7 tricks to rid your kitchen of foul odours

Although the smells coming out of your kitchen can be mouthwatering, occasionally there are some that stick around which aren't so pleasant. If the aroma in your kitchen is overwhelming, here are seven odour-busting tips that really work.

Garbage cans are great incubators for odour-causing mould and bacteria.

• To fend off accumulations of these microscopic marauders, sprinkle 125 grams (1/2 cup) of borax in the bottom of your garbage can and renew it with every emptying.
• Borax acts to help prevent stinky mould and bacteria from growing.

Boiled cabbage is one of the most healthful foods around, but the odour it gives off as it cooks is a major turn-off.

• To sweeten the air – and perk up cabbage's flavour at the same time – add half a lemon to the cooking water.

There's no better natural kitchen deodorizer than a batch of baking brownies.

• It doesn't matter if they're homemade brownies or made out of a box, your family (and their noses) will thank you for it.

Don't buy an air freshener when you can get rid of kitchen odours at a fraction of the cost with baked lemon.

• Simply slice two lemons, put them on a foil-lined cookie sheet and bake them in a preheated oven at 105 °C (225 °F) for about 60 to 90 minutes.
• To prolong the cleansing effect once the heat's turned off, open the oven door and leave the lemons on the rack for a few hours.

Using salt and baking soda to unclog a drain will put an end to bad drain odours at the same time.

• Pour 250 grams (one cup) of salt into the drain followed by 250 grams (one cup) of baking soda. Pour a kettle full of boiling water down the drain and let all that hard-working sodium get busy.

Wherever food gets ground up every day, odour-causing bacteria follow, thriving in the cracks and crevices deep inside a garbage disposal.

• To keep unpleasant smells from wafting out of your disposal, try regularly grinding these odour busters: citrus peels (lemon, lime, orange or grapefruit) or a couple of bunches of fresh mint. You'll soon notice the difference by what you're not smelling.

When kitchen air gets stale, you can liven it up by simmering a handful of whole cloves; three or four whole nutmegs; four or five cinnamon sticks, and perhaps a few orange or lemon peels in a large pot of water for an hour. But don't just pour this bubbling deodorizer down the drain!

• After boiling, strain the cooled liquid into spray bottles. Use a spritz of it in the kitchen and anywhere else the air could use a little freshening.
• You can also strain the cooled liquid into regular bottles. By putting a dab of the solution on cotton balls, you can tuck the cotton balls into kitchen cupboards or pantries, for a refreshing scent in tight spaces.

These homemade odour-killing solutions make it easy to keep your kitchen smelling clean, fresh – and delicious!