How to deal with a smelly kitchen

With summer comes the familiar scent of freshly cut grass, barbecues and sun cream. But the arrival of warmer weather can also bring some unpleasant odours, such as smelly kitchen bins.

Fortunately, you can effectively fight against bad smells in the kitchen with some good cleanliness and know-how. Plus, thanks to our expert tests of cleaning sprays, you can tackle even the most stubborn stains.

Read on for our top cleaning tips for bins, sinks, dishwashers, fridges and more.

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How to clean a smelly bin

In hot weather, nasty kitchen-bin smells can appear in just a day without warning, so it's worth knowing how to get rid of them and prevent them from reappearing.

To leave your kitchen smelling fresh, the obvious first step is to take out your rubbish – the most likely source of smells. Then, try this:

1. Clean both the inside and outside of your bin. This is easiest to do in the garden with the help of a hose, if possible. However, you can still do it indoors with an antibacterial spray or a diluted bleach solution.
2. Now that your bin is clean, consider moving it out of direct sunlight if that’s where you usually keep it. Choosing a cooler part of your kitchen will slow down waste decomposition, reducing smells and the likelihood of maggots.
3. Before replacing the bin liner, sprinkle bicarbonate of soda in the base of the bin to absorb smells. If you have a cat, you can use cat litter inside as an equally effective alternative.

It’s worth having a smaller separate food-waste bin, both to prevent food waste from being mixed in with general rubbish and to ensure it's emptied more regularly (which helps to prevent smells and flies).

Dealing with a smelly food bin

• Make sure you're regularly emptying your bin, as the longer your food sits around, the more it will start to smell.
• You can try sprinkling a nice-smelling powder in the bottom of each new bag you line the bin with. Bin-care brand Bin Buddy sells a selection of different scents for indoor and outdoor use. Alternatively, try baking soda.
• Remember to clean the edges of the bin lid, as food waste can work its way into small gaps.
• Deal with spills right away. If food waste ends up on the side of your bin (rather than in the bin bag itself), clean it up immediately.

Fruit flies appear when the female finds a home in fermenting fruit (likely in your bin). Read our guide on how to get rid of fruit flies

How to clean a smelly sink

Any nasty smells coming from your sink will likely be coming from the pipes and plughole.

There are several home pantry ingredients that you can use as a quick remedy for this, including:

• boiling water
• vinegar/lemon juice
• baking soda
• essential oils (to mask any remaining smells).

If this doesn't work, consider using a drain unblocker, which will help to dissolve whatever is causing the smell.

Explore our guide to the best kitchen drain unblockers

How to clear a blocked sink

You can prevent sink smells and blockages by scraping as much food residue as possible from pots and pans before putting them in the sink or dishwasher.

A drain protector will help to catch any bits of food residue that you missed, making it easier to put them in the bin rather than down the plughole.

Avoid throwing coffee grounds in the sink, as these should ideally go in your food waste, compost or bin.

Similarly, don't pour grease down the sink. Instead, pour it into a heat-resistant disposable container (such as a microwaveable rice packet, which is non-recyclable). Wait for it to solidify, then dispose of it with your general waste. 

Enzyme cleaning sticks can help. These typically cost around £5–£10 for a pack, and you can use them in the plughole once a month to prevent germs, odours and blockages. Ecozone cleaning sticks are popular on Amazon, but note that we haven't tested them.

For further advice, read our detailed guide on how to unblock a sink

Keep your fridge fresh

• Clean up inside – remove all the food and check if anything's gone off. Spills make their way into crevices, so take out the drawers and shelves and clean them separately. After that, clean the inside of the fridge and dry it off before placing everything back inside.
• Check the fridge's drip tray or drain – if you've cleaned the fridge but a smell is still lingering, you might want to check the drip tray behind the fridge or the condensation drain pipe running down the back. They could be full of gunk.
• Store your food correctly – strong-smelling food could be the issue, so make sure you're storing your food properly in sealed containers. No one wants the stench of Stilton clinging to all their food.

If, after all that, there's still an unpleasant whiff in the kitchen, you'll need to look for a different culprit. Blocked drains, the food-waste bin or a rotten banana at the bottom of the fruit bowl could all be suspects.

For further advice, read our guide to 5 reasons your fridge smells – and what to do about it

Check your dishwasher and washing machine

• Freshen up your dishwasher – clean the dishwasher filter at the bottom of the interior. The inner filter can be cleaned under a tap with a soft brush, while the outer metal filter only needs rinsing with hot water. Next, check the door seal for any mildew or smelly spots. Finally, run your dishwasher, empty, on the hottest cycle available (usually the intensive wash). You can use a dishwasher cleaner for this to help tackle limescale and grime.
• Freshen up your washing machine – the warm, damp environment inside your appliance is the ideal breeding ground for bacteria. Running a service wash without any clothes in the machine can help. You can also try washing out the detergent drawer and lint filter. For serious problems, it's often worth calling in a professional repairer – check Which? Trusted Traders.

For more tips, see our guide on how to deep clean your kitchen appliances

Our cleaning-spray tests

To help you leave your kitchen looking (and smelling) its best, we've tested a selection of sprays to see which ones effortlessly tackle tricky stains. Our experts have tried kitchen cleaning sprays from big-name brands including Dettol and Mr Muscle, as well as own-brand alternatives from the likes of Lidl and Tesco.

We test each kitchen spray on tough cooking stains including baked-on grease, starchy spills such as rice water, and stubborn stains such as curry sauce. 

To see which products we recommend, see our in-depth guide on the best cleaning sprays