How to get rid of smell and mold in the refrigerator: quickly, for a long time and at no cost

Many women dream of being Cinderella. But only from the moment you get to the ball. But revenge on the ashes and sorting through the groats - this is not interesting. What can we say about washing a dirty and bad-smelling refrigerator ... But if Cinderella was a real character and lived in our days, this task would not frighten her. After all, there are ways to remove the smell from the refrigerator in just half an hour, or even without physical effort.
Open hinged kitchen unit

An electric refrigerator was invented almost 100 years ago. And before that, the houses had special glaciers for storing food. So called wooden cabinets with ice. The ice was cut in large blocks so that it would not melt as long as possible and keep the cold. Of course, in the 21st century, every family has a refrigerator, and even despite the high cost, many manage to periodically update the equipment. If you have just made a purchase and are already waiting for delivery from the store, you will first need tips on how to wash a new refrigerator before first use.

New technique: first cleaning rules

Before starting operation, it is necessary to clean the refrigerator from dusty deposits formed in it during storage. And also get rid of the slight "technical" smell that exudes new home appliances. By the way, it is better not to buy a refrigerator with a toxic smell of plastic, you are unlikely to be able to cope with such an amber.

The first wash of the refrigerator will not take much time. There are two easy ways to get rid of the smell in the refrigerator right after you buy it. The first is suitable for those who trust household chemicals more. And others who prefer exclusively natural recipes can take advantage of others.

Soft Store Tools

The choice of "chemistry" for cleaning refrigerators is huge. But it is better to give preference to creamy, liquid or gel preparations. A cleaner of such a texture will not leave small scratches on the surface. Use purchased funds should be in five stages.

  1. Dilute the product with warm water according to the instructions.
  2. Using the sponge, treat the inner walls of the refrigerator, pallets, shelves, drawers, door shelves with the resulting composition.
  3. Rinse all surfaces thoroughly after cleaning. You can use a spray bottle filled with plain water.
  4. Wipe dry.
  5. Leave the refrigerator with the door open for a few hours, or better at night, so that the smell of plastic and household chemicals completely disappears.

Plain soda

This universal tool is effective for cleaning any kitchen surface. She will help out in the case of a refrigerator. Proceed in four steps.

  1. Dissolve two or three tablespoons of baking soda in a liter of warm water.
  2. Using a soft sponge, treat all surfaces and removable parts of the refrigerator with soda solution.
  3. Rinse off the remaining soda with clean water.
  4. Dry and leave the refrigerator to dry fully open.
Do not forget about the freezer. Before use, it must be washed in the same way. Do not use metal scrapers, cleaning abrasives or alkalis to wash. Use a sponge or soft cloth. Do not plug in the new refrigerator until it is completely dry.

The woman smelled a bad smell from the refrigerator

How to remove rotten odor from the refrigerator

Even if we use different food storage compartments, food odors are still mixed. And often a thin nose learns the smell of smoked fish or meat balyk in fresh cottage cheese, and homemade casserole or cake will absorb the aromas of sauerkraut or garlic salad. But these are ordinary food odors. To isolate them from each other, you just need to tightly close the pots and use cling film.

But it happens that a specific, musty smell of missing products appears in the refrigerator, which it is not always possible to remove. And here we need serious measures. And the sooner the better.

Preparation stage

Regardless of what you choose, store chemistry or simple folk remedies, before starting to wash the refrigerator:

  • disconnect the device from the power supply;
  • empty the refrigerator from its contents;
  • identify the source of the suspicious odor;
  • remove all shelves, grates, drawers from the refrigerator;
  • Decide on a cleaning agent and get to work.

Why is the smell of rotten so strong and how to deal with it. The range of popular solutions to the problem.

It is very important to keep the refrigerator clean to prevent the formation of bacteria and, as a result, unpleasant odors. So that your kitchen assistant does not cause spoiled appetite, take the following Grandma’s recipes on how to get rid of rotten meat in the refrigerator.

  • Table vinegar. To remove the bad smell from the refrigerator, dilute vinegar in warm water in a 1: 1 ratio. With a solution of washing the walls of the chamber and removable parts, wash off with clean water and wipe the surface dry.
  • Ammonia. To eliminate the unpleasant odor, you need to prepare a solution: take one or two tablespoons of ammonia and a liter of water. We mix and process the surfaces, then rinse off several times.
  • Soda. Baking soda is one of the most “respected” household products. It not only eliminates the smell in the refrigerator, but also helps to kill germs, since it has disinfecting properties. Just wash the appliance inside with a warm solution of two tablespoons of soda powder and a liter of water.
  • Lemon. You will need one lemon, squeeze the juice into a liter of warm water (Fresh fruit can be replaced with a bag of citric acid). After processing, it is enough to wipe the surfaces dry with a cotton cloth. Sensitive housewives will appreciate the lesser-known lemon recipe for washing a refrigerator. You need to mix lemon juice with vodka in a ratio of 1:10.
  • Beer. Beer is recognized as the first effective means of combating a very persistent fish smell, which is sometimes difficult to remove. To clean the refrigerator inside from the smell of fish, you need to well moisten the sponge with beer and wipe all surfaces, and especially those places where the fish lay.
  • Potassium permanganate. Often the cause of stench is rotten chicken eggs. How can I remove the rotten smell in the refrigerator? According to reviews, cleaning helps with potassium permanganate, popularly - potassium permanganate. First you need to throw out the source of "aroma", and then with a light pink solution of potassium permanganate process the inside of the appliance. KMnO4 is better than other remedies to cope with such a stink, including neutralizing the smell of rotten meat in the freezer.
Check the quality of the products before sending them to the refrigerator. This will protect the device from unpleasant odors. For example, to determine the freshness of an egg, it is necessary to dip it in a container of water. Fresh will sink to the bottom, old and spoiled - will float to the surface.

A set of household cleaners in a red basin

Suitable household chemicals

If you decide to rid the refrigerator of odors with the help of household chemicals, give preference to products of self-respecting manufacturers that use high-quality and relatively harmless to health ingredients. After all, the refrigerator, like the stove, is the “breadwinner”. This means that the health and safety of all family members depends on our choice of detergents. Most often, to solve this unpleasant household problem, they use:

  • ordinary balms and gels for washing dishes;
  • special napkins with impregnation to care for the refrigerator;
  • special sprays based on natural oils and herbal ingredients.
Refrigerator sprays quickly eliminate even the most persistent odors. But they are more expensive than other means. For example, the price of the popular universal drug OdorGone is 800 rubles per 500 ml (data for July 2017). When choosing a store-cleaner for washing the refrigerator, inside which an unpleasant odor has settled, purchase a cleaning product with a neutral aroma. Otherwise, a chemical aromatic bouquet permeates the walls of the unit.

Effortless removal: Top 10 Ambre scavengers

There are cleaning methods that tell you how to eliminate bad breath in the refrigerator without physical effort. But provided that its source is not dried streaks of milk and cucumber pickle a month ago. In the following list you will find the names of substances and products with adsorbing characteristics, that is, the properties of the absorption of impurities from the air. It is enough to simply place one of the ten described tools on a shelf, it removes the amber.

  1. Soda. Place an open cardboard box with the product on the shelf of the refrigerator or pour the powder into a separate bowl.
  2. Black bread. Lay on the shelves a few slices of slightly dried rye bread. To avoid crumbs, lay napkins under the bottom.
  3. Coffee. Leave a small container with coffee beans or natural ground coffee in the refrigerator. For convenience, use a tube of cream or a jar of baby food.
  4. Black tea. Put two or three tea bags on the shelves. Take used, after complete cooling. You can change them every day as a preventative measure.
  5. Rice. Rack a saucer with rice grains. But as a sorbent, rice works more efficiently in a cooked form.
  6. Eastern spices. Take a plastic lid for cans and pour turmeric, cloves or cinnamon into it, put in a refrigerator.
  7. Citrus. Leave the cut lemon or orange, or their peeled peel. You can also fill soda with half the lemon with the pulp removed.
  8. Activated carbon. It will take five to seven tablets, which can be put in the refrigerator both whole and crushed. Preheat the charcoal in the microwave. This is one of the most effective materials. It is not in vain that it is used in the manufacture of carbon filters for refrigerators and special devices for absorbing odors.
  9. Charcoal. The one that we buy for barbecue will do. Coal needs to be crushed and slightly heated in the microwave. Place in the container on the shelf of the refrigerator.
  10. Cat litter. This odor neutralizer is based on a natural mineral - zeolite. Along with coal, zeolite is the main absorber of household odors.
In addition to natural remedies, you can use ready-made absorbers of unpleasant odors - filters, balls, as well as air ionizers, sprays, flavors. In addition to spoiled products, an unpleasant odor can emit a clogged refrigerator drain. Rinse it a couple of times a year with warm water. Detailed tips on how to do this correctly are contained in the instructions for your household appliance.

Bewildered woman peeks in the fridge

If mold appears

There are several reasons for the appearance of mold in the refrigerator: from violation of the rules of storage of products to high humidity inside the unit. Mold spores are dangerous for the human body, they are toxic and allergenic. A favorite place for mold is on the rubber bands of the door. If your refrigerator has become a hotbed of fungus development, use the following tips.

  • White. Liquid bleach effectively destroys the spores of the fungus. Dilute one part of the whiteness in ten parts of water and with this solution wipe all affected areas. Rinse thoroughly with clean water, wipe dry and leave the refrigerator open for ten hours.Wear gloves and a well-ventilated area. No children should be at home at this moment.
  • Hydrogen peroxide. Moisten the sponge in the pharmacy peroxide and wipe off the moldy areas with this disinfectant. Rinse with water and dry thoroughly.
  • Vinegar. Using a spray bottle or washcloth, apply regular vinegar to problem areas. You can leave it in this condition for an hour and then rinse well with water.
  • Ammonia. Mix ammonia in equal proportions with water, treat the mold, rinse thoroughly after a couple of hours.
  • Soda. Dilute a teaspoon of baking soda in a glass of water, sponge or spray through the sprayer. This solution can not be washed off, just dry the refrigerator inside well.
  • Laundry soap. Ordinary brown soap has an alkaline environment and copes with mold. Use saturated soapy water.

Freezer Care

The freezer should also be absolutely clean. However, power outages can spoil even frozen foods prepared for future use and make you worry about how to get rid of the smell in the freezer. If the camera stinks for a long time, then you should use the tips as quickly as possible.

If you encounter such a problem, without much thought, choose one of the above methods. Start washing after completely defrosting the chamber and try to pay attention to hard-to-reach places (cracks, sealing gum) where the remains of meat juice or water from the melted berries could leak.

If it smells no frost

No one is safe from such household troubles as an unpleasant odor in the refrigerator: a “douche” can appear in both old and new equipment. True, modern refrigerators with the function of dry freezing (without ice) “No Frost” / No Frost are equipped with innovative ventilation systems, which should largely solve the problem. But, strangely enough, the forums are full of messages about how difficult it is to wash such a refrigerator from the smell, because none of the methods helps.

Most likely, in this case the cause of the stench lies not inside the refrigerator, but outside - in the condensate tray. Most often it is located in an inaccessible place, sometimes it is even required to remove the back panel of the unit. After thoroughly washing this container, there will be no trace of odors.

Mistresses are advised to conduct a food audit in the refrigerator once a week, regardless of the brand of the unit. And at least once a month to do a "general" cleaning: you should wash the refrigerator inside to destroy odors, accumulated dirt and leaks. And twice a year, full thawing is recommended.

Article updated: 04/28/2019
Do you like the article?
1 star2 stars3 stars4 stars5 stars (35 ratings, average: 5,00 out of 5)
Loading...
Support the project - share the link, thanks!

World cuisines

Jelly from turkey: step by step 🍗 recipe with photo

Macaroons step by step recipe with photo

Lenten salad with squid step by step 🦑 recipe with photo

beauty

Fashion

Diets