How to quickly remove a smell from the refrigerator, ways to eliminate an unpleasant smell

An unpleasant smell from the refrigerator, which can be weak or very strong, is familiar to every housewife. At the same time, all products stored inside absorb this unpleasant aroma, after which they have to be thrown away. It is necessary to find out what the reason is, and get rid of the amber as soon as possible. Simple tips from housewives will help you quickly eliminate the smell in the refrigerator.

The main reasons for the appearance

There can be many reasons for the appearance of unpleasant odors in the refrigerator:

• The most common source is spoiled food. This can be an unopened bag of sour milk, the remains of an old sausage, and much more.
• Fresh food that is loosely sealed sometimes gives off a specific aroma.
• Sometimes the reason lies in the blockage of the drain hole, which must be cleaned during defrosting and cleaning the equipment.
• Problems with the ventilation system.
• Mold on the shelves.

New home appliances often give off various metallic or plastic odors. It is easy to get rid of them - just wipe the equipment with a damp cloth. Wipe the outside and all internal parts of the appliance thoroughly.

Ways to get rid of odor

To decide how to remove an unpleasant smell from the refrigerator, the first step is to establish the cause of its occurrence. Household chemicals, folk remedies or simple washing of the refrigerator will help to solve the problem:

• For safety reasons, washing equipment connected to electricity is prohibited. Therefore, we disconnect the refrigerator from the electrical network.
• We extract all food from the upper and lower refrigerating chambers.
• Using soap or cleaning agents, wash the inside of the equipment. Thoroughly rinse all handles, rubber seals, vegetable containers and shelves.
• From household chemicals, cleaning gels or aerosols are used, which include vegetable and natural oils.
• When the refrigerator is dry, it is connected to the mains and food is put back.

Folk remedies

Expensive and unsafe household chemicals are mainly used for complex and neglected pollution. You can eliminate an unpleasant persistent odor with the help of folk remedies that can do their job no worse than household chemicals. The most common recipes are:

• Lemon juice solution. Add 1 tablespoon of lemon juice to vodka in a ratio of 10: 1. In the absence of vodka, you can dilute 5 tablespoons of juice in water. The proportion is calculated at 5:10.
• Vinegar solution. It is a good remedy for old and persistent odors. Water and vinegar are mixed in equal proportions. Washed and clean shelves, drawers, walls and other parts are additionally wiped with vinegar solution. To weather the vinegar smell, the refrigerator doors are left ajar. In order not to damage the skin of the hands, all treatment is carried out with gloves, and a gauze bandage will help protect the respiratory system.
• Ammonia. The inside of the refrigerating chamber is wiped with ammonia diluted with water. One spoonful of ammonia is diluted in 1 liter of water. In order for the ammonia to completely disappear, after cleaning, all parts are washed with warm water and the refrigerator door is left open.
• Baking soda. It is easy to get rid of odors, remove dirty stains and disinfect surfaces with a baking soda solution. One tablespoon of the substance is diluted in 1 liter of water.
• Potassium permanganate solution. Potassium permanganate is an excellent remedy for the rotten smell that comes from rotten meat or eggs. The spoiled product is thrown away, and the insides of the equipment are wiped with a solution of potassium permanganate.
• Beer. The fishy smell, which cannot be eliminated by anything, can be easily removed with beer. The shelf where the fish lay is carefully wiped with a soft sponge dipped in beer.

Special neutralizers

You can refresh the air in your refrigerator with odor absorbers or air purifiers. These are small devices that look like an air filter. The device draws in air and passes it through the filter. This destroys up to 96% of various microorganisms, toxic fumes and musty odors. Types of odor absorbers:

• Helium device. The absorber contains algae tincture and lemon extract. Unlike natural products, this device cleans the air twice as efficiently. When the contents of the absorber evaporate, unpleasant odors are neutralized and the air becomes fresh.
• Activated carbon device. The absorber will help keep vegetables and fruits fresh for a long time, as it absorbs ethylene. In addition, it removes excess moisture well.
• Ozonizer. Ozone, which is generated by the ozonizer, helps to qualitatively disinfect the refrigerator. At the same time, the device constantly maintains ozone at the desired level. The device has a battery charge indicator, it qualitatively eliminates a bad smell. Destroys various bacteria, making fruits and vegetables less prone to rotting.
• Silica Gel Balls. For medium sized refrigeration equipment, you will need no more than 5 sachets of balls. They will last about 6 months. You can use the bags that come with your new shoes or purchase them separately at the store.

Commercially available odor absorbers can be easily replaced with natural sorbents. These include activated carbon, lemon, coffee, and more:

• If you put a crumpled ball of paper in the lower vegetable drawer, the stagnant smell will disappear.
• Cut lemon slices are placed on each shelf of the refrigerator. As soon as it starts to deteriorate, it is thrown away.
• A small piece of cotton wool is moistened in vinegar and placed on the shelves. After 24 hours, the cotton wool is discarded.
• Ground coffee or activated charcoal can help absorb unwanted odors. Powder is made from coal, which is calcined in the oven. The finished product is poured into a container, then placed in a refrigerator for a month.
• If there is a slight unpleasant odor in the refrigerator, it can be easily removed with rye bread. Small pieces of bread are laid out on the shelves.
• Rice, sugar, or salt can help prevent the appearance of a peculiar smell in the refrigerator. A small amount of product must always be present inside the chamber.
• Onions are good at eliminating medicinal odor. The onion head, cut into three parts, is laid out on the shelves of the refrigerator.

Do not forget that it is better to eliminate the cause than to mask it.

Preventive Tips

If you take preventive measures to take care of the refrigerator in time, you can prevent the appearance of unpleasant odors. By properly storing food and operating the equipment, harmful bacteria will not grow. Therefore, it will protect the refrigerator from specific odors.

Stick to the following rules:

1. Any spilled liquid or spilled food should be cleaned up immediately. A solution of soda will effectively eliminate pollution.
2. Do not put food in plastic bags. They are used for freezers. Semi-finished products and ready-made food are stored in containers with lids. The food in the plates is covered with cling film.
3. Smoked products, fish and various spices emit a very pungent and specific odor, which, accumulating, creates an unpleasant aroma in the refrigerator. Therefore, they must be stored in a closed container.
4. Ice builds up on the walls of the refrigerator if liquid food is left open. Juices should be wrapped with lids, and compotes should be covered with lids.
5. Mold on the shelves is caused by high humidity. Therefore, her level must always be under control. The decomposed balls with silica gel will absorb excess moisture well.
6. Food stored in the refrigerator is checked several times a week. Anything that has deteriorated should be discarded in a timely manner.
7. The equipment is defrosted and cleaned twice a year. All removable elements are removed and washed.
8. The specific smell in the refrigerator will disappear, and the food will remain fresh for a long time if you install a germicidal lamp. All mold and mildew are killed by ultraviolet light.

Leaving home for a long time, a minimum amount of food is left in the refrigerator. And some housewives prefer to turn off and defrost equipment. It is washed out and left open.

What to do if the odor is not removed

What to do if all products are checked, the equipment is thawed and cleaned, and the smell does not go away. Perhaps the reason lies in the improper operation of the refrigerator. To fix the problem, you can invite a specialist or fix the equipment yourself. The culprit for the smell can be:

• Spilled or scattered food debris caught under the seals or between the joints of parts.
• Sometimes the freezer is not kept at the correct temperature. The chamber begins to defrost spontaneously before reaching the required temperature. This causes food to deteriorate, giving off a rotten smell.
• The drain and freezing system are clogged.
• An unpleasant odor occurs when parts of the equipment are damaged or the casing is broken. Despite the fact that replacing the insulation material and seals will help eliminate the cause, it is better to throw out the broken refrigerator and buy a new one. New material is expensive and not profitable.

In order not to have to think about how to remove the smell from the refrigerator, you need to regularly inspect the drain system for blockages and carry out preventive cleaning in time.