The Absolute Best Way To Remove Fried Food Smells From Your Kitchen

Fried food is just too good to resist. Maybe it's the irresistible crunch or the burst of flavor from all that fat that makes every bite worth the calories. But whether you're making buttermilk-brined crispy chicken or golden french fries, frying at home can make your kitchen can smell like oil for days. And that's probably because you keep repeating one of the worst deep frying mistakes you may not even know you're making: not ventilating your kitchen properly.

Courtney Landry, product development director and home cleaning expert at Norwex, a brand that makes environmentally friendly alternatives to traditional cleaning products, told Chowhound in an exclusive that proper airflow is the most effective way to keep fried food smells from lingering in your kitchen. "The best way is to cook in a well-ventilated area! Keep windows open when frying to minimize smells, and turn on your kitchen's exhaust fan," Landry said.

While air circulation is the best way to combat fried food odors, it works best when paired with a quick cleanup afterward. "After frying, be sure to immediately wipe down all surfaces with a cleaning agent to remove any residue," Landry said. Cleaning counters, stovetops, and nearby surfaces helps eliminate grease that can harbor bacteria and trap smells. "For tough odors, I also recommend placing a bowl of baking soda somewhere in the kitchen, as it absorbs smells," she added.

The secret to battling kitchen odors isn't lavender or lemongrass, but understanding the science behind why fried food smells are so stubborn and long-lasting. "This is typically because frying at a high heat distributes grease and particles that tend to stick to any available surface," Courtney Landry pointed out. "Since the splatter is so diffuse, it makes it more difficult to fully remove the smell from your kitchen after frying." 

In other words, these airborne, odor-causing oily particles and volatile compounds don't stay in one place. They scatter throughout the kitchen, coating surfaces, seeping into porous materials, and hanging in the air. Over time, the grease accumulates, traps dirt and debris, and intensifies unwanted smells. Delaying cleanup only makes deodorizing and removing odors more difficult. On which cleaning agents work best for preventing odors, Landry stressed that safety should always come first. "Use products that are tough on grease but gentle on the environment and family, such as Norwex's line of gentle yet effective kitchen solutions," she concluded.

When asked about how to keep your kitchen smelling its best, Landry emphasized again that the key is to keep those grease particles from settling on surfaces. "Use a splatter screen as much as possible to minimize the splatter," she recommended. She also mentioned that baking soda absorbs smells, and leaving a bowl of it out in your kitchen can help eliminate stubborn, oily odors.