How To Get Rid Of Fish Smell? 15 Easy Ways

The fish starts to smell before even cooking. This can be a bit turn-off point for many fish lovers. So, here are a few ways to control or minimize that fishy smell: 

Buy Fresh Fish

The initial thing we can do is to buy fresh fish, if possible, from the fisherman than stores. Because those fish that are kept in stores start to smell due to the lack of spacious storage, unlike rivers or seas.

If you have to buy store ones, pick the ones that have recently arrived at the stores, you could know this with their smells too.  

Thoroughly Wash the Fish

Once you bring those fish back at home, don't leave just like that on the counter. It again increases the level of smell if not used immediately. Unpack the fish and put them in a colander to wash until the fish smell subtly. 

Keep in mind that there will be some natural fishy smells but you can reduce the excess with the water. 

Soon after washing, wipe off the moisture using paper towels. This also helps minimize the smells to some extent. 

Soak in Saltwater

This is another way to reduce the fishy smell. So, prepare a saltwater mixture by adding 1 tablespoon of salt to a cup of water. Mix well and pour it on a dish to soak the fish in the mixture.

Do this for 15-20 minutes. This technique really helps in drawing out some odor from the fish.

After the time reaches, take the fish out of the mixture and drain. Use a paper towel to wipe off excess moisture and salty taste. That way you can minimize the unpleasant smell in the house. 

Refrigerate the Fish

If there is no plan to use raw fish soon, store it in the fridge. Wrap the cleaned raw fish with aluminum foil and put it inside the fridge.

Not doing this means leaving the fish on the counter and letting it spoil which surely leads to the formation of a strong odor.

So, raw fish should be kept in the fridge after cleaning properly. This prevents the bad odors and extends the freshness of the fish by 1-2 days. Use plastic wrap or parchment paper to wrap the fish besides aluminum foil. 

The fish tastes so delicious after cooking but the smell it leaves in the house is not pleasing. But luckily we have some 12 ways to remove the fishy smell from the house. Let's explore each one:

Wash the used dishes while cooking the fish. Because the dishes smell fishy and if not cleaned on time the smell stays there. This only makes the house stink at times.

So, wash the utensils with soap and water. If the smell still doesn't go away, squeeze some lemon juices and wash again. Lemon has an acidic content which removes any kind of scent. 

Not only the dishes, but the cooking area has to be cleaned out too. Spray the cleaning liquid and wipe off the surface using clean kitchen towels. These two things help get rid of the fishy odors. 

Not enough circulation traps the odors inside the kitchen leading it to spread throughout the house.

So, as soon you're done cooking, open all the windows, this allows the inside dirty air to flow outside. That way, the bad smell goes away quickly. 

This is one of the easy and quick ways to get rid of fish smell. If the window is opened during cooking, the odor doesn't spread much making the house smell less fishy. As the fresh air gets in, fishy stuffed air gets out resulting in a balanced airflow. 

Air fresheners are the best when it comes to getting off any nasty or bad scent quickly. It simply surpasses the bad odors and makes the house smell really nice. 

Get the best air freshener from the nearest mart and spray it all over the place. Start with the corners because those are the places we often ignore. Make sure you keep the windows open so that the smell goes off real quick. 

Use air fresheners that are citrus-based meaning made with orange or lemon as they have a natural mild fragrance which is enough to level down the fish scent. 

Sometimes the smell doesn't simply go away, it needs an effective way and that is to use vinegar. This substance is filled with high acidic content which deactivates the odor-causing components. 

The process is simple. Mix 3 tablespoons of white vinegar and 1 cup of water in a pot or saucepan. Then, boil the mixture for several minutes (10-15 minutes). The boiling activates the acid in the vinegar. 

So, once the vinegar-water mixture boils, pour it into an open bowl. Next, place it on the counter or the place which is mostly affected by the smell. Vinegar leaves an acidic aroma in the air that neutralizes the odors in the house. As a result, the bad smell starts to go off gradually. 

Spices have nice and aromatic fragrances which is why we use them in many dishes for that aroma. But their use is not limited to that, the same spices help remove the bad fishy smells. 

All it needs is to gather some spices like cinnamon, ginger, and cloves. Feel free to use any spices with a good smell. Bring them all in a pot filled with water and boil for a minimum of 10-15 minutes. Keep the heat on medium. 

After 10-15 minutes, pour the water into a bowl and let it sit on the counter. That way the spices leave a good scent throughout the kitchen and house ultimately helping with the reduction of bad smell. 

Lemons have several uses and among them, one is to neutralize the fishy smell in the house. The citric acid in the lemon helps reduce the intensity of bad odors within a short period. 

Grab a juicy lemon and cut it in half. Now, fill a saucepan with some water and put those half-lemons in that sauce, slightly squeezing each.

If you can get some rosemary or mint leaves then include them for a good aroma. Place the saucepan on the stove and simmer the lemon for 15 minutes. 

As the water simmers, turn off the stove and leave the saucepan just like that. The lemon steam spreads throughout the house and refreshes the area. 

Cooking fish means stuffing your house with its not-pleasing scent. The scent just gets spread quickly and everything starts to smell like fish. And it is not really a good thing.

Instead of making the fish alone, why not bake something sweet for pairing? This works both ways: a pair for fish and helps with bad odor elimination.

Sweet dishes such as muffins, chocolate bread, and cookies impart a sweet and nice smell which helps to get rid of the bad odors in the kitchen.

So, when you feel the smell is stubborn, bake one of those sweet dishes. This way, you'll be able to enjoy the food more happily. 

If nothing works out, try lighting a candle on the counter. Use candles with good fragrance which is effective in neutralizing the unpleasant fish smell. 

You can choose lemon or lavender scent-based candles. So, light the candles in the kitchen and the areas with intense bad smell. You don't have to wait until the candles burn fully, 10-15 minutes is enough for the bad odors to leave. 

One thing, don't use excessively floral scent candles as its pairing with the fishy smell might worsen the odors. Though they smell really nice but not good in this case. So, it is wise to choose the one with a mild and pleasing aura.

We all know how coffee smells, a refreshing one that instantly lights up our mood. We have been using coffee for ourselves but today this is for our house to lighten up its vibes.

Add some coffee ground to a bowl or a cup and leave it on the counter to sit for a few hours.

This is a bit slow process but helps eliminate the unwanted smell at the end. The mild and pleasant coffee will absorb the lingering smells, helping you breathe fresh air. 

Alternatively, prepare a coffee liquid and tour it throughout the house leaving the windows open. It can be quicker than the ground coffee but you need to put some effort here. 

One of the reasons for that fishy odor could be the leftover fish on the counter. Leaving the fish just like that causes the smell to walk through the house. And it results in the house smelling like a fish.

At this point, even if you try several ideas the smell may not go with the leftover fish on the counter. So, wrap those leftover fish with aluminum foil and pop them in the fridge. That way, the bad odors stop spreading and you can eat that fish the next day. 

Not just with fish, but this applies to any seafood you prepare next. That way you can prevent the house from being smelly. 

This method is a good fit for you if you have a diffuser. Not to mention, we all have a stock of essential oils in the kitchen. Here, we'll use that oil to get rid of the fish smell. 

Particularly, use essential oils made from clove and lavender, peppermint and eucalyptus, tea tree, lemon, orange, and grapefruit.

It works best when one oil is combined with another so, choose any two oils and put them in the diffuser. That way the diffuser neutralizes the smells, leaving a nice fragrance.

One thing you may have not paid much attention to is the dish towels or kitchen towels. We use them to wipe off the moisture in dishes and also clean the kitchen surfaces.

The odor-causing particles get stuck in the towels making it smell fishy. So, there is a high chance the fishy smell might be coming from those towels. If not washed on time, it just gets worse so you better hurry and wash them.

Grab those dirty towels and give them a good wash using soap and water. Ensure that the towels should not have any odors except the soapy ones. In case of a stubborn smell, use baking soda.

Much like the coffee grounds, activated charcoal also helps minimize the fish odors in the house and kitchen area. This is because charcoal has a porous structure which means its surface area traps the bad odors-causing compounds.

So, get a bowl or open containers and put the charcoal in there. Place the bowl in the places where the smell is strong, use more than one bowl if needed.

The whole thing takes a few hours which is a bit slow compared to some other methods. The best thing about this ingredient is that it doesn't release the scent back into the air, helping fully eliminate the bad smell. 

Have an air purifier at home? Turn it on right after cooking is done. The air purifier has a filter that filters out the particles that cause the odors. This is built with HEPA and activated carbon filters, both purifying the air. 

Here, HEPA targets the larger odor-causing particles whereas activated carbon traps the smaller ones. So, when you turn the air purifier on, these two components reduce the fishy smells, making the house fresh and clean. 

In case you don't own it, it's a sign to get one and make your home lively. 

Leaving the trash inside contributes to the bad smell. Although the trash is all wrapped up still the odor manages to get out and give that bad smell. 

So, once done cooking and cleaning, take the trash out of the house and dump it in its actual place.

Despite the dumping, the house may still fill with some fishy odors so open all the windows and spray a room freshener. This will quickly remove the unwanted scent. 

Sometimes a single method may not be enough to chase away the strong bad odors. So what you do is use at least 2-3 methods one after another for the best results.