19 Tips to Quickly Get Rid of the Burnt Food Smell in Your House

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Chase away the smoky smell of burnt food with these household items

Co-authored by Guy Peters and Ali Garbacz, B.A.

Last Updated: July 26, 2024 Fact Checked

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Absorbing the Odor

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Cleaning the Area

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Covering the Smell

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Expert Q&A

Oh no! You left something in the oven just a tad too long and now you have a house that reeks of charred and burnt food. No need to panic! Fortunately, there are plenty of home remedies you can try out to deodorize your home. Keep reading to learn about some common household items you can use to get rid of that burnt and smoky smell. Before you know it, your home will smell clean and fresh once again.

Things You Should Know

Pour 1 cup (236.6 ml) of white vinegar into a saucepan and bring it to a simmer on the stove to neutralize the odor. Or, place bowls of white vinegar or baking soda around the room.
Bake 2 to 3 tablespoons (29.6 to 44.4 ml) of vanilla extract in a heat-safe bowl in the oven at 300ºF (148.9ºC) for 1 hour to mask any lingering odors.
Throw out any burnt food right away, then open up your windows and turn on any fans to get fresh air circulating.

Method 1

Method 1 of 3:

Absorbing the Odor

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1
Simmer 1 cup (236.6 ml) of vinegar on the stove. Pour about 1 cup (236.6 ml) of white vinegar into a saucepan and bring it to a simmer on the stovetop. Vinegar is a great deodorizer and heating it up helps strengthen its odor-fighting powers. Your house might smell like vinegar at first, but it’ll soon disappear along with the smell of burnt food.^{[1]
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- If you burned food in the microwave, put a bowl of vinegar in the microwave and heat it up for about 2 minutes to help get rid of the smell.^{[2]
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  Expert Source
  
  Amy Mikhaiel
  House Cleaning Professional
  
  Expert Interview. 3 February 2019.}
Cut up a fresh lemon or another citrus fruit and put it into a pot of boiling water. Using just the rinds works just as well. Throw a couple of cinnamon sticks or a spoonful of cloves into the mix and let the entire thing simmer. Lemons and other citrus fruits will help deodorize your home while fresh spices like cinnamon and cloves will emit a fresh and pleasant scent to cover up the previous stench.^{[3]
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Both vinegar and baking soda are some of the most effective deodorizers. Pour either white vinegar or baking soda into a couple of bowls and place them around the rooms where the burnt smell is particularly strong. Leave them out for a few hours or overnight. The burnt smell should be mostly gone by the time morning comes around.^{[4]
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Sprinkle baking soda over your carpet to absorb odors. Unfortunately, the stench of burnt food can also seep into your carpet and furniture as well as linger in the air. To help deodorize your carpet and upholstery, sprinkle baking soda over the affected areas and let it sit for about 15 minutes. After that, vacuum up the baking soda.^{[5]
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- Instead of baking soda, another option is to spray a mixture of water and vinegar onto your carpet or upholstery.
- Mix 1 cup (236.6 ml) of vinegar with 2 cups (473.2 ml) of warm water and spray it on your carpet or upholstery and let it air dry.
Who doesn’t love the smell of coffee? Not only does coffee have a pleasant scent, but it can also help neutralize the smell of burnt food or any other unpleasant odors. Just pour a tablespoon (about 5 g) or more of coffee grounds into a small bowl and leave it out on your counter to soak up the bad smell.^{[6]
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Place a small bag of activated charcoal near the source of the smell. Activated charcoal, or activated carbon, is super effective in neutralizing unpleasant smells, especially smoke odors. The best part is that you only need a little bit to start freshening up the air. Purchase a small bag of activated charcoal and place it where the smell is particularly strong.
- Or, make your own activated charcoal by heating up hardwood in a pot over a fire.
- Use an air purifier with an activated carbon filter to help draw the burnt odor out of your house and filter in fresh air.
Pour equal parts lemon juice and water into a spritzer bottle, then spray it around your home where the smell is particularly bad. Lemon naturally absorbs odors and leaves a pleasant citrus scent behind. Another option is to pour a few drops of lemon juice into a humidifier and let the lemon-water mixture disperse throughout the house.^{[7]
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Method 2

Method 2 of 3:

Cleaning the Area

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Once the burned food is fully cool, place it all in a plastic bag and go ahead and toss it in a trash bin outside. Avoid just scraping it into your garbage disposal or leaving it in a garbage can in your kitchen. If the food is still in your house, the smell will unfortunately still continue to linger in the air.^{[8]
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Expert Source

Guy Peters
House Cleaning Professional

Expert Interview. 27 September 2021.}
This is the quickest and easiest way to get some fresh air circulating and drive the burnt smell out of your house. Be sure to open the windows and doors closest to the kitchen as well as in other rooms of your house to start airing out your home.^{[9]
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Expert Source

Guy Peters
House Cleaning Professional

Expert Interview. 27 September 2021.}
Turn on the fans or an air purifier. To help circulate the air more quickly, bring out some electric fans and plug them in beside open windows and doors. Turn them on to a high speed in order to get the air moving. If you have a kitchen fan or stovetop fan, turn that on too. Another option is to set up an air purifier to filter out the bad smell and pump clean air into your house.^{[10]
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Expert Source

Guy Peters
House Cleaning Professional

Expert Interview. 27 September 2021.}
Get to work cleaning any pots, pans, and other kitchen utensils that have burnt food on them. Soak the pot or pan with warm water and dish soap for a few hours to make scraping any gunk off easier. Another option is to use baking soda to clean a burnt pan or pot. Fill the vessel with hot water, then add a couple drops of dish detergent and shake in a liberal amount of baking soda. Let it sit for 15 minutes then rinse it out.^{[11]
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Scrape off any burnt food from the oven or microwave. To clean your microwave, microwave a bowl of water for a few minutes and let the steam loosen up any food residue that’s stuck on the inside. Then, go in with a sponge or scraper to get rid of the food.^{[12]
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Expert Source

Susan Stocker
House Cleaning Professional

Expert Interview. 8 November 2019.} For your oven, mix equal parts baking soda and water until a paste forms. Place this on any burnt food remnants in your oven and leave it to sit overnight. Then, wipe everything down in the morning.^{[13]
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- Another option is to sprinkle salt on any burnt food in your oven and let it sit for a couple hours before scraping it off.
- Wait until the oven or microwave has completely cooled off before going in and cleaning.
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Clean the surfaces throughout your house. Wash down all surfaces in rooms where the odor is noticeable. Use bleach or a disinfectant to clean counters, tables, and the floor. To make your own distilled bleach solution, mix 4 teaspoons (4.9 ml) of bleach with 4 cups (946.4 ml) of room-temperature water.^{[14]
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Trustworthy Source

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
Main public health institute for the US, run by the Dept. of Health and Human Services

Go to source} You might also have to wash the walls if the smell is very strong.
- If you don’t have bleach, make a cleaning solution with vinegar by mixing equal parts vinegar and water in a spray bottle. Spray this on countertops, the floor, the stovetop, and any other smooth surfaces.
- Or, sprinkle some baking soda onto a damp sponge and use it to wipe down various surfaces in your kitchen, including inside your oven and microwave.^{[15]
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Launder all items made of fabric from the rooms where the smell is noticeable. This includes tablecloths, curtains, slipcovers, and even the clothes you might have been wearing. Use bleach if that won't ruin the fabrics. Another option is to pour ⅓ cup (78.8 ml) of vinegar into the washer during the rinse cycle to help deodorize the fabric.^{[16]
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Method 3

Method 3 of 3:

Covering the Smell

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1
Spritz a mix of essential oils and water to mask the smell. Buy any essential oil that has a scent you like and add 8 to 10 drops to 1 cup (236.9 ml) of water. Place the mixture into a spray bottle and spritz it around your house. Alternatively, place a few drops of essential oil on a couple of cotton balls and place them around the room.^{[17]
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- Essential oils can contain harmful chemicals. When buying essential oils, carefully read the labels and look for oils that use plant-based ingredients.
- Essential oils that are good for covering up bad smells include citrusy scents like lemon, lime, grapefruit, and bergamot.
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Use fragrance oils to make an air freshener. Fragrance oils are pleasant-smelling synthetic oils. Add a few drops to 1 cup (236.9 ml) of water and pour the mixture into a spray bottle. Spray your homemade air freshener wherever the smell of burnt food still lingers.^{[18]
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- Keep the spray away from any pets or small children.
Spray a commercial air freshener like Lysol, Febreeze, or Glade around the room to mask any lingering odors. If you’re sensitive to strong scents, use these products sparingly. Also, keep in mind that commercial air fresheners mostly work to cover up odors rather than eliminate them. Use natural deodorizers, such as vinegar, baking soda, or lemon to get rid of the burnt smell before using air fresheners.^{[19]
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Consumer Reports
Nonprofit organization dedicated to consumer advocacy and product testing

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Bake vanilla extract in the oven for about 1 hour. If you love the smell of vanilla, fill a small heat-safe bowl with 2 to 3 tablespoons (29.6 to 44.4 ml) of vanilla extract and place it in the oven at 300ºF (148.9ºC) for 1 hour. If your oven is the source of the burnt smell, heat up the vanilla extract in a pot over the stove while you air out the oven.^{[20]
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Expert Source

Guy Peters
House Cleaning Professional

Expert Interview. 27 September 2021.}
- Alternatively, dip a few cotton balls in vanilla extract and place them around your kitchen and other rooms of the house.
Here’s an excuse to whip up a sweet treat for yourself. Baked goods that have lots of strong-smelling spices, such as nutmeg, ginger, or cinnamon, will work wonders to cover up any lingering odors and fill your house with a sweet scent. Bake some cookies, brownies, or a pie if you want. Reward yourself for all of your hard work while simultaneously freshening up your home.^{[21]
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Expert Q&A

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How do you get the smell of smoke out of your house fast?

Guy Peters
House Cleaning Professional
Guy Peters is the Owner of MOP STARS Cleaning Service, a complete house cleaning service for residential and commercial clients, based in Denver, Colorado. Founded in 2014, MOP STARS provides regular, move in/out, deep, and commercial cleaning services. Guy has a BA in Finance from the California State University - Sacramento and an MBA from Cornell University.

Guy Peters

House Cleaning Professional

Expert Answer

Open all the windows and turn on any fans nearby, including the one above the stove. Then, toss the burnt food into the outside garbage.

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