Smoke Odor From Cooking

I cooked a pot of yellow-eyed beans. They simmered down to no liquid and a horrible odorous smoke filled the house, mostly the main level. My fire alarms never activated. I was outside and unaware the house was filled with smoke.

I have stripped all curtains, slipcovers and washed them. I have wiped surfaces down with a Zep product that says it's for smoke neutralizing. I changed the air return filters. But it still smells like a bar in the house. You can even get a whiff of it when you get to the porch. Any ideas that aren't too expensive? I'm at my wits end with this!

Wendy from central VA

Answers:

Smoke Odor From Cooking

Odor Out, sold by the gallon in Sam's clubs, and probably in places such as Lowe's will work wonders. Put some in a spray bottle and lightly spray around in the air in all rooms that have the odor, as well as the walls. Do not soak. I salvage some small jars, i.e. pimiento, or baby food jars and put some Odor Out in them, poke about 3 or 4 holes in the lid and set them around in your house. You get no scent from the O.Out, but it leaves a nice fresh smell in your house. (10/25/2008)

By jsham

Smoke Odor From Cooking

Displace that smell with new ones, such as putting cinnamon on cookie sheets to bake just for the smell. Orange peels baked, too. Look through your cookbooks for the best good-smelling recipes and fix a freezerful. (10/25/2008)

By Kim Churchman

Smoke Odor From Cooking

Thanks to everyone who responded with tips to help me with my smoke odor issue from burning a pot of beans! I actually have gotten rid of the odor and this is how I did it: My mother-in-law told me to simmer three or four pots of vinegar on the stove for several hours. Boy, my eyes and nose burned while the vinegar was simmering! It was really strong.

Then I borrowed an Alpine Air Purifier from a girlfriend. The kind that you can adjust the level of ozone output. I cranked up the ozone to the highest level. In just a few hours all the vinegar smell was gone and now the house smells great! The ozone has been running for five days now. I also wiped the walls down with vodka. I dampened dish towels with Odoban and hung them in strategic places around the house. I think simmering the vinegar to get the steam from it dispersed through the house was the best trick though. (10/27/2008)

By Miki