The kitchen. It’s the heart of the home. But it can also be the heart of odors. Most people love the smell of garlic sauteing on the stove. But nobody, and I mean NOBODY, wants to smell it 2 days later. Leftover kitchen smells just end up making your kitchen smell unclean and gross. Kitchen mess adds to the funk. It can go downhill rather quickly. But there are a few easy tips to assure a good smelling kitchen no matter how much you love garlic.
1st Tip For A Good Smelling Kitchen:Take Out The Trash OFTEN
This one is kind of a no-brainer. Trash tends to stink, so get it out of the kitchen. One thing Bruce and I do to cut down on wasted trash bags is to bag within the bag. What I mean by that is that we use recycled vegetable bags to tie up stinky things, like meat wrappings, bones, onion skins, and yucky leftovers. We still take out the trash often, but a little less often because these bags contain the odors. You also need to dump your recycling throughout the week. An old container of milk, even a rinsed out one, can bring on the stink pretty quickly.
2nd Tip For A Good Smelling Kitchen:Clean As You Go
I admit it. I am a messy cook. And I use a lot of dishes and tools in food preparation. Bruce will validate this, but he seldom complains. The reason is that Bruce loves to eat. So he cleans as I go. It’s a gift from God, except when I’m looking for that knife I am still using and he has it cleaned and put it in the drawer already. LOL Cleaning as you go, is a very good way to keep kitchen smells to a minimum. Nothing hangs around long enough to add unpleasantness.
Clean Your Dishwasher and Vent Filters
Smells can be sneaky. They hide in unusual places. The vent over your stove is an obvious smell catcher, but your dishwasher? Isn’t its primary job to CLEAN things, for Pete’s sake? But your dishwasher can actually harbor bacteria and mold in its filters and traps. Who knew? Running a dishwasher cleaner, like Affresh, through the cycle once a month can do wonders for this problem. As for the vent, it usually slides out and can be soaked in soapy water or a bleach solution. Or you can do what we did recently and run it through the dishwasher. Your kitchen is smelling better already.
Tip For A Good Smelling Kitchen: Grow Herbs But Mind The House Plants
Growing herbs on your kitchen windowsill is not just helpful for cooking. These good smelling herbs can also make your kitchen smell good. Try things like rosemary, basil, chamomile, and thyme. Perplexed where to begin? Check out: How To Create an Indoor Aromatic Garden on Fragrancex.com. And don’t forget to try thrift and consignment stores when looking for cute pots and planters. A store like Consignments Ltd. is a great resource for these. Or check out these wall mounted pots on Amazon. They will make these new herbs you’re adding look even more fabulous.
As For Other Potted Plants …
I always add house plants to my interiors. They bring so much style and life to your space. However, they can also add an odor issue if you’re not careful. Make a regular habit of checking house plants for rot and mold due to over-watering and humidity. They can add stink to an otherwise clean kitchen and no one wants that.
Open The Windows and Make Your Kitchen Smell Good
You have that exhaust fan over your stove, so you should be all set, right? Nope. Well-ventilated kitchens smell better. Steaming some lobsters? Open the kitchen window. Yes, even in winter. Or, if you lobster a lot, invest in a free standing burner that runs on propane, and keep the mess and the odors outside.
Follow these simple “rules” and you will make your kitchen smell good – all of the time. Here’s to good smells and happy cooking!
Have a lovely Sunday, my friends. Marianne
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