How to Get Rid of Cooking Smells, Naturally

As one of the co-founders of Botanical Air, a lot of the ideas behind our products come from very ordinary moments at home.

We live in a smaller home with an open floor plan. Our kitchen, dining area, and living room all connect, which is great for family life. We can cook, talk, do homework, watch a game, and still feel like we are all together.

But an open floor plan also means smells do not stay in one place.

We have two teenage boys, a dog, and a home that gets used in every sense of the word. There are backpacks by the door, shoes near the entry, sports gear that somehow always needs airing out, and a sofa that is close enough to the kitchen to absorb whatever we are cooking.

One of our favorite family meals is salmon. It is simple, healthy, and something everyone in the house enjoys. But salmon has a way of staying behind after dinner is over.

Even after the pans are washed, the counters are wiped down, and the kitchen looks clean, the smell can linger. In our house, it does not just stay near the stove. It drifts into the living room and settles into the sofa, pillows, and other soft surfaces nearby.

That experience is probably familiar to anyone who cooks in an open-concept home.

Why some cooking smells are so hard to clear

Cooking odors can be surprisingly persistent. Fish, garlic, onions, fried foods, roasted vegetables, and certain spices all create smells that spread quickly through the air. In homes with connected spaces, those smells can move from the kitchen into fabrics and upholstery before you even notice it.

Soft surfaces are part of the challenge. A sofa, rug, curtain, or throw blanket can hold onto odor in a way that a countertop does not. You can wipe down the kitchen and still feel like dinner is sitting in the next room.

That was one of the everyday realities we kept coming back to when developing Botanical Air. We were not trying to create something for a perfect home. We were trying to create something useful for the way people actually live.

What we do after salmon night

After we cook salmon, we usually do the basics first. We run the fan, open a window when the weather allows, clean the pan, take out anything that needs to go outside, and give the kitchen a proper reset.

Then we lightly spray Citrus Veil in the kitchen and around the nearby living room area, especially near the soft surfaces where cooking smells tend to settle.

I like Citrus Veil for this particular use because it feels clean and bright without being heavy. It has a crisp citrus and herbal character that fits naturally after cooking. It does not make the room feel perfumed. It simply helps the house feel fresher again.

For us, that is the goal.

Not to replace the smell of dinner with something overpowering. Not to make the house smell like a candle. Just to help clear the lingering odor so the room feels comfortable again.

A real-life reason behind Botanical Air

Botanical Air came from noticing these small, common problems around the house.

The kitchen that still smells like last night’s dinner.
The sofa that seems to hold onto food odors.
The dog bed in the corner.
The bathroom that needs a quick refresh.
The everyday mix of family life in a home that is actually lived in.

Those moments shaped how we thought about the product. We wanted something plant-based, simple to use, and appropriate for the spaces where family life happens. Something that could be used after cooking, before guests come over, or just as part of putting the house back together at the end of the day.

Citrus Veil has become the one we tend to reach for after cooking, especially after salmon. It fits that moment well: clean, fresh, and not too much.

For homes that are really lived in

I still love cooking salmon for our family. I just do not love smelling it in the living room hours later.

That is one of the reasons Botanical Air exists. Not because homes should smell perfect all the time, but because real homes have real odors — and it helps to have a simple, natural way to bring the space back to fresh.

For us, Citrus Veil is part of that routine.

Dinner happens. Life happens. The dog wanders through. The boys leave their things everywhere. The sofa is probably closer to the kitchen than we wish it were.

And after all of that, it is nice when the house feels like itself again.  Fresh, Naturally.