Have you ever spent a day cooking only to have the smells stick to your clothing? Or perhaps you’re a chef who can never seem to get the smells out of your clothes?
Sometimes a good wash will take care of the smell, but after some time, if you wear the same clothing and bib aprons to cook in, they’re going to start retaining that grimy, oily kitchen smell. When that happens, you need to either try another way of cleaning them or burn them!
So what really works? Here are a few different methods.
Think Ahead
Start by thinking ahead. Hang you kitchen clothing up before you go to sleep. Hang each item of clothing on a separate hanger and place them somewhere that is well ventilated. If the weather is warm outside, place your clothing next an open window. Alternatively, hang them in a door frame or anywhere where there is a bit of airflow. Usually the food smells will be gone the next morning.
Using the Dryer
If hanging the kitchen clothes out to air doesn’t work, or you’re just too tired to remember to hang them up, throw items like jeans into the dryer with a sachet of herbs or a dryer sheet. Just ten minutes between having your meal and heading out the door will make all the difference.
Close the Door
This is another easy and effective tip. Close your bedroom or closet door if you know you’re going to be cooking something that had a lingering odour, such as onions. This will help to keep the smells from getting into your clean clothes and bedding.
Using Products
Try adding half a cup of white vinegar with your washing detergent when you put your clothes in the wash. This will help get rid of any odours that usually stick to clothes.
Baking soda can also help remove pungent smells from your laundry even when they seem to linger long after washing. Just a cup of Borax and washing soda will make for a great smell remover for laundry but they won’t really work to remove stains.
Removing Different Types of Smells
Working in the kitchen can make for a range of different smells.
- Sweaty smells in clothes – get rid of sweaty smells by soaking clothes in a water and baking soda solution.
- Smoky smells – soak your clothes in a water and baking soda solution before putting them in the washing machine to wash.
- Oily smell – if you have clothing that smells of oil, place them in a bag with some baking soda. Leave the bag seals for a few days and then wash the clothing.
Vinegar Helps Eliminate Laundry Odours
For pretty much everything other than pet urine smells, placing white vinegar into your fabric softener and even your bleach dispenser of the washing machine along with your usual laundry detergent will do the trick. Simply run the load normally for success.
You May Also Like to Try These Methods
- Add ½ a cup of white vinegar with your detergent which will get rid of odours then stick to clothes. This also helps get rid of cigarette smells.
- Wash your clothes the way you normally would and add 1 cup of white vinegar to the final rinse cycle. This helps to neutralize odours in the clothing and also removes any residue left in your fabric detergent. The vinegar also acts as an incredible fabric softener. Remember to remove the laundry as soon as the washing machine has finished and put it in the dryer or hang it out to dry.
These handy tips should help you get rid of the kitchen smell on your aprons, wipes, and other items of clothing you wear when in the kitchen.
I got an air purifier at home and it takes away the smells. But I still clean my kitchen./