How to Get Rid of Cooking Smells in Your House
Short answer
Cooking smells linger because grease and smoke settle on surfaces, fabrics, and the range hood filter. Run a range hood that vents outside while you cook and for 10 to 20 minutes after, open windows, then wipe down the stove, backsplash, and cabinets, clean the hood filter, and wash dish towels. An air purifier with an activated carbon filter helps with what's left.
Quick steps
- Turn the range hood on before you start cooking and leave it on 10 to 20 minutes after.
- Cook on the back burners and keep lids on pots.
- Open a window, and put a fan in another window blowing out.
- Wipe the stove, backsplash, and cabinet fronts, and clean the hood's grease filter.
- Take scraps outside, wash towels and sponges, and run an air purifier with a carbon filter.
Need supplies? Jump to what to buy
Why cooking smells hang around
Frying, searing, and roasting put grease and smoke into the air. The smell lasts because that grease settles on the stove, walls, cabinets, curtains, and the range hood filter, and keeps releasing odor. So you need to get the air out, then clean what it left behind.
1. Vent while you cook, and after
If your range hood vents outdoors, the EPA’s advice is to turn it on whenever you cook and leave it on for 10 to 20 minutes after you finish. Use the back burners when you can, because the hood catches more from them. Put lids on pots.
Many hoods, and most over-the-range microwaves, don’t vent outside. They pull air through a filter and blow it back into the kitchen. If yours does that, or you have no hood, the EPA suggests opening doors and windows when the weather allows and using kitchen or window exhaust fans. A box fan in a window blowing out works well with another window open across the house.
2. Clean the hood filter
A greasy hood filter holds smell and pulls less air. Slide it out from under the hood and soak it in very hot water with dish soap or a degreaser, then scrub and rinse. Many metal filters can also go in the dishwasher; check the manual. If your hood recirculates, it also has a charcoal filter that can’t be washed. Replace it as the manual says.
Photo: Unknown author, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons
3. Wipe the grease off surfaces
Wipe the stovetop, backsplash, hood, and cabinet fronts near the stove with warm water and dish soap. Grease you can’t see still smells. Wash the pans as soon as they cool.
4. Remove the leftovers
Fish skin, shrimp shells, and fry oil smell worse by the hour. Bag them and take them to the outside trash, or freeze scraps until trash day. Run the garbage disposal with cold water if you used it. Wash dish towels, oven mitts, and sponges, and wash or air the curtains if the smell has gotten into them.
5. Filter what’s left
Most air purifiers only catch particles like smoke. The EPA notes that particle filters don’t remove gases, and odors are partly gases. For smells, choose an air purifier with an activated carbon filter, sized for the room, and avoid ozone generators. Activated charcoal bags near the kitchen help a little in small spaces.
If one smell keeps coming back after you cook nothing, look elsewhere: the microwave, the fridge, or the sink drain.
What to buy
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HEPA air purifier with carbon filter
Levoit Core 300 True HEPA Air Purifier
Smoke, pet, and cooking smells that hang in the air of one room, plus the dander and fine particles that come with them. The carbon layer handles odor; the HEPA layer handles particles.
Good to know: It cleans the air, not the walls, carpet, or furniture where smell is stored, so clean those first. Size it to the room and replace the filter on schedule. Avoid models that make ozone.
Check price on Amazon
Activated charcoal odor bags
Moso Natural Air Purifying Bag, 200 g (4 pack)
Soaking up leftover smell in cars, closets, shoes, and small rooms once the source is gone. Unscented, so they don't mask one smell with another.
Good to know: Charcoal absorbs smell; it won't fix an ongoing source like a damp carpet or a spill under a seat.
Check price on AmazonCommon questions
How long does a cooking smell last?
With good ventilation, most smells clear in a few hours. Fish and deep-fried food can last a day or more, because the grease settles on surfaces and fabrics. Cleaning those surfaces shortens it a lot.
Why does my house smell so bad after cooking?
Usually the range hood isn't venting outside, isn't on, or has a clogged filter. Many hoods just filter the air and blow it back into the kitchen. Without real ventilation, smoke and grease spread through the house.
Does boiling vinegar get rid of cooking smells?
It mostly swaps one smell for another for a while. Ventilating, cleaning the grease, and filtering the air do more.
How do I keep fish from smelling up the house?
Cook it with the hood on high and a window open, or bake it in foil or parchment so less escapes. Bag the skin and scraps and take them straight to the outside trash.