A commonly occurring mistake that happens in the kitchen is burning food while cooking. One moment you are distracted, and in the next moment, the food is burnt, and the room is filled with smoke. The problem now begins with figuring out how to get smoke out of house after burning food.
While your meal being burned is stressful enough, the smoke and smell only makes it worse. Instead of having to wait hours for the smoke and smell to go away, you can save time and your sanity by following some simple tips below.
Table of Contents
How to Remove Smoke Out of Your Home
1. Get Rid of Burnt Food Fast
The first thing to do to get rid of the smoke is to neutralize the source of the smoke, the burnt food. If the burnt food remains, the smoke and smell will linger. Therefore, it is critical to dispose of the burnt food as quickly as possible. By properly discarding the item, it will reduce the release of any excess smoke or smell into the air which, effectively, allows for easier and more complete clean up.
When attempting to discard the food, remove it from the heat and allow it to cool down as this will stop it from smoking. After the food has no signs of smoke, observe, and separate any edible portions, ensuring that any inedible portions are discarded immediately. Even when it’s cooled down and not emitting smoke, it will possibly still release an unpleasant smell.
2. Open the Doors and Windows to Clear the Smoke
The next thing to do after getting rid of the burnt food is to open all the doors and windows in the room. The doors and windows must be opened to allow fresh air to pass through the room and remove any smoke outside. Doing this will air out and clear the room of smoke.
Inhaling smoke is extremely dangerous for the human body and can cause serious health concerns if too much is breathed in. Therefore, it is crucial to open all doors and windows to maintain a source of fresh air to breathe in.
3. Use a Wet Towel & Wipe Down Surfaces
After getting the smoke completely out of the room, it’s time to clean the surfaces. Because smoke particles remain on the surfaces of the room such as walls, furniture, and even fabrics, it can leave permanent marks and smells if not cleaned immediately. A remedy for this is to use a wet towel and carefully wipe down all the surfaces of the room.
All surfaces in that room should be wiped quickly, otherwise, it may get difficult to clean later. Suitable cleaners for different surfaces can be used as well to clean them properly.
4. Turn on the Fans
Even after opening all doors and windows of the room, there will still be some smoke left in the room. To supplement airing out the room, you should turn on the fans to get rid of the remaining smoke from your home. It is also helpful to cool down the room to decrease the effect of smoke.
Make sure that all doors and windows are opened when turning on the fan. Otherwise, the smoke will only circulate inside the room, making things more complicated and ineffective.
5. Turn on the Air Purifier
The last step is to use an Air Purifier. To completely get rid of the remaining smoke particles in the air, the best and the most effective way is to use an air purifier. While this step is optional, not using an air purifier will allow a small amount of smoke particles to linger in your home even though majority of the smoke has been removed from your home.
An air purifier can be used to get rid of the lingering smoke particles more quickly and efficiently. So, it is recommended to use an air purifier if you want to completely get rid of the smoke.
How to Get Rid of Smoke Smell Out of Your Home
1. Boil Lemons to Get Rid of Smoke Smell
To neutralize a burnt smell, simple home remedies can be used. The most effective one is to boil sliced lemons in a pot of water. This helps to remove the burnt odor. It’s best to let the sliced lemon sit in the boiling water for 10-30 minutes. Do not put any lid on the pot as the steam from the boiled lemon can help neutralize the smoke smell.
Lemons have a strong aromatic due to the citric acid, which really helps to nullify other unpleasant smells. That is why boiling lemons for few minutes helps to remove smoke smells quickly and completely instead of masking it. Also as a completely natural remedy, there will not be any dangerous side effects compared to that of chemical air fresheners.
2. Wash or Discard Items that Smell
Items that smell of burnt food need to be washed thoroughly or discarded if not washable. Smoke particles can become absorbed into fabrics such as carpets, curtains, clothes, etc. So, it is recommended to carefully wash all items and fabrics. Common fabric’s suitable detergent or bleach can be used to wash them.
If Item cannot be washed, they will need to be discarded. Since the smell is not easy to remove without a deep cleaning, it could potentially stain the item with the undesirable odor.
3. Make Air Freshener Using Essential Oils
Using air fresheners made with essential oils is also helpful to get rid of the burnt smell out of your home. You can easily make an air freshener by mixing water and some essential oil. Spray the mixture around your home to remove the smell of the burnt food. This is a homemade natural air freshener so it does not have any side effects and is beneficial to your health as well.
Instead of using regular air fresheners, air freshener with essential oils works best for smoke smell. Ordinary air fresheners will only mix with the burnt smell and make the odor even more unpleasant. But by using essential oils, you will not only get rid of the smoke smell but will also make your house smell nicer than before.
4. Soak Bread with Vinegar
Vinegar is very helpful for absorbing smells. So, a quick way to get rid of the smell is to soak bread with white vinegar in a bowl and leave it in the room. Place the bowl openly in the smoke-affected area. To make it more effective, you can also put it in the corners or places that you think smell the most unpleasant.
Though the smell of vinegar is strong and unpleasant, it will help to absorb the odor of burnt food. Also, the smell of vinegar does not last long so your house will smell smoke and vinegar free after some time.
Vinegar is very helpful for absorbing smells. So, a quick way to get rid of the smell is to soak bread with white vinegar in a bowl and leave it in the room. Place the bowl openly in the smoke-affected area. To make it more effective, you can also put it in the corners or places that you think smell the most unpleasant.
Though the smell of vinegar is strong and unpleasant, it will help to absorb the odor of burnt food. Also, the smell of vinegar does not last long so your house will smell smoke and vinegar free after some time.
5. Use Baking Soda Combining with Water
Like vinegar, baking soda is also quite effective at absorbing odors. Mix some baking soda and water in a bowl then place it in the room of the affected area. After leaving it open for some time to absorb the smoke odor and smell, the room should smell clean of any and all odors and smells.
Unlike vinegar, baking soda does not have any strong or unpleasant smell. Though it may not mask the smell like vinegar. It will also absorb the unpleasant smell of vinegar as well. So, it is really helpful to use this mixture to absorb all the remaining smells of the room.
FAQs
Is smoke from burnt food harmful?
All kinds of smoke are harmful. Even though smoke from burnt food may not be as toxic as smoke from chemicals, it is still a health concern when large amounts of smoke is inhaled. Any kind of smoke inhalation would cause health issues like breathing problems, lung inflammation, lack of oxygen, etc.
So, inhaling smoke even from burnt food is really dangerous for your body. As a caution when dealing with smoke, try to cover your nose and mouth to prevent inhaling smoke. And quickly get rid of smoke out of your home.
What happens if you eat burnt food?
Even though it’s unmoral to waste food, studies have shown that burnt food is harmful to your health. Studies have shown that not only over-cooking food decreases its nutrients but also produces chemical that are harmful to your body. Burnt food may also cause indigestion or expose you to diseases to your body.
Researches are showing that burnt food produces a chemical called acrylamide, which increases the risk of cancer. Though the risk of cancer is higher among women who are exposed to acrylamide, it is still not so harmless for men either. Lastly, burnt food does not taste good either, so, avoid consuming burnt food if possible.
Overall, if you accidentally burn food while cooking, you won’t have to be stressed about the smoke and smell. By following these tips and home remedies, you can easily neutralize the smoke and its unpleasant smell. In a matter of time, you’ll even forget you burned your food. So don’t fear when you burned your food, just follow these tips and you’re home will be good as new.
