Heating Vinegar For Odors

I burned a low carb tortilla in a non-stick frying pan. The whole house absolutely stank. I used air neutralizer sprays, wiped down the countertop next to the burner, opened windows, ran the heat to blow air, ran the electric air filter cleaners, grumbled... Two days later I could still smell it.

It was suggested I heat some vinegar for 30 seconds in the microwave and put it in each room. Never did get to each room because the situation seems to be solved. I put the bowl in the kitchen next to the exact same location where the pan burned the tortilla. It seemed to reduce the smell that lingered in the air some hours later and even reduced the smell that could have (but didn't) come from the onions and green peppers I was sauteeing for dinner. I am planning on leaving a dish of vinegar out on a full time basis. I had originally left the vinegar out without heating and it didn't seem to make a difference.

My next problem is getting the carbon deposit off the non-stick frying pan. In desperation, I used a gentle oven cleaner and scraped the surface. It helped, but there is still a coating in the pan. Would you like to make any suggestions? As of right now, this pan is headed for the trash, so anything I do can only be an improvement. By the way, Brillo didn't remove the burnt coating.

By Holly from Richardson, TX