How to eliminate bad fridge odors

With careful use and proper care, your refrigerator can last for many years. But even in the newest and best refrigerator, over time, for a variety of reasons, a terrible smell can arise that spoils all the products inside, and is not removed by ordinary washing. Let's take a look at all the known home remedies for removing fridge odor and how to prevent it.

Causes of an unpleasant smell in the refrigerator

Before figuring out how to get rid of the smell from the refrigerator, let's understand the reasons for its occurrence so that you do not have to do useless work all the time. First of all, check that nothing has spoiled there: this is the simplest and most obvious reason for an unpleasant aroma. Some believe that if the product is in the refrigerator, it guarantees its eternal freshness. No! Put fresh chicken in the refrigerator, and the next day you will have to throw it away, and wash the refrigerator to remove the terrible stench.

• Sometimes (and not infrequently, by the way) foodstuffs placed in a brand-new, just-bought refrigerator begin to smell unpleasant. You buy a novelty, gladly fill it with fresh food, and then take out a sausage with a cucumber - and they suddenly smelled of plastic and some kind of machine oil. To prevent this from happening, the first thing to do is to wash the new thing from the inside with a detergent or vinegar solution, keep it turned off for a couple of hours with the doors open, and only then use it.

• Often the cause of unpleasant odors is simply strong-smelling foods: peeled onions, salted fish, sauerkraut, and so on. They spread their “vibes” to everything around them, and even if the “enemy” is removed, it is not easy to erase the memory of him. Remember: any food should be stored in a closed container, and strong smelling ones should be hidden in an airtight container or rewound with cling film.

• The reason for the odor, especially in older models, may be a malfunction of the unit, namely the ventilation and drainage systems. Don't forget about mold and mildew: they also spread odors around the refrigerator, spoil food and need special measures.

• Some products absorb foreign aromas and then spread them! For example, dairy products, cottage cheese, butter and cheeses. This piece of cheese can easily saturate with fish aromas and exude them, and you will puzzle over where the fish comes from, because you threw it away.

Plastic and rubber also absorb odors: containers and some parts of the refrigerator itself need special hygiene procedures. We will talk about them in detail further.

How to get rid of a bad smell

If you are looking for an answer to the question of how to remove unpleasant odors from your refrigerator with your own efforts, then you have already tried to wash it with plain water and detergent and realized that this does not work.

First of all, figure out where the smell comes from. The reasons have been described above, and each of them requires an individual approach. Be sure to check if the drain and ventilation systems in your unit are working, if necessary, call the repairman so as not to start the problem.

The “white friend” should be washed regularly: once a month, at least, even if there are no foreign odors in it, and it seems to be quite clean. Do not forget to save him on time from stale products and regularly conduct an audit. You can wipe it with special detergents that are sold in the household chemicals departments of large supermarkets or in specialized stores, as well as in stores where household appliances are sold.

Also, for regular care, a familiar dish detergent is suitable, special gels for washing children's dishes are especially good and safe. It is imperative to wash all the shelves, trays and compartments, thoroughly rinse and dry the switched off refrigerator with the doors open for a couple of hours.

How and what to wash

Now let's take a closer look at how to destroy harsh unpleasant odors in the main compartment of the refrigerator and how to get rid of fungus, mold and other troubles quickly and easily.

If the refrigerator stinks of rottenness or unpleasant odors have accumulated in it from old age, you first need to wash it with water and dishwashing detergent, and then moisten a clean rag with vinegar and thoroughly wipe each surface and walls. Then just rinse everything off again with a clean, damp cloth and leave the doors open for a couple of hours.

If you put a food or dish with a strong aroma in the refrigerator, wipe the shelves and walls with lemon slices, and then with a clean, wet cloth, and dry. This method will help you get the job done easily, remove bad odors and create cleanliness.

If you find mold or mildew, remove them immediately. Take out all food, shelves, compartments, boxes. Unplug the unit from the mains. You can wash moldy areas with a solution of water with a few drops of hydrogen peroxide, or with laundry soap. Dry the unit thoroughly and find out where the mold came from: a faulty ventilation system may be the cause.

Do not wash your refrigerator with hazardous substances such as bleach and harsh detergents such as glass, bathtubs or toilets. These products contain hazardous substances that have nothing to do with food.

What can be used as odor absorber

It is impossible to completely avoid the appearance of odors in the refrigerator. Whatever one may say, food is still stored there, and sometimes the most sealed packaging still lets the aroma out.Odor absorbers are an excellent solution: special products that can simply be left among the products, and they will absorb all the aromas into themselves, leaving the surrounding space clean and fresh. Convenient, isn't it?

Ready-to-use fragrance-absorbing products are sold in hardware and electronics stores as well as in home improvement stores. They are relatively inexpensive, but need constant replacement, so they are expensive anyway. Why not make such an absorber with your own hands? It is easy and very beneficial.

1. An excellent preparation that will absorb any odor is simple activated carbon. It costs a penny and can be found in any home! Take a few black charcoal tablets, crush and place on a saucer, or crush in a mortar. In this form, put the charcoal on the shelf of the refrigerator and let it lie. It will perfectly absorb all odors, and once a week or two you just need to change it to a new one. So simple and very effective!

   

2. Baking soda is excellent at absorbing aromas. Pour it into a small saucer and leave it among the food, replacing it from time to time. Make sure it is always dry - this is the only way it will be useful.

   

3. Lemon, lime and orange peels not only perfectly absorb all the odors, but also give the refrigerator a pleasant freshness.

   

These three remedies are available, and their effectiveness has been proven by generations of housewives. Try it yourself!

Folk remedies for odor elimination

Our grandmothers knew how to keep a house clean at no extra cost. It is now at every step that special means for washing everything in the world are being sold, and earlier housewives had to cope on their own. But even now, grandmother's methods are valuable and work great, and most importantly, they help housewives to save money and achieve a brilliant result with minimal costs!

Here are the best, most effective folk ways to kill the harshest odors, mold and mildew in the refrigerator:

• Soda is the hostess's best assistant not only in cooking, but also in the struggle for cleanliness. Put 4-5 tablespoons of soda in a glass of water, stir and wash all the shelves and walls with this thick product. Then walk with a clean, wet cloth, be sure to let all surfaces dry and enjoy the pristine cleanliness!

• An excellent way to eliminate strong rotten odors is activated charcoal. Crush it into a powder, mix with water and wash the contaminated areas with this gruel, then rinse and dry. The effect is amazing!

• Ammonia works well at removing germs and odor. You will need about a teaspoon for a glass of water. To begin with, the refrigerator must be thoroughly washed with a detergent, and then wiped with a solution of ammonia. Not a hint of smells and dirt!

• It copes well with the elimination of mold, mildew and bacteria, the alkali contained in ordinary laundry soap. Take a wet sponge and lather well with laundry soap, rinse the entire refrigerator and its individual shelves. It is very effective and food safe!

Keep these grandma's home remedies at your fingertips. They will definitely come in handy, and the effect will delight you!

How to remove odor from the freezer

In the freezer, aromas appear less often, because food almost never disappears there and the temperature is kept quite low for fungus or mold to appear. Here, odors can appear from old age, or simply due to the long storage of meat and fish products and lack of proper care.

First of all, it is necessary to turn off the unit from the network and let the freezer cool down a little, and if it is icy, defrost it. Then you should clean the freezer with a soda solution or use laundry soap, rinse with water and wipe with vinegar.

Ways to prevent unpleasant odor

In order not to have to constantly get rid of the unpleasant odor, it is necessary to properly care for the refrigerator and monitor its cleanliness. Take on board the simple tips of seasoned housewives:

• Rinse the refrigerator and freezer once a week with a simple cloth dipped in vinegar, and you won't have to suffer from odors and dirt;
• Ventilate the refrigerator periodically by leaving the door open;
• Do a constant revision - every two or three days, see if any forgotten product has deteriorated;
• Store greens and vegetables in glass containers and store fruits outside the refrigerator;
• If something spills, remove it immediately, do not leave it for later;
• Do not forget that food deteriorates in the same way in the freezer, do not store stale food there;
• Store all food in sealed containers, and store food that smells strongly in sealed containers, and get used to using cling film.

Keep the inside of the refrigerator dry, clean and tidy. And you will never have to suffer from dirt and odors!

VIDEO: How to get rid of the smell in the refrigerator.