How do you get your fridge to stop smeling?

Question

We left for a week to go on a trip and when we came back the fridge was broken (instead of cooling, it warmed up) so all the food was liquid and had gone bad. We paid a guy 100$ to repair it and now it works. We threw out everything and cleaned it but it still smells like a dead animal. Any ideeas what i can put inside, what products will make the smell go away?

Answer 1

pour some baking soda in a plate and leave it there for some times. Alternatively you can try to put some charcoal in your fridge.

Hope it helps. Good Luck!

Answer 2

To freshen a smelly refrigerator, scrub the refrigerator with an all-purpose cleaner such as (S)pic and Span or Soilax. Clean every crack and crevice, and pay particular attention to the rubber gaskets around the door. Remove all drawers and wash all surfaces.

Clean the drain pan located below the refrigerator. You will need to remove the lower panel in the front or rear of the refrigerator to reach this pan. The pan periodically catches moisture as the freezer de-fr osts or the refrigerator drains condensation. Most people don't know it exists, and if you've never cleaned yours, you may find some pretty awful stuff growing there.

You also need to clean the drain line from the freezer and refrigerator to the drain pan. You can flush your cleaning solution down the drains located in the bottom of the refrigerator and the freezer.

Finally, you can leave an open container of baking soda, coffee grounds, or activated charcoal in the refrigerator. These materials will help absorb odors. (Activated charcoal is used to filter water in fish tanks.)

Nonsence will also eliminate odors from refrigerators. You can buy it at appliance stores. After use, the product can be refreshed by placing it outside in the sunlight and fresh air.

Answer 3

It will take a while to completely get rid of that smell.
You will need to really clean the fridge a few times.
Use warm water and dish soap. Than let it really
air dry before putting your items back. Place the
baking soda in the fridge and one in the freezer.
make sure to clean the bottom tray too. If you
still have problems call the repair man and see if
can give you a cleaning product that can assist
with this inconvenience. They are used to this sort
of problem and should be able to advise you.

Answer 4

are you scared to look inside for fear you'll find last year's Thanksgiving leftovers shoved somewhere in the back? Removing the source of the odor doesn't always get rid of the odor. To stop the smell in your refrigerator, the easiest solution is to purchase a box of baking soda, open it and let it sit inside your fridge on the door. If the smell is rampant, buy two boxes; at about 50 cents apiece, they're certainly inexpensive enough. Coffee grinds may also help. Simply place a few tablespoons of your leftover grinds from this morning's cuppa joe into a small, open container, and let it sit inside your refrigerator and/or freezer. You may also consider removing the drawers and shelves inside your fridge and cleaning them thoroughly with hot, soapy water.

Answer 5

No offense but that should have been a pre trip priority,,,empty all real perishables.

That said,,, Bleach solution, diluted, perhaps even with a fragrance, leave it open, allow it to dry well, place boxes of baking soda in it, close it turn it on, leave all food out, and keep monitoring it.

I'll assume the freezer defrosted as well, possibly leaving mold/mildew in the drain line,,,Clean it out.

You might consider a small inexpensive refrig in the mean time,,, which may come in handy later anyway, and repeat the treatments with bleach, etc, until the smell fades.

Rev. Steven

Answer 6

This may sound crazy, but it really works. First you need to empty everything out of your fridge. Next crumple up newspaper and get some charcoal and put it all in the fridge. Shut the doors and let it set. It usually takes a few days for the newspaper and charcoal to absorb the bad odors, but if you can stand to be without the fridge for a few days, it will work.

Answer 7

Defrost the freezer, remove all items from the refrigerator, and clean it with bleach. The ice in the freezer absorbs odors over time and can become stale smelling. After you clean the fridge, a flow-through box of Arm & Hammer baking soda on every shelf.

Answer 8

Scrub the fridge with some bleach water and then put in a box of baking soda. They make ones just for fridges. Somes after i scrub the fridge with bleach I will spray down the entire thing with some scented countertop cleaner (williams sonoma & target both have good ones that I have used)
Good Luck!

Answer 9

Ok the best way to clean the inside of the fridge is to use bicarb of soda as this draws the smell into it..Just rub the fridge inside with it and wipe clean..It works really well and i repair fridges and freezers for a living..

Answer 10

OK, start by geting an old pair of tights, cut one toe off, like a bag about 6 inches long. Get some crushed barbecue charcoal (the more surface are the better, but not to dust) put it in the bag, do not pack it tight,knot off the top, give it a shake to get rid of dust. Put in your fridge, leave the fridge off. As you have a pair of tights, why not make more charcoal bags, and put them in...the more surface area of charcoal, the better. Leave for a couple of days. Dont use this charcoal on your barbecue, you will get 'novel' smells...best the bin for the charcoal.