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How to Get Rid of Burnt Bean Odor

Corey M. Mackenzie

It is very easy to forget about a simmering pot of beans on the stove. It is not easy to forget the terrible odor of burnt beans. Removing the odor will take days or even weeks unless you use the right products.

But you don’t have to buy any special deodorizers; a cheap but very effective room deodorizer might be in your cabinets already. And if it isn’t, you can find it easily at any grocery store.

Tip

Alternatively (especially if you don’t like the scent of coffee), bring a pan of water to a boil on the stove. Place several cinnamon sticks (and/or orange peels) in the hot water and bring it down to a simmer. Keep windows open and the exhaust fan going until you go to bed at night. In the morning, re-open the windows and turn on the exhaust fan again if necessary. If your kitchen has fabric curtains over the windows, remove these and machine wash them if possible, because fabric holds odors. If the windows have blinds, wipe these with the vinegar and water solution. You might need more than one bowl of vinegar placed around your home, if the smell has permeated several rooms.

  1. Open all windows and doors to the room. If you have an exhaust fan above the stove, turn this on and keep it on. Ventilation is essential for removing any burnt food odors.

  2. Throw the beans into an outside garbage can. Soak the pot that held the beans in the sink overnight (as long as the pot is aluminum or stainless steel and not cast iron).

  3. Clean the stove top with soap and water. Follow this with a cloth dipped in undiluted white vinegar.

  4. Mix a solution of 1 cup of white vinegar with 1 cup of water in a bowl. Dampen a sponge in this mixture, and wipe down all counters and cabinet doors in the room.

  5. Pour 1 cup of white vinegar into a bowl. Set this undiluted vinegar on the counter or stove top. Vinegar is a natural odor neutralizer. Leave the bowl sitting in the kitchen overnight.

  6. Brew coffee in a coffeepot or in a pan on the stove. Coffee is a good deodorizer, and the scent will help subdue the burnt bean odor until the vinegar has more time to work.

The Drip Cap

  • It is very easy to forget about a simmering pot of beans on the stove.
  • But you don’t have to buy any special deodorizers; a cheap but very effective room deodorizer might be in your cabinets already.
  • Ventilation is essential for removing any burnt food odors.
  • Set this undiluted vinegar on the counter or stove top.