Smells are honest. Sure, you can cover up bad smells with good ones and try to overpower the threat temporarily. But they’ll come back, they always do. In an ideal world, our homes would always smell like the Four Seasons Spa. An intoxicating aroma that can relax and energize you at the same time. Back in reality, however, that aroma is more likely to be a bountiful bouquet of foot funk and forgotten food. When the Spectre of meals past has come to haunt your kitchen yet again, reach for this brief guide against forlorn fungus and freshen your fortress!
Garbage Cans, Disposals & Recycling Bins
Starting the list is the usual suspects – the last stop of home refuse, the garbage and recycling. Sometimes what’s finished is not forgotten. Recycling can leak a bit here and there, soon enough there’s a small ecosystem in the bottom of the bin. Grease and food scraps can clog the drain or garbage disposal with absolutely vile consequences.
Here are some go-to methods we use to neutralize the funk in garbage cans and recycling bins. It works every time. To clean the can properly, spray it, really douse it with diluted bleach and give it a few hours to do it. After that, wipe away larger particles. Rinse it with water and use soap to wash it out.
A helpful way to stay ahead of funky build-up is to regularly spray with odour eliminating disinfecting sprays or homemade solutions with natural cleaners and essential oils. Prevention is the best measure to take here. A good garbage routine will make bin funk a problem of the past.
If you’re the proud owner of a garbage disposal, save your citrus trimmings and rinds in the fridge. Collect enough of them and feed them in one shot. That way, there will be enough citric acid and essential oils from the citrus peels to saturate every corner. Doing so helps break up the organic grime that’s the cause of the odour. Do this a few times a month to keep everything smelling fresh.
Sponges and Rags
Our humble kitchen companions do a lot and get very little credit or attention. Sometimes we take for granted and assume the tool we use to clean other things must be clean by definition. Oh no, no, no, that’s not the case at all. [LINK] Your kitchen sponge may be 200,000 times dirtier than your toilet seat.
Sponges and dishcloths can be home to a whole society of different bacteria. They’re often warm, wet, and in contact with food regularly. In particular, coliform bacteria in the kitchen are a biomarker of fecal contamination resulting from contact with contaminated raw meat. They are not not necessarily dangerous, just a bit gross. The real issue is – any environment that can breed coliform bacteria can also be home to some other nasty visitors.
The best solution is to bathe that sponge or dishcloth in a diluted bleach solution once a week or if you like variety, stick the sponge in a dishwasher load. If in doubt, you can always throw it out and get a new one.
Rancid Cooking Grease
Sometimes life is just a mess; it happens. Oil splatter while cooking can travel surprisingly far in the kitchen. It can quickly hide, build up, and go rancid with enough time. Grease can splatter on walls or collect for years under your range hood. The oil on your hands can build up on kitchen cabinets and commonly touched surfaces. All this build-up can make your experience in the kitchen an oily one. Remove the residue of last night’s deep-fried Tater Tot binge while watching 90 Day Finance reruns without a hassle. Certain products are well-suited to cut through the grime when they have the right active ingredients.
To master the art of grease-fighting, you must use products that dissolve the oil’s molecular structure. The absolute best products for this are either soap or a mild acid, such as acetic acid (vinegar) or citric acid (citrus fruits). Most grease build-up can be removed easily with the reliable combo of any of those products diluted with water.
Hiding in Plain Sight – Kitchen Appliances
The major appliances found in almost every modern kitchen help us live more comfortable and more efficient lives. They offer us an abundance of benefits over what was available in the past. Sometimes we forget that these everyday wonders of technology are host to several smelly issues like standing water, mould, mildew, and collecting odours.
The humble dishwasher, friend and ally to many of us, can collect food particles inside and moisture in the rubber seal every time you open and close the door. That moisture gets trapped and becomes home to some funky fragrances. The effects build up quickly after dozens or hundreds of washer cycles. The detergent drawer is also a culprit of this. The best way to prevent this common issue is to wipe down the door seal after every use and leave the door and drawer open for a few hours after a load.
For a reliable cleaning – Use diluted vinegar and wipe down prominent tough spots. Then run an empty dry-heat cycle to disinfect the interior – leave in any silverware baskets or holders.
After a while, a fridge becomes a terrarium, a miniature environment of all your good (and bad) food decisions. The mostly plastic interior of the refrigerator can absorb and harbour lots of unpleasant smells even if you’re diligent. Its good practice to have a regularly replaced container of baking soda sitting on a shelf to neutralize floating odours. Remove that forgotten about organic kale starting to look like seaweed, wipe-down cracks and crevices in shelving, crispers, or side door. Mop up crumbs and spills immediately, and every once in awhile – before a big grocery restock – remove everything and wipe the interior down with a disinfectant.
Kitchen Sink Drains – The Highway to Smell
Plumbing and the internet have one thing in common – they’re both a series of tubes. One of them moves information from one point to another, and the other one shuttles…well, you get the point. Nasty smells emanating from the kitchen sink is more common than you’d think. Solid matter can build up and start to rot in the pipe. The problem can become more of one if grease is poured down the sink. It congeals and collects at bends and turns in the pipes and will start to collect food debris in its oily embrace.
We recommend you scour the drain with baking soda and vinegar. Start boiling a kettle full of water. Meanwhile, pour a cup of baking soda and then a cup of vinegar into the sink. Make sure they really get in there. Let the solution effervesce in the sink for five to 10 minutes, then slowly pour all of the hot water from the kettle into the sink drain.
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