How to remove an unpleasant odor from the refrigerator

Regardless of the technical equipment of refrigerators, all of them are subject to the appearance of an unpleasant odor. The problem is extremely unpleasant and causes a lot of inconvenience to the owners of the apartment. To eliminate it, you can turn to professional means or use alternative methods that are no less effective. Before embarking on a full-scale operation, we will examine why there is an unpleasant smell in the refrigerator.

Causes of bad smell

1. Incorrect cleaning of the waste systems and appliances responsible for defrosting the refrigerator.
2. A newly purchased refrigerator also tends to exude unpleasant odors from grease, metal parts, or plastic.
3. The remains of spoiled food found in hard to reach and invisible places.
4. Improper storage of products, in particular, violation of the packaging of goods.

Prevention of odor elimination

1. Regularly audit by carefully checking the entire contents of the refrigerator. Pay due attention to meat, dairy products, eggs and fish, study expiration dates. Check the integrity of the package, if it is damaged, the product will fill its flavor with the entire space of the refrigerator.
2. When the cause could not be eliminated, proceed to defrosting and thoroughly processing the refrigerator. The usual dishwashing liquid will help you with this. Pre-pull the drawers and shelves, put them in a bath or sink, pour over with hot water and treat the surface. Then wipe the walls of the refrigerator well, pay attention to the corners where condensation can accumulate. When frozen, it does not ooze the stench, but after it it may well smell.
3. After thoroughly treating surfaces, shelves, rubber bands, mechanical fasteners, drawers, doors and other details, wipe the refrigerator dry with a paper towel. Leave the door open for at least 6-8 hours.

Practical recommendations

1. You probably have often come across the unpleasant odor that a new refrigerator emits. So, so that the “aroma” does not mix with food and does not turn your apartment into a complete disaster, such household appliances must be washed immediately after purchase. In this case, use a cleaning agent for the stove or a regular dishwashing gel. Work well on shelves, silicone seals, nut holes, and other parts that are lubricated at the factory. Now you need to leave the refrigerator open to eliminate the smell of detergent and ventilate the appliance as a whole. Only then can it be turned on and filled with products.
2. Clean and wash the refrigerator not once a year, as many smart people advise, but once a month, or even more often. If this is not possible, pull out shelves and drawers, wash at least them. It will not be superfluous to process rubber seals.
3. Defrost the refrigerator as ice forms. Always wipe the shelves if something has spilled on them. This is especially true for dairy products, juice from second courses, liquid from meat and seafood.
4. Store food in its packaging. Today, a lot of beautiful containers are sold, designed for certain products. If this option does not fit, wrap the food with cling film or store in plastic bags. You can transfer products to the container and cover with a plate on top. Once every 5 days, check the provisions for the expiration date.
5. If you plan to go on vacation, which involves the absence of a home for more than 5 days, clean the refrigerator.Leave only non-perishable foods with which nothing will happen during your vacation.

Popular methods of getting rid of bad smell

Activated carbon
Take 45-50 tablets of the drug and mash them in a convenient way. You can use two tablespoons or put them in a coffee grinder. After that, take 6 containers, evenly distribute the product and place on all shelves of the refrigerator. Coal has absorbing properties, so it easily absorbs the stench odors.

It is allowed to store the product in the refrigerator for no longer than 20 days, after this period, coal loses its useful properties. To return it to its previous “combat readiness”, put the powder in a preheated oven for 20 minutes. Now it can again be used as a smell fighter.

Table vinegar
Vinegar has long been popular in the fight against unpleasant odors. It can be used as a detergent or as an independent absorbent component. Consider both options.

1. To eliminate odor, dilute 160 ml. concentrated vinegar 300 ml. cold water, add 1 teaspoon of salt and wait until the granules dissolve. Take a dishwashing sponge or use cheesecloth folded in several layers. Remove the shelves and storage compartments, pour boiling water over them, then wipe well with a solution of vinegar. Put on the balcony to ventilate, wait about 3 hours. Proceed to processing the cavity of the refrigerator. Wipe the walls, wash the fluid drain holes, rubber seals. Leave the door open for 5-7 hours.
2. If you recently washed the refrigerator, but the smell appeared for unknown reasons, use pure vinegar. Pour it into a small bowl and place it in the far corner, so as not to spill. The effect will be better if you use 3-4 salt shakers with holes. Distribute them on the shelves of the refrigerator. In this case, it is unlikely that the husband or children will spill the concentrate.

Ammonia

1. Prepare a solution of ammonia and water, dilute them in a ratio of 1: 1 (150 ml. To 150 ml.). After that, put on gloves, take a sponge and wipe the inside of the refrigerator well. As in all other cases, handle not only boxes with shelves, but also walls with gaskets.
2. If the smell does not disappear after the procedure, dilute a new solution, but already in altered proportions. Mix 250 ml. ammonia with 130 ml. water, add 30 gr. chopped sea salt and re-treat the surface. Do not close the door; ventilate the refrigerator for about 10-12 hours.

Lemon
There are many ways to get rid of the smell with the help of citrus fruits. If you wish, you can use several methods at the same time. Combine them among themselves, keeping proportions.

1. Squeeze the juice from 3 lemons, pour 45 g into the mixture. vodka and add 35 gr. food salt. Wait for the granules to completely dissolve, fold the cheesecloth into several layers and treat the refrigerator well from the inside. Wipe all shelves, seals, drawers, do not forget about the freezer.
2. Cut 2 lemons into thick slices about 1.5 cm wide. Lay the citrus in the corners of the refrigerator, it absorbs unpleasant odors in a few hours.
3. Grind in a meat grinder or blender 2 lemons and 1 orange until porridge forms. Take 5-6 small bowls and pack the mixture on them. Place in different angles of the refrigerator. Change the composition every week.
4. Peel five lemons and 1 grapefruit, do not dry it. Put in the refrigerator, pay attention to the boxes of meat, eggs, sausage and dairy products.

Natural coffe
Like lemon, coffee has several uses. Nobody forbids using them together, it's up to you.

1. Boil 160 ml. strong black coffee. Pour it into small unopened containers and place on the shelves of the refrigerator. In the other two bowls, distribute the coffee grounds and refrigerate as well.Change the composition to a new one every 5 days.
2. Take 100 gr. black ground coffee and pour it into the pan. Fry for 10 minutes, cool. Sew 5 small cotton bags and pack coffee on them. Place on shelves and in drawers. As a decoration, you can tie bows on bags and hang them on shelves, in which case the product will not take up much space. Change coffee once every 5 days.

After cleaning, do not allow odor to appear. Wipe the shelves if there is food residue on them, defrost the refrigerator regularly. Throw away all products when you are going on vacation. If you couldn’t avoid the stench aromas, use activated charcoal, vinegar, lemon, soda or coffee.

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