The Essential Oil That'll Banish Smells Of Spoiled Food In The Refrigerator

Nothing is less appetizing than the smell of rotten food in the kitchen. Even after the source of the odor has been removed, you may notice a stubborn lingering stench wafting from your fridge. Instead of using store-bought cleaners to mask the smell, you may be able to banish unwanted fridge odors the natural way. Black cumin seed oil is proven to neutralize some spoiled food-related odors. That's because black cumin seed oil contains an ingredient called thymoquinone, which has powerful deodorizing effects.

However, before you put this odor eliminator to the test, you should know that simply coating your refrigerator with essential oil may not do the trick. Further, it is important to note that black cumin seed oil could be less effective than expected, depending on what kind of odor you are dealing with. Although it is proven to neutralize certain unpleasant smells, there is no evidence that suggests black cumin seed oil banishes all odors associated with spoiled food. Let's get into the science of black cumin seed oil's deodorizing effects, why it may or may not work, and how to test it out in your kitchen. 

To find out whether or not black cumin seed oil will deodorize your smelly kitchen, you have to examine the smell itself. Without getting into the gory details, if the smell has a rotten egg quality, chances are this essential oil will help. According to the Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), methyl mercaptan is a natural substance that produces a foul odor similar to rotten eggs or spoiled cabbage. A 2017 study published in the Journal of Oleo Science found that black cumin seed oil was incredibly effective at deodorizing methyl mercaptan. On that note, if the smell in your refrigerator is more reminiscent of say, spoiled milk, then the source may be a different chemical called butyric acid, and there is no evidence that black cumin seed oil will have any impact. 

If you're ready to take a chance on this essential oil, one expert has a clever deodorizing hack that you may want to try. Building biologist practitioner Corinne Segura told Reader's Digest Canada that black cumin seed oil works best when combined with dishwashing liquid. "I mixed five drops of black cumin essential oil with one tablespoon of dish soap and applied it in a thick layer to all the plastic components inside the fridge. I let it sit for two hours before washing it off. This worked well to get rid of foul odours in the fridge," said Segura. So, the next time you catch an off-putting smell coming from your fridge, keep this essential oil on hand because it may be exactly what you need.