Can you ask guests to not cook curry or smelly foods?

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Can you ask guests to not cook curry or smelly foods?

I have an apartment rental with a kitchen. I keep getting international guests, and I am fine with that. The problem lies guests that cook Curry in the kitchen of the rental. There is no vent, nor can I install one, and the curry smell just saturates the apartment after the guests leave. It takes me days to air out the kitchen and get rid of the smell. I've been lucky that I have a break between guests so I can get the smell out, but is it okay to prohibit guests from cooking smelly foods?

 

I'm getting tired of the smell, and I'm worried it will be offensive to the next guests.

 

1 Best Answer
Rene-and-Zac0
Level 10
La Quinta, CA

@Wendy-and-Aaron0 George Clinton and the Parliament Funkadelics!

“We want the Funk!”

I have a two pronged attack to battle funky smells left behind by any cooked food or just the general body odor of guest.

 

1. Get a box fan and place the fan in the window blowing the air out into the world. This will suck the smelly air out of the room quickly. 

 

2. Is a cleaner called “Fabuloso”. It fights the funky curry smell and will have your place smelling 

“Fabulous!” But just in Spanish. I enjoy the passion fruit smell personally but the others are good too. This works for cigarettes and weed smell too. 

ABD55BDD-C5BC-4FCD-B9E6-F2794C6E8636.jpegF1812F76-654E-47F4-8301-A9D828C00358.jpeg

Make sure the entire kitchen is wiped down with a degrease, like Pine-Sol because the smell stays in the grease. 

 

‘You know it’s hard out here for a Host’

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21 Replies 21
Thomas1033
Level 10
North Tonawanda, NY

We just had 2 guests in a row cook curry in our rental.  Who goes to someone else’s home and does that?  Not to mention the total mess they left behind.  After triple the cleaning time (6) hours and we had to wash everything, we no longer allow guests to cook curry.  I love the taste but oh that smell!!!

Victoria567
Level 10
Scotland, United Kingdom

Hi @Wendy-and-Aaron0

I do not allow guests to use my kitchen. Period.

 

I also ask that if they bring in food as a carry out, they must dispose of any left overs in the outside bin, or keep it overnight in their car.

 

We have Restaurants , carry outs and a general  grocery store, so folk do not have to have access to your home kitchen.

 

Your house, your rules .

 

This is in an apartment that has it's own kitchen.  We have posted this as a rule, and found that people follow it. Thanks for your reply.

Susan151
Level 10
Somerville, MA

This all begs the question. Should I not make curries, fish, goat stews when I have guests in the house? How about roasting garlic, baking bread, simmering bone stock?

 

Good food can smell.

Sarah977
Level 10
Sayulita, Mexico

@Susan151  I so agree with you. I honestly don't understand people who want to dictate what guests can or cannot cook as long as kitchen use is allowed and they clean up well after themselves. I happen to love the smell of curry, myself. 

Gary443
Level 2
Massachusetts, United States

So glad to find this conversation.  We own a multi family and live on the second floor. We have an apartment below us for Airbnb and just had back to back guest who cooked extremely smelly foods. Frying onions. One couple was from Taiwan and the other couple were Indians.  Both super nice couples I met all of them. 9:00pm the cooking began and our entire house filled with foul stinky onion and something else unidentifiable.  We are at a loss.  We’re thinking about pulling the stove out.  This thread gave us some ideas.  I’m ready to shut our Airbnb down at this point.  

Megan616
Level 1
Galveston, TX

Smoke eliminator spray works great! I also have a small fogging machine that I use odoban in.  Our smell issues are normally from a fish fry....I still have to wash all throw pillows, small carpets etc.....seriously still considering adding no frying to our rules....