5 Tips for an Odor-Free Kitchen

I'm sharing my 5 Easy Tips for Keeping Your Kitchen Odor-Free with Zep Garbage Odor Eliminator as part of a sponsored post for Socialstars #ZepSocialstars 

I've been in spring cleaning mode lately and wanted to share some of my favorite tips with for keeping your kitchen odor-free.  The only smells I want in my kitchen or coming from my kitchen are clean ones so without further ado...here are my tips.

1.  Kitchen (and bathroom) Drains.  Just the other day my husband asked me if I 'smelled' something in the kitchen.  After we sniffed around (we're that weird couple that sniffs) we pinpointed the problem.  The drain! I ran some hot water down the drain and then added ½ cup of baking soda and 1 cup of vinegar (I have a post explaining the process in more detail here). I let that sit for 10 minutes and then ran some more hot water down the drain.  No more awful smell.

2.  The Oven.  Spillovers in the oven may not cause any problems....initially, but once they dry and you turn the oven on again they make themselves known.  I am guilty of not cleaning my oven after every spillover and then usually regret it.  In order to get rid of that nasty burnt on food and the smells they cause, if it's not TOO bad, I use vinegar and baking soda (once again!).

3.  Leaks.  This may seem like an easy one but sometimes you don't realize you have a leak.  This happened to me a few months ago.  I noticed my kitchen floor starting to 'sink' a bit in a certain area.  It wasn't mushy, it wasn't wet but it just didn't seem right to me and I noticed a very faint odor.  I could NOT figure it out and it was driving me a bit batty.  I moved the refrigerator thinking maybe the water line to the ice cube maker was leaking and causing the problem but that area was dry as a bone.  I checked under my sink and didn't see anything amiss.  I really was at my wit's end.  A few weeks later I was downstairs (below the kitchen) doing laundry when I felt something hit me in the head....it was a water drop.  I felt a lump in my stomach and was afraid to look up....but I did and there was a HUGE area of the ceiling above me and an area along several of the wood beams that was wet and dripping.  I went back upstairs (RAN) and started ripping things apart.  I should have checked more deeply when my suspicion was the area under the sink.  When I moved the plastic bins out that I had my cleaning supplies in there is was....the leak was so bad that the front area near the doors under the sink was dry but the water had dripped backward and ROTTED out that part of the cabinet bottom.  It was horrible, moldy, wet and ruined.  The smell was awful once I opened everything up.  I called a plumber immediately (it was Christmas week...yay) and he came out the next morning.  It took him 3 days to fix everything and replace the bottom of the cabinet but it taught me a lesson....if there is even the slightest inkling of an odor where water is concerned....do a FOLLOW up.  Don't just assume it will be okay.  Once the plumber took out the rotted cabinet bottom I scrubbed everything down with an antibacterial cleaner, dried it thoroughly, aired it out and then let him replace the structures/areas that he needed to.  I didn't want any mold hanging around to cause any problems in the future.  p.s. The cause of the odor? ~ a steadily leaking water sprayer.  

 4.  The Refrigerator.  Every week before I go grocery shopping I go through the refrigerator and get rid of any food that's expired, any fruits or vegetables that are starting to turn and any meat that needs to be gotten rid of.  I also wipe down the inside and outside of the refrigerator every month (usually the first of the month ~ that way I remember) and if necessary, I put a fresh box of Baking Soda in the middle of the refrigerator to absorb odors.

5.  The Garbage Can.  Keeping everything clean, of course, is the key to avoiding odors but sometimes even when things are clean you'll have a scent you'd rather not be smelling.  Case in point....the garbage can.  My garbage can sits in the kitchen below the window....right in the mix of everything.  When we are having guests over I wait until the very last minute so that there's no new trash and take the garbage outside.  If someone drops in, though, well....there may be a fishy smell, onions, garlic, etc. from dinner that is still lingering in the trash.

The keep my garbage can clean I start with a clean can....makes sense doesn't it? I thoroughly wash and dry the inner container.

Next, I get a fresh garbage bag and my Zep Garbage Odor Eliminator.

I sprinkle the Zep Garbage Odor Eliminator in the bottom of the container and line as usual.  This gives me instant control of foul odors, has a long-lasting clean cherry and citronella fragrance that controls odors and it absorbs leaks and spills making garbage can clean up easy! I no longer have a dog but if I did I would use this in my outdoor garbage can....the one that was hideously smelly that I used to have reserved for dog bags...UGH!

The Zep Garbage Odor Eliminator is available for only $4.97 at Home Depot along with other Zep products.

So what's your favorite way to keep odor at bay in your kitchen?

You can check out my other Homemaking 101 tips here