For Anonymous: Removing Odors

Anonymous said: How do I remove the very strong odor of brunt food in my microwave. The burnt dish has been removed. I have tried cleaners, baking soda to clean the inside of the microwave. I've tried cooking other items to change the smell. But it still reeks of the brunt applesauce ! Help me PLEASE.

Well, I'm not Heloise, but I'm willing to troll the internet to see if I can find some tips that might help you. One problem may be that the burnt applesauce got behind the vents in the microwave. If you're failrly confidence that didn't happen, than all we have to address is the smell.

Tipking had a few hints that might help. The one that seemed like it might be helpful in your situation would be to take a shallow dish of vinegar or charcoal (briquets or perhaps the kind used in fish tanks) and leave it standing in the microwave for a few days (presumably without using it). If, indeed, the vinegar soaks up the smell, it shouldn't return. He/she also said wiping down with soda water got rid of some very strong odors, but I'd think it wouldn't be more effective than the baking soda you already tried.

eHow talked about removing smells from a refrigerator, but it seems like the same sort of thing. They offered the same tips but added the option of instant coffee grounds or, for smells that won't go away with anything else, putting a shallow pan with kitty litter in and closing the door for 4-5 days. eHow, in a different article about removing a smoke smell from a refrigerator, suggested cleaning with bleach water. If yo haven't tried it, you might want to. (Personally, I can't stand the smell of bleach, but it works for many people.)

Now, one suggestion of my own. If nothing else works (and assuming you've thoroughly rinsed the surfaces particularly of bleach as bleach reacts poorly to any sort of acid), try wiping out the inside of the microwave with lemon or lime juice. I'm not hint monger, but, when I worked at a fast food restaurant where I handled both ice cream and onions, I hated the smell of onions on my hands - and couldn't readily get rid of it. UNLESS, I took a half a lime or lemon and rubbed down my hands. Instant onion smell removal. No promises, but it might help.

Good luck removing your smell. If something works, feel free to come back and tell us what it was.