Keeping a clean kitchen is important for preventing foodborne illness, but the wrong cleaning habits can end up posing new health hazards. Some of us have started boiling the multi-purpose cleaner Fabuloso to make their homes smell fresh after working with pungent foods and spices. Unfortunately, this isn’t a safe practice. Boiling chemical cleaners releases vapor into the air that can irritate your lungs or skin. The official Fabuloso website warns against heating these products, as they’re only meant for cleaning.
Most common cleaning mishaps come from misunderstanding chemical reactions more than outright negligence. It often comes from this line of logic: This thing kills bacteria, and so does this other thing, so combining them must be double-effective! Mixing chemicals when you don’t fully understand their properties can be disastrous. We’re not mixing chemicals here so much as heating them up, but the chemicals inside were never designed to be evaporated like this. There are better ways get rid of foul smells in the kitchen using familiar household items.
How to make your kitchen smell good again
Boiling chemical cleaners is a no-no, but putting a homemade potpourri on the stove will leave a pleasant aroma throughout the kitchen without affecting the quality of the air in your home. Lemons are often used as a natural cleaning agent for their acidity and mild antibacterial properties — and they smell good. You can simmer lemon peels on the stove in a couple cups of water along with cinnamon, rosemary, or aromatic flower petals to create a natural, pleasant aroma. Simmering a half-cup of white distilled vinegar with a cup of water for 10 minutes can neutralize aggressive scents (the downside is your kitchen might smell like vinegar for the next hour or so).
Candles, incense, or room sprays help in a pinch, but they should really only be used in a well-ventilated space. Open the window in fair weather and run the ceiling fan to get the air circulating. Air purifiers come in handy on a rainy day, too. The best way to get rid of a stink is to eliminate the cause and ventilate your space. Otherwise, you’re just trying to cover up the smell. When was the last time you scrubbed the microwave or mopped the floor? If you aren’t happy with how your kitchen smells, start by taking out the trash, washing the dishes, and removing rotten food to keep your kitchen feeling fresh.
