Stinky (DEAD) Fridge REMIDIES

[Casey]

My fridge, stove and other appliances have up and died in the last 4 weeks. A friend of the family gave us a 3 year old fridge but the catch is, he left food in it for 4 weeks after his electric was turned off and now it reaks (literally like a dead animal!) I've tried everything from bleach to vinegar to get the smell out! We got it 2 nights ago now. We have a bowl of baking soda and charcoal in each side but no Borax yet...

Does anyone here know of a solution to help me not throw this stinking thing out the door?
PLEASE HELP ME!!! (I have to work all day so I won't be back in til after 9pm.) Thanks.

 

[AnnaK]

First off, my sympathies on the loss of your major appliances. Replacing them is a pain in the butt.

As to the stinky fridge -- it took some weeks for it to get that way and it'll take time to restore it. Is it at all possible for you to lay it on its back with the door open so the inside is exposed to the sun? If so, spray it with Clorox and leave it out for the sun to dry.

Another approach might be an enzymatic spray product to remove pet odours from carpets. We use something called ZEP Odor Control from Home Depot. I don't know how it would work on nonporous surfaces but it's worth a try.

Anna

 

[The Mermaid Queen]

Good luck... I tried to resurrect 2 refrigerators after Katrina, but it was hopeless. I did bleach, I did charcoal, I did damp newspaper (which works for tupperware, btw!) I did vinegar, I used odor removers, I did bleach in the sun. I even tried burning my Lampe Berger inside them!
I ended up leaving them with the house... new new owner wanted them, even though they still had a BAD odor

 

[Marillion Fan]

I work in the appliance field and know that laying a refrig on its back is not good at all to do there is oil in the compressor that will run out into the condenser in the back and cause a lot more problems.

As for the smell baking soda & charcoal are the best things that can be used other than just letting it sit with the door open to let fresh air in.
It will take some time and may still end up having an oder to it the plastic inside does tend to absorb oders.
I you do end up needed to purchase a new unit I would suggest that you buy the extended service that they offer or contact the manuf. and purchase theirs.
I tell people that new appliances are going to last about 3-5 yrs no matter what price you pay.

 

[JohnT]

First, make sure to run the refrigerator, because otherwise the fan that circulates the air won't be running. All the other suggestions are good. We had one quit on us while we were on vacation. Vanilla applied liberally can help as well.

 

[Casey]

Thank you all for the tips!

I smelled it a bit ago after sitting with charcoal, baking soda and a newspaper and it smells almost ten times better but still has a faint smell. (OMG it stunk!) I also heard that if I get lemon juice and spritz it, it may also help but the charcoal and BS seem to be helping unless it's the paper.

Now I think all I have to do is buy a stove. The brain went out of it 6 weeks ago...

Oh, I always buy extended warrenties on all my appliances!
It comes in handy more times than I wish to think about.

 

[Rangerman]

Don't know if this would work or not - but - you might try sprinkling unused coffee grounds around inside. A few years ago, the daughter's boyfriend left some opened squid (fish bait) in the trunk of her car while on a trip to Destin. WOW!
His mom suggested the coffee idea - and be danged if it didn't remove most if not all of the odor. Imagine that locked up in a hot car trunk for a day or two :lol: :lol:
Give it a whirl - its worth a shot to see if it helps any.

 

[Casey]

Okay Rangerman,
Now I have charcoal, BS, yesterday's paper and coffee grounds in my fridge!

It couldn't make it any worse now could it?! Unless someone opens the door and says WTH???

I'll let ya know in the morning how it smells...
Thanks for the tips! I sooooo do appreciate it!

 

[Casey]

It's been atleast 8 hours since adding the coffe and the smell is just a faint hint and almost gone! I can't believe I won't have to blow this thing up in the back yard! WOOOOOO HOOOOOOOOOOO!

Who knew (other than Rangerman) that fresh coffee grounds absorbs nastiness??!!!!
I'm going to remember this tip when something else reaks!

P.S.
I put it in a bowl so I didn't have to clean out the whole fridge!

 

[Marillion Fan]

coffee grounds are a good tip I'll have to try and remember that when people ask.

 

[KurtV]

I salvaged several reefers after Katrina. The key to getting rid of the remaining smell is chlorine and continuous and really, really thorough cleaning. You need to pull everything you possibly can from the inside including, especially, every screw. Soak the screws in chlorinated water (half a cup of bleach to a gallon of water) and run all the shelves, drawers, and other larger parts through the dishwasher. Use use a spray bottle of the diluted bleach while you have everything, including the screws, out. That will really help. You may have to repeat this process a couple more times.

 

[Butterfly]

Your fridge is probably smelling pretty okay by now. Here's another idea, similar to the coffee grounds:

.......... Coffee Beans in a cotton sock...........

That's the info we got from some folks that had the same prob you have/had....and it worked! Our freezer died one year and OMG, what a smell. We used to keep them in the fridge & freezer just to keep things fresh, but with coffee prices what they are, we use baking soda.

 

[Rangerman]

It's been atleast 8 hours since adding the coffe and the smell is just a faint hint and almost gone! I can't believe I won't have to blow this thing up in the back yard! WOOOOOO HOOOOOOOOOOO!

Who knew (other than Rangerman) that fresh coffee grounds absorbs nastiness??!!!!
I'm going to remember this tip when something else reaks!

P.S.
I put it in a bowl so I didn't have to clean out the whole fridge!

Glad it worked for you.

Your fridge is probably smelling pretty okay by now. Here's another idea, similar to the coffee grounds:

.......... Coffee Beans in a cotton sock...........

That's the info we got from some folks that had the same prob you have/had....and it worked! Our freezer died one year and OMG, what a smell. We used to keep them in the fridge & freezer just to keep things fresh, but with coffee prices what they are, we use baking soda.

I keep a knee high panty hose filled with a cup or two of coffee beans in the garbage can out in the garage. I just tie it off to the handles of the can, let it hang inside - does the trick for bags that sit for a few days waiting on trash day.