How We Get Rid of Cooking Smells in a Small Flat

In a flat where the kitchen is three steps from the sofa and five from the bed, Friday's fish curry is still in the curtains on Sunday. Cooking smells in a small flat do not just hang around longer, they soak into soft furnishings, clothes and even the hallway, and in a rented place they can become an awkward conversation with a neighbour.

We cook most nights, often with garlic, chilli and spices, in a one-bedroom flat with an open-plan kitchen. Over four years we have found what clears the air and what only covers it up. Here is what works for us, with costs.

Why cooking smells in a small flat linger

Smell is just tiny particles of fat, smoke and steam floating around until they land on something. In a big house they spread out and dilute. In a 45 square metre flat there is nowhere for them to go, so they settle on whatever is nearest: the sofa cushions, the bedding, the coats by the door.

Three things make it worse:

• Recirculating cooker hoods. Most rented flats have a hood that filters the air and blows it back into the room rather than outside. If the carbon filter has not been changed in years, it does almost nothing.
• Steam. Boiling pasta or rice puts moisture into the air, and wet air carries smell further and sticks it to walls. It is the same problem we wrote about with drying laundry indoors without the damp.
• Grease on surfaces. A thin film on the splashback, the top of the cupboards and the extractor itself keeps releasing old smells every time the room warms up.

Ventilate while you cook, not after

This is the single biggest change we made. We used to open the window once the food was on the table. By then the smell had already reached the bedroom.

Now we open the kitchen window before the pan goes on, and if we can, a second window on the opposite side of the flat to get air moving through. Even 10 centimetres of opening on each side creates a draught that pulls smoke out instead of letting it drift. We close the bedroom door every time we cook. It sounds small, but it keeps the bedding smelling of bedding.

In winter this feels painful, and we were worried about the heating bill. In practice, 15 minutes of open window costs very little, especially if you turn the radiator in that room down while it is open. The tips in our guide to keeping a small flat warm through winter helped us make peace with it.

Get the cooker hood working properly

If you have a hood, switch it on at the start of cooking and leave it running for 10 to 15 minutes after you finish. Most people turn it off when the hob goes off, which is exactly when the room is fullest of smell.

Then check the filters. A recirculating hood usually has two:

1. A metal grease filter on the underside. Pop it out and run it through the dishwasher or soak it in hot water with washing up liquid once a month.
2. A carbon filter behind it, which actually absorbs smell. It needs replacing every 3 to 6 months. Ours had clearly never been changed when we moved in.

A replacement carbon filter costs between 8 and 25 pounds depending on the model. The model number is usually on a sticker inside the hood. In a rented flat, it is worth asking your landlord whether they will cover it, since it is part of the appliance, but we just bought our own to save the wait.

Why we stopped using air fresheners and candles

The common advice is to light a scented candle or spray something floral after cooking. We did this for a long time. It does not work, and here is the reason.

Fragrance does not remove the fat and smoke particles. It adds a second layer on top. For about an hour the flat smells of vanilla and onion together, and once the fragrance fades the onion is still there. Plug-in diffusers are worse in a small space because they run constantly and leave a sweet film on surfaces that holds on to other smells. Candles also add soot and moisture to a room that already has too much of both.

What actually helps is removing the source and absorbing what is left. That is less pleasant to talk about than a nice candle, but it is cheaper and it works.

What absorbs smells cheaply

We tested a few of the usual suggestions over a couple of months. Here is how they compared for us:

We ended up with a small purifier on the kitchen counter for strong cooking nights and a vinegar bowl for everything else. The purifier also helps with the musty smell that crept in during our first winter before we sorted out mould in the bathroom.

Small cooking habits that cut the smell

Some of the fix happens at the hob:

• Use lids on everything that simmers. Less steam, less spread.
• Toast spices and fry fish on the back burner, which is usually closer to the extractor.
• Wipe the splashback and hob while still warm. Grease comes off in seconds instead of baking on.
• Take the food bin out the same night if it has fish skin or prawn shells in it.
• Hang tea towels to dry by the window, not on the oven door, and wash them every two or three days.

Once a month we do a 20 minute wipe of the top of the cupboards and the extractor body with hot soapy water. That sticky layer is where old smells live.

Frequently asked questions

How do you get cooking smells out of a small flat fast?

Open two windows on opposite sides if you can, run the cooker hood on high, and close the bedroom door. Leave a bowl of white vinegar on the counter overnight. Most smells will be gone by morning if the surfaces have been wiped.

Do recirculating cooker hoods remove smells?

They can, but only when the carbon filter is fresh. A recirculating hood pushes air back into the room, so the carbon filter is doing all the smell work. Replace it every 3 to 6 months and clean the metal grease filter monthly.

How do I stop cooking smells going into the bedroom?

Keep the bedroom door shut whenever you cook and for about 30 minutes afterwards. Ventilating during cooking rather than after makes the biggest difference. Washing bedding and curtains a little more often also stops smells building up in fabric.