Fish might be delicious, but it is one of the toughest odors to remove from a home or business. It can linger for days and sink into curtains, carpets, clothing or furniture. If the smell bothers you, odor elimination is the only choice.

Why does fish smell when you cook it? Certain enzymes in the fish begin to break it down when it dies. Fish contains trimethylamine oxide, which creates an unpleasant ammonia smell as air hits the dead fish. This is the smell that permeates your home and never seems to leave. Here are some easy odor removal methods to make your business or home smell great again.

1. Improve air circulation

Make sure cooking odors don’t have a chance to stick around. Open windows and turn on the exhaust fan to get the air moving. Even if it is cold or wet, opening the windows just a crack helps. Do this before you start cooking and leave windows open as long as you can. This may not remove all of the odor but it helps.

2. Cover the smell with other scents

This is only a quick fix but works if you have guests coming over. It only masks the smell, though. You can also boil spices such as cinnamon sticks in a pot of water or spray air freshener. Boiling lemon juice and water also helps. Candles also cover the scent and smoker’s or chef’s candles sometimes work.

3. Use vinegar to absorb odor

Vinegar naturally absorbs odors in the air. Simply leave a bowl of it out in your kitchen overnight and then throw the vinegar away in the morning. Place a bowl in each room that smells. Leave the bowls out, changing the vinegar each day until the scent is gone.

4. Eliminate fish odors with Closure Clean

A fast, efficient and easy way to completely eliminate fish or other unpleasant scents from your home is to use Closure Clean. This effective cleaning agent uses chlorine dioxide, a safe disinfectant to permeate surfaces and eliminate not only the smell but the bacteria that causes it. Simply follow the activation directions and leave the package in the room for two to four hours. It leaves a clean, fresh scent behind.

We can help you remove the scent of fish, urine, pet accidents or other unpleasant smells. Please contact us for more details.