# Need help removing smoke smell in kitchen
**URL:** https://boards.straightdope.com/t/need-help-removing-smoke-smell-in-kitchen/552600
**Category:** Factual Questions
**Created:** [September 4, 2010, 4:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/need-help-removing-smoke-smell-in-kitchen/552600 "2010-09-04T16:42:40Z")
**Posts on this page:** 8
**Page:** 1
### Author:  [@PlainJain](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/PlainJain)
#### Post date: [September 4, 2010, 4:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/need-help-removing-smoke-smell-in-kitchen/552600/1 "2010-09-04T16:42:40Z")
Recently I helped a friend move and she gave me some frozen corn dogs without heating instructions. The other night I thought I’d have one as a snack. Five minutes sounded like a good starting point. So like an idiot, I nuked this thing into oblivion. When I opened the microwave door waves of thick smoke came rolling out of it. Yuck! It filled my tiny apartment. Now it really stinks in here.
I’ve been airing it out for two days to no effect. What do I need to do to get rid of it? Do I need to wipe down every wall and cabinet?
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### Author:  [@TriPolar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TriPolar)
#### Post date: [September 4, 2010, 5:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/need-help-removing-smoke-smell-in-kitchen/552600/2 "2010-09-04T17:03:15Z")
Cook something with lots of garlic. Then start another thread asking how to remove the smell of garlic.
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### Author:  [@Chefguy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chefguy)
#### Post date: [September 4, 2010, 6:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/need-help-removing-smoke-smell-in-kitchen/552600/3 "2010-09-04T18:01:34Z")
> [@PlainJain](#):
>
> Recently I helped a friend move and she gave me some frozen corn dogs without heating instructions. The other night I thought I’d have one as a snack. Five minutes sounded like a good starting point. So like an idiot, I nuked this thing into oblivion. When I opened the microwave door waves of thick smoke came rolling out of it. Yuck! It filled my tiny apartment. Now it really stinks in here.
>
> I’ve been airing it out for two days to no effect. What do I need to do to get rid of it? Do I need to wipe down every wall and cabinet?
Wipe down the surfaces with vinegar. No need to scrub. And I still like the movie. 🙂
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### Author:  [@johnpost](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/johnpost)
#### Post date: [September 4, 2010, 6:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/need-help-removing-smoke-smell-in-kitchen/552600/4 "2010-09-04T18:02:30Z")
you could wipe walls and cabinets in the smoke plume area near your microwave. smoke particles stick to surfaces.
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### Author:  [@PlainJain](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/PlainJain)
#### Post date: [September 4, 2010, 6:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/need-help-removing-smoke-smell-in-kitchen/552600/5 "2010-09-04T18:56:32Z")
> [@Chefguy](#):
>
> Wipe down the surfaces with vinegar. No need to scrub. And I still like the movie. 🙂
Ha ha!
Thanks **Chefguy** I’ll give that a try.
🙂
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### Author:  [@DCnDC](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DCnDC)
#### Post date: [September 4, 2010, 7:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/need-help-removing-smoke-smell-in-kitchen/552600/6 "2010-09-04T19:50:28Z")
Wow. 5 minutes? Normally I tend to go in 30-second increments if I don’t know.
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### Author:  [@Bosda\_Di\_Chi\_of\_Tricor](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bosda_Di_Chi_of_Tricor)
#### Post date: [September 4, 2010, 8:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/need-help-removing-smoke-smell-in-kitchen/552600/7 "2010-09-04T20:53:51Z")
> [@Chefguy](#):
>
> > [@PlainJain](#):
> >
> > Recently I helped a friend move and she gave me some frozen corn dogs without heating instructions. The other night I thought I’d have one as a snack. Five minutes sounded like a good starting point. So like an idiot, I nuked this thing into oblivion. When I opened the microwave door waves of thick smoke came rolling out of it. Yuck! It filled my tiny apartment. Now it really stinks in here.
> >
> > I’ve been airing it out for two days to no effect. What do I need to do to get rid of it? Do I need to wipe down every wall and cabinet?
>
> Wipe down the surfaces with vinegar. No need to scrub. And I still like the movie. 🙂
50/50 water/vinegar will work wonders.
Good as a general household cleaner, too.
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### Author:  [@monavis](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/monavis)
#### Post date: [September 5, 2010, 11:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/need-help-removing-smoke-smell-in-kitchen/552600/8 "2010-09-05T11:09:13Z")
You can boil some cider vinegar in water for a few minuets (5 0r 10) let it set on the stove to cool, and that usually works.
I have always used that for years and it always worked for me, but there may be cases it doesn’t. I put in about 1/4 cup vinegar to 4 cups of water. It does make the humidity rise, so you may then want to open a window or let the air conditioner remove the humidity.