How to get rid of fish smell after cooking

Step by step

1. 1

   Vent while cooking and after

   Run a range hood that vents outdoors while you cook fish and for 10 to 20 minutes afterward. Open windows if you can.

   Why: It pulls out the odor and oily aerosol before they settle on surfaces and fabric.

2. 2

   Get scraps and wrappers out

   Take fish skin, bones and packaging straight out to an outdoor bin rather than leaving them in the kitchen trash.

   Why: Bacteria keep producing trimethylamine from fish scraps, so the trash becomes a fresh source.

3. 3

   Wash pans, counters and the hood filter

   Wash cookware and utensils in hot soapy water, wipe counters and the stovetop, and clean the range hood's grease filter.

   Why: Fish oil settles on nearby surfaces and carries the smell. Detergent removes it.

4. 4

   Wipe with a mild acid

   Wipe sinks, cutting boards and non-stone counters with diluted white vinegar or lemon juice, then rinse. Skip this on marble, limestone or travertine.

   Why: Trimethylamine is a base. Acid binds it into a non-volatile salt, so it stops smelling.

5. 5

   Steam the microwave if you used it

   Wipe the cavity with vinegar and water, then heat 2 cups of water with lemon juice on high for about 5 minutes and leave the door closed 10 to 30 minutes. See fish smell in a microwave.

   Why: Acidic steam loosens oily spatter and neutralizes trimethylamine on the walls.

Why fish smells fishy

Ocean fish fill their cells with trimethylamine oxide (TMAO) to balance the salt in seawater. After the fish dies, bacteria and the fish's own enzymes turn it into trimethylamine (TMA), the compound behind the fishy smell. That's why really fresh fish has little odor and why the smell grows the longer it sits.

Freshwater fish build up little TMAO, so they smell milder, though bottom-feeders can taste muddy from compounds made by algae. Cooking adds a second problem: fish oils, which are unsaturated fats, spatter as a fine aerosol that settles on surfaces and fabric.

Why lemon and vinegar work and air fresheners don't

TMA is a volatile base. Fragrance can't change that, so the smell comes back once the scent fades. A mild acid such as lemon juice or vinegar reacts with TMA to form a salt that stays dissolved in water instead of drifting into the air. Rinsing the surface then carries it away.

Acids etch calcareous stone, so keep them off marble, limestone and travertine and use dish soap and water there. For a whole-house plan, see fish smell in a house.

By situation

Fish smell on clothes

Fish oil is an oil-based stain. Work heavy-duty liquid detergent into the spot and wash in the hottest water safe for the fabric. Check before drying, because heat sets oily stains, and if the smell lingers, soak in baking soda and water and wash again.

Fish smell on hands and cutting boards

Rinse with water first, then rub with lemon juice or diluted vinegar and wash with soap. The acid neutralizes trimethylamine left on the surface.

Marble or limestone counters

Don't use lemon or vinegar. Wash with mild dish soap and water and rinse well.

The fish itself smells strongly

A strong fishy smell means much of the TMAO has already become TMA. Lemon can mask that smell, but it doesn't make spoiled fish safe to eat.

What not to do

• Don't use lemon or vinegar on marble, limestone or travertine. Acid dissolves calcium carbonate and etches the surface, sealed or not.
• Don't leave fish scraps in the kitchen trash. They keep producing odor as bacteria break them down.
• Don't mix vinegar with chlorine bleach. Acid plus bleach releases chlorine gas.
• Don't machine-dry clothes that still smell of fish. Heat sets oily stains and the odor with them.

Other methods that work

Baking soda

An open box or bowl of baking soda can absorb some lingering odor in the fridge or kitchen, and a baking soda soak helps fishy laundry.

Caution: It's a supplement. It doesn't neutralize trimethylamine the way acid does.

Stain still there?

The kitchen still smells the next day

Check the trash, the sink drain, the hood filter and dish towels. Wash or remove whichever holds the residue.

Clothes still smell fishy after washing

Repeat with heavy-duty detergent in the hottest safe water, and soak in baking soda and water before the second wash.

Safety

• Never mix vinegar or lemon juice with chlorine bleach.

Never mix cleaning products; see chemicals you must never combine.

Questions

Get rid of fish smell in a specific place

• Fish smell in the house
• Fish smell in a microwave