the perfect way to go.
• Apply Perfume Oils: Combine 2½ tablespoons of brandy, 20 drops of perfume oil for your choice, 5 drops of tea tree oil, and 3/4th cup of water in a spray bottle. Shake it properly and apply it to the necessary surfaces.
• Go for Aerosol: If you have an air freshener of choice, simply spray it around in the room to get rid of any leftover bad odors from your house.
  
  

Final Thoughts

Burnt smells and smoke are some of the worst and most persistent odors you can have in your house. Although it is one of the trickiest smells to eliminate, if you’re equipped with the right household items and a bit of elbow grease, you can easily tackle this tricky task and thus make your house smell like a home.