How To Get Rid Of Fish Smell

The smell of fish is something that lingers in the fishing boat, in the kitchen, the pots and pans, in your car, on your hands, in your clothes and anywhere else that is touched by the fish.

It is not a pleasant smell for most people. I know there are those that say they grew up thinking that fish was supposed to smell like fish, but most find the lingering odor after the fish is long eaten to be unpleasant.


There are many home type remedies that are professed to work. Let me list some here for you to try.

1.) Wash or clean with a solution of vinegar and water.
2.) Wash or clean with a solution of bleach and water.
3.) If it is your refrigerator or freezer, empty it and turn it off. Place a container of boiling hot water with a sliced lemon in it. Leave for about an hour. Then make sure all the smelly ice is out of the freezer area and wipe down the walls and shelves with lemon water. Wipe each item thoroughly before replacing in the refrigerator or freezer.
4.) For the refrigerator or freezer, purchase vanilla-scented fridge deodorizer. It is supposed to kill the bacteria so it will put a stop to the odor for good, not just cover it up. Can be found in a good hardware store or supermarket.
5.) For a container, pots and pans or freezer, cut two potatoes and sprinkle some common table salt on it and place in the container for a couple of hours. Then wash thoroughly.
6.) Wash items with baking soda solution. 1-2 tablespoons of baking soda to 1 quart of water. Keep baking soda in the refrigerator or freezer where you normally store fish.
7.) For pots and pans try brewing some tea for 10-15 minutes. Discard and wash.
8.) For hands, etc. rubs hands with salt and then wash with a lemon scented soap or mild lemon detergent. Liberal use of nail brush at this time will also help.
9.) For clothes, give them a good soak in NappiSan or any other nappy/diaper soaker.
10.) For the fishing boat, body, clothes and children try "Simple Green". Usually can be found at your local supermarket.
11.) "Simple Green" can also be carried along on your fishing trip to clean the smell and residue of insect repellent and sunscreen from your flies or leaders.
12.) This one might take a while but is recommended as having worked. If you have had an ice chest leak in the car try covering with newspaper. This can also be used for the freezer problem. It takes a while for the newspaper to absorb the odor but it seems to do so.
13.) While cooking to reduce the fish smell in the area try heating a little bit of olive oil in a pan and adding cinnamon to it. The fish smell will give way to the sweet cinnamon smell.
14.) If you want to get rid of the fish smell before you cook it, soak the raw fish in a little bit of vinegar and a lot of water. Is should not affect the flavor in any way.
15.) For the microwave try soaking a wet dish towel with a squirt of dish detergent on it and then place it in the center of the microwave and run the microwave on high for a few minutes. The scented stem will clean it. Then let air for a few minutes.

Then there are also some commercial solutions. Here are a few you might want to try:

1.) Zielonka Smell Buster - made in Germany out of special high-grade stainless steel. The Smell Buster is supposed to neutralize odors as soon as it comes into contact with air and water, leaving it fresh and clean. Try an internet search to find it.
2.) Several companies manufacture a liquid concentrate which sells for about .00 for 1/4 to 1/2 ounce. A couple drops are put on a piece of cotton and placed in the area to absorb odors, in the cabinet or in a room.

A couple of brand names are: "Odor-Away" by Wrap-on Co., available at hardware and hospital supply stores and "Clean-Air" found at some appliance repair shops.

Hospital supply stores carry Dow Chemical Hospital Disinfectant and Deodorant Spray. Spray into cabinet and quickly shut the door.

Hope some of these solutions will work for you to get rid of the fish smell wherever the problem presents itself.

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