Removing rotten meat odor from travel trailer freezer/fridge

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X-PertPool

X-PertPool

0
TFP Expert
In The Industry
Jun 12, 2009
1,385
Exeter, PA
Just wanted to see if anyone had any tips on removing the foul odor from rotten meat from a travel trailer freezer/fridge. We lost power to the fridge for two weeks. We've tried a whole bunch of stuff so far which has made it a little better, but I could use all the help I can get.
 
Re: Removing rotten meat odor from travel trailer freezer/fr

3:1 diluted clorox along with some detergent. Chlorine will oxidize the organics causing the odor....just like it oxidizes the organics in your pool. :lol:
 
Re: Removing rotten meat odor from travel trailer freezer/fr

while I leave the trailer for a week, should I leave the doors open and the windows open in the trailer to air everything out? or should I keep the doors closed on the fridge and lock in charcoal,vinergar, or bowls of bleach to concentrate on that area
 
Re: Removing rotten meat odor from travel trailer freezer/fr

X-PertPool said:
while I leave the trailer for a week, should I leave the doors open and the windows open in the trailer to air everything out? or should I keep the doors closed on the fridge and lock in charcoal,vinergar, or bowls of bleach to concentrate on that area
Click to expand...


I've had the same thing happen to me.
I opened the fridge and freezer and bleached every surface I could reach.
Then a box fan was used to dry overnight.
This process was repeated 3 times to complete the cleanup.
 
Re: Removing rotten meat odor from travel trailer freezer/fr

Thanks for all the replies, so far I've been using a lot of bleach, the gaskets are the hard part as the multiple flaps in the gaskets make it hard to get in and hit every surface. I'm now using 409 spray (antibacterial) dimenthyl benzyl ammonium chloride 0.3% to spray inside the gaskets to hopeful hit the areas where I couldn't fit a rag soaked in bleach. I think I'm going to leave all the windows open and leave the fridge doors open (while off) to help air everything out.
 

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Re: Removing rotten meat odor from travel trailer freezer/fr

If none of that stuff works, my family owns a janitorial supply business and one of the products we sell is called Consume by Spartan Chemicals, it is an enzymatic cleaner and one of its uses is removing the bad smell from dumpsters. If it can lower those odors it can help with almost anything, a 1 quart bottle should do what you need and should sell for around $6-8, you can find a local spartan chemical dealer from their web site www.spartanchemical.com note a little goes a long way, the key to success with it is repeat dosing every couple of days.

Ike
 
Re: Removing rotten meat odor from travel trailer freezer/fr

A few years ago I brined a turkey in a beverage cooler. I cooked the turkey and completely forgot about the cooler for 6 months. Needless to say, it was nasty! I tried bleach, all sorts of cleaning products, it got clean but the odor just wouldn't go away.... until I soaked it in a solution of commercial sanitizer from Sam's club it is a quaternary ammonium compound solution. I just left it soaking overnight and rinsed it off in the morning and no more smell. If you give it a shot, I would try spraying or sponging some on the fridge and leaving the door shut for a while. "Proforce Sanitizer" (but you could probably find some other product with that active ingredient)
 
Re: Removing rotten meat odor from travel trailer freezer/fr

Looks like a bunch of good ideas. I was gonna say shock with bleach/water mix in a spray bottle. That's how I clean the algae (mold from a leak) off the canvas of my popup camper. Good luck.
 
Re: Removing rotten meat odor from travel trailer freezer/fr

My grand parents never closed the camper/RV fridge once we got home and cleaned out the fridge. I think the door latch even has a latch the locks it shut while driving but can lock it open when in storage.


I looked in a Dometic PDF LINK

35. TO SHUT OFF THE CABINET
If for any reason refrigeration is not required over a period of weeks, the gas taps or electric switch should be turned off,
The cabinet and ice trays should be emptied, cleaned and dried and the door left ajar
Click to expand...

37. ODORS INSIDE THE REFRIGERATOR
Odors inside the refrigerator are caused by improper food storage. They may also be caused by too infrequent cleaning of the food compartment or the refrigerator has been shut off for some time with the door closed.
Click to expand...

Reading this I guess they just closed the travel latch with the door open to prevent it from closing. They did this in every RV they owned for the 20 years I camped with them. My RV in my front yard has the fridge door propped open.
 
Re: Removing rotten meat odor from travel trailer freezer/fr

The reason I have rotten food is because I did something stupid. The fridge runs off LP but I turned the power off the the camper which means the electric ignition didn't have any power to light to keep the food cold. I'm silly like that.
 
Re: Removing rotten meat odor from travel trailer freezer/fr

Well, you know that we at TFP love our sock methods............ :p

Cotton sock full of coffee beans. Close the door so odors can be absorbed. Also, once cleared, you can keep a sock full of coffee beans (new one, of course :wink: )inside to maintain odor-free.
 

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