Hello!

We just bought a house and the previous tenant was very dirty. All the kitchen cupboards have a horrible sweet smell to them (laminate) and I’ve used nil odour but it only makes the smell worse. What are some other remedies? Do you have any ways of dealing with smelly kitchen cupboards?

Posted by Jackie, 10/06/13

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  • I would try equal parts of Vinegar and water then after it’s dry sprinkle some Nil-Odour throughout the cupboards.


  • I would totally clean them out with jif and warm water.


  • Whenever something smell I sit a bowl of vanilla essences, that always seems to work


  • i was wondering this because our cupboards smell like mould but i can’t see any. bleach and wiping and airing out only works until you have to shut it up again.


  • put little containers (jar lids) full of bicarb soda in the back of the cupboard. This absorbs the smell. SO you’ll have to change them frequently to start with and then less and less as the smell goes away. Put another little tub beside it of either citric peel or vanilla essence for a nice smell.


  • Depends if the smell is actually in the wood or not. You can buy scented liners that you put in drawers. I would line them in the cupboard.


  • if the smell has gotten into the wood you are in trouble – won’t come out


  • Try wiping the cupboards out with a mixture of white vinegar and water. If that doesn’t work, you may want to try a weak bleach solution, or vanilla essence in water. Bicarb soda often absorbs odours, but I swear by a bowl or plate with fresh unused coffee grounds in it. It will absorb the odour and leave a coffee smell if you don’t mind the smell of coffee.


  • Give them a good air out and clean with vinegar then put open containers of bicarb in your cupboards to get rid of the smell.


  • Wash them out with vinegar and put several opened packets of bicarb at the back of the cupboards. Hope this helps.


  • there are some good comments here


  • How did you end up going?


  • Did you try the open tub of bicarbonate? You can also use activated carbon too!


  • wash with soapy water, then wipe down with vanilla.


  • Would love to hear what the solution was


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