How to get rid of an unpleasant smell in the refrigerator: causes and ways to eliminate the stench. How do experienced housewives remove odors from the refrigerator? How to get bad smell out of the fridge

This note is intended for those who do not know how to remove the smell from the refrigerator at home.

Let's figure it out together!

Causes

The most common The reasons for the appearance of an unpleasant smell in the refrigerator are:

Now let's find out how to get rid of these odors already.

Ways to eliminate odor

The easiest and most effective way to get rid of unpleasant odors is to thorough washing of the refrigerator.

Wait! Let me guess. Would you like to do without washing?

Without washing, only odor absorbers can help to some extent (which will be discussed a little later), but they are, in our opinion, a half measure.

We need to find the source of the stench. Find and defuse!

So let's continue.

We turn off the equipment from the electrical network, we take out all the products, immediately throwing out the spoiled ones.
In the most meticulous way wash all the walls, pallet, seals.
It is allowed to use special household chemicals, laundry soap.
We wash and dry all shelves, drawers, trays well.

If the scent is too strong and you don't want to use chemicals, you can use proven folk remedies:

Vinegar. Dilute it with water in equal proportions and wipe the previously washed walls, shelves, seals and drawers with a solution. It is necessary to leave the doors open for a short time so that the smell disappears.
Lemon juice. We dilute its tablespoon with alcohol in a ratio of 1:10 or with water (1:2). Freshly peeled peel of any citrus will help to fix the effect.
Ammonia. Add one tablespoon of ammonia per liter of water, wiping all the insides of the refrigerator with the resulting solution.

Now you know how to remove the smell from the refrigerator at home, but how to prevent unpleasant odors from reappearing is also important.

Wash frequency depends on the type of cooling system.

Equipment with should be processed 2-3 times a year, while a drip system will require monthly such procedures.

Let's repeat again that spoiled foods should be thrown away immediately, and spilled juices, compote, milk, broths should be wiped instantly.

You can leave a cracker of black bread or cut raw potatoes on a plate, periodically changing them.

activated carbon, calcined in the oven, or a cup of ground coffee(most inexpensive) also tend to absorb odors.

In the freshness zone (lower vegetable tray), crumpled thick paper will help remove the musty smell.

You can use more modern methods.

The ultraviolet germicidal lamp effectively kills growing microorganisms, mold and fungi, not only getting rid of unpleasant odors, but also prolonging the freshness of products.

Odor absorbers

Purifiers and odor absorbers are small devices whose purpose is to freshen the air in refrigerators.

There are models that are additionally equipped with an ionization function.

Operating principle similar to an air filter. Air flows are drawn into the device and passed through the filter element.
Modern cleaners remove about 96% of all kinds of bacteria.

FACT! Modern cleaners remove about 96% of all kinds of bacteria. They say that three hours of operation of the device can destroy even E. coli.

In parallel with the bacteria, the source of unpleasant odors and harmful fumes is also destroyed.

Regular operation of the device will cope with the problem of stale air many times more effectively than bread crusts and lemons.

Today, consumers are offered several types of absorbers:

Using the above recommendations, you can not only get rid of unpleasant odors in the refrigerator, but also prevent their reappearance, prolong the freshness of stored products. The tips are easy to implement, do not require much time and effort.

Of course, an unpleasant smell from the refrigerator can upset any housewife, and if a similar problem arose in your kitchen, then you probably began to look for ways to solve it. So, for what reasons does such a nuisance happen and how to get rid of it in the shortest possible time?

Where does the bad smell come from in the fridge?

Everyone knows that thanks to the refrigerator, we can keep food fresh longer, but sooner or later any product begins to deteriorate, and, accordingly, exude unpleasant odors. Simply put, this is due to various bacteria that multiply in food over time.

Products expiration date. If the expiration date of sausage, cheese or something else has expired, then it is possible that this will cause appropriate consequences, and the refrigerator will no longer protect expired products from the stench.

Electricity problems. Also, unfortunately, sometimes power failures can occur, which by itself starts the process of defrosting meat and various semi-finished products in the freezer - this can also cause unpleasant odors.

Water in the refrigerator. By the way, the food in the refrigerator is not always the source of the problem - often it's all about the water that has stagnated in it. You should definitely check the drain of the refrigerator - it is possible that a clog has occurred, and bacteria have begun to multiply in the water.

Remains. It is possible that you got rid of some fetid product a long time ago, but it still makes itself felt. This can happen if, for example, there was rotten meat on one of the shelves, you threw it away, but the juice from it managed to drain into one of the boxes, or just a small puddle remained on the shelf itself, hidden from your eyes.

How to quickly get rid of the smell in the refrigerator

Special detergents will help to remove the smell from the refrigerator

One of these tools is Odor Gone - it is produced specifically for units located at meat processing plants. With it, you will remove any persistent and unpleasant odors from the refrigerator in a few hours.

Even an ordinary dishwashing detergent can help you - as a rule, it can cope not only with dirty dishes, but also with unpleasant odors in the refrigerator.

In addition, pay attention to special wipes for wiping refrigerators, which are often sold in household appliance stores.

You can remove the smell from the refrigerator with the help of odor absorbers

Use a natural odor absorber - vinegar. This is a very simple tool and yet very effective. So, it is necessary to dilute vinegar with water in a ratio of one to one. Use the resulting solution to wash the refrigerator and its removable elements. When the unit is turned on again, and you place food in it, put an additional glass of vinegar solution there for a couple of hours.

Defrost and ventilate

If you decide to thoroughly get down to business, and exclude the possibility that food became the cause of the unpleasant odor, you have to remove all food from the refrigerator and freezer. Also, do not forget to get shelves, all kinds of drawers. After the refrigerator has defrosted and all the water has drained from it, dissolve any cleaning agent in the water and rinse the unit well inside and out! You should also thoroughly wash all the shelves and drawers that you previously removed. After that, gently wipe the refrigerator with a soft cloth and let it air out for several hours (of course, the doors of the refrigerator itself and the freezer should be wide open, and the unit itself should be in a non-working state).

How to remove an unpleasant smell from a refrigerator that has not been used for a long time

Sometimes, various stagnant odors may remain in the refrigerator, despite the fact that it has not been used for a long period. It is important to make sure that the special drain hole inside the chamber is clean, as it could become clogged. In general, it is advisable to do this procedure every year. After making sure that the drain hole is in order, take care of the compartments of the refrigerator and its removable parts - they should be thoroughly rinsed. For this, various purchased cleaning solutions, or products prepared from improvised ingredients, are quite suitable for you.

Lemon juice

Thoroughly wash the refrigerator with water, then apply this solution - 1 tsp. lemon juice in a glass of warm water. Soak a soft cloth in this lemon water and “walk” it along all the walls and shelves of the refrigerator. After completing the procedure, leave the refrigerator turned off to ventilate for several hours.

How to eliminate bad smell in the refrigerator folk remedies

Soda. With the help of ordinary baking soda, you can completely get rid of the unpleasant smell in the refrigerator. Pour a little soda into a small container and put this container in the refrigerator. However, it is worth noting that this method can only get rid of the smell, but, unfortunately, not from germs. However, you will get rid of this problem if you wash the refrigerator from the inside with such a solution - 1 tbsp. soda diluted in 1 liter of water.

Sugar and salt. Salt and sugar are wonderful natural absorbers of various odors, and if some dubious aroma is found in the refrigerator, then put a saucer with fine salt or sugar there for several days.

Bread. Regular brown bread will help you eliminate odors from the refrigerator. Cut it into small pieces and place it on the shelves - as a rule, the next day there is no trace of an incomprehensible smell. It is worth noting that the refrigerator must be empty.

Lemon. For this method, you will need a small lemon or lime. So, cut the citrus into two halves, select all the pulp. Now it is worth pouring a little soda or activated charcoal into each formed “cup”. After that, put the halves on the shelves for a few days.

Magnesium sulfate. To apply this method, you will first need to go to the pharmacy and purchase Magnesium Sulfate, which is also called Epsom salt. You should mix 1 cup of purchased salt with 1 cup of baking soda. After that, add 30 ml of plain water and 5 drops of your favorite essential oil to the mixture (it's good to use lemon, mint or orange for this purpose). Transfer the mixture to a suitable jar, which should then be moved open to the refrigerator.

Cat filler. Of course, this method will seem very doubtful to many, but at the same time it does not cease to be very effective! So, grab loose cat litter from your newly opened bag and pour it into a small container. The vessel should be placed on one of the shelves of the refrigerator, and soon the product will rid the unit of an unpleasant odor.

How to remove the smell from a new refrigerator (the smell of rubber, packaging, new plastic)

To the chagrin of many buyers, items of newly acquired equipment at first exude a very unpleasant odor, and this fate does not bypass most models of refrigerators. Even if you buy a unit that has not been used by anyone before, this does not guarantee that it will not smell of rubber, new plastic or packaging. You probably don't want these flavors to mix with the smells of food, so we recommend that you take care of the problem.

For this purpose, you can use almost any detergent that is used for dishes. Just dilute a teaspoon of the product in two liters of warm water, and wipe the refrigerator with this solution. Subsequently, walk through the same places with an ordinary damp cloth, and then with a dry one. After completing this procedure, leave the refrigerator doors open for two to three hours so that it is well ventilated. After that, as a rule, you can turn on the unit and use it for its intended purpose.

Throw away spoiled food promptly. If you don't want the bad smell to appear in your refrigerator again and again, then it is important to promptly throw away products that have come to an end of their expiration date. Also try not to stagnate pots and plates with ready-made food on the shelves - it tends to deteriorate rather quickly. By the way, it is important to pay attention to those food products that are located on the door of the unit - often housewives forget about some of them for a long time, and subsequently this turns into a problem.
Sort different products separately. If you do not want the products to absorb the smell of each other, then try to sort them - store vegetables with vegetables, and meat products with other meat products. Mixing some flavors can create an unpleasant odor, but this sorting will prevent this problem.
Store leftover food in special containers. So that food leftovers do not become weathered and you do not smell them immediately after opening the refrigerator door, try to store them in special containers. By the way, this is very convenient for another reason - when there is not much food left, but at the same time it occupies a very roomy pan, it is better to shift it anyway, in order to free up space on the shelf, among other things.
Use cling film. A wonderful alternative to a container can be ordinary cling film, if you wrap some products in it, then you will not only keep them safe for a longer period, but also prevent the appearance of unpleasant odors.
Wash your refrigerator once a month. Not only to eliminate, but also to prevent such a problem, we recommend that you allocate some time every month to wash the refrigerator. Thus, it is unlikely that any spoiled product will be able to “litter” in it. In addition, being sure of the cleanliness of the refrigerator, in case of an unpleasant smell, you will be able to quickly determine its source.
Do a general defrost once a year. You should completely defrost your refrigerator at least once a year. In a few months, many different odors have time to accumulate on the ice walls of the freezer of the unit, and subsequently it becomes more and more noticeable.
Do not leave perishable food for a long time. If you know that some perishable product is stored on the shelf of the refrigerator, do not let it stay there for a long time. By the way, this way you will not only save the unit from unpleasant odors, but also do a good service to your body, because food that has expired will obviously not benefit from it.
Review your products once a week (so you don't miss or forget what to throw away). Of course, it is better not to let the spoiled products themselves “make themselves felt” with an unpleasant smell. You can quite prevent this trouble if you conduct a kind of revision in your refrigerator every week. If you find food that is already close to going into the trash, it is better not to postpone this procedure for later - immediately get rid of foods that are no longer fresh.
Wipe shelves. Wipe down refrigerator shelves regularly. Of course, this is not a full-fledged wash, but it is still better to do this procedure at least a couple of times a week. Subsequently, a full-fledged wash will be much easier, and no old puddles and stains will form on the shelves.
Use special means to maintain freshness (absorbers, fragrances). If you are not a supporter of folk remedies in achieving purity, then we recommend using purchased odor absorbers and flavors. Many hardware stores, as well as supermarkets with household appliances, have special aerosol air fresheners for refrigerators with various pleasant scents.
We also recommend paying attention to air ionizers, which are capable of destroying various microbes by spreading ozone around them. Note that also the advantage of these devices is their compactness. As a rule, a battery charge can last for a couple of months.

Kirill Sysoev

Calloused hands do not know boredom!

Content

It often happens that an unpleasant odor comes from the refrigerator. This moment is especially awkward when guests gather in the kitchen. How I wish that when opening and closing the door there was no unpleasant odor. There are many ways to eliminate it, which will be discussed below.

Smell in the refrigerator

You can list the reasons why the smell from the refrigerator begins to appear endlessly: these are spoiled foods, spilled milk or kefir, a faulty cooling system. Due to the fact that everything inside is finished with plastic, it can be difficult to get rid of an unpleasant odor, because plastic absorbs everything perfectly. If glass shelves can be washed quickly, then the walls require more thorough care.

How to remove smell from the refrigerator

It is not always possible to quickly remove the smell from the refrigerator - it is much easier to deal with its occurrence. Always make sure that spoiled food does not accumulate, store milk carefully, do not put food without packaging, especially fish and meat. Today you can buy different containers, bags, jars that will help keep not only the freshness of the products, but also the cleanliness. If the chamber began to stink rotten, then first you need to eliminate the cause, clean the walls (if necessary, you will even have to defrost the freezer), and then ventilate for several hours.

Refrigerator Odor Absorber

An additional means to maintain cleanliness can be a special odor absorber in the refrigerator. It is an absorbent, which very quickly (literally in a matter of hours) will absorb any stench, and you will not feel even a hint of an unpleasant odor. You don't have to clean anything. Such absorbers have their own shelf life - no more than a month, but then they should be updated or replaced with new ones. The price of the issue is from 100 rubles and more.

If you do not want to spend money on the purchase of an absorber, then you can try to make the tool yourself. The absorbent can be rice or activated charcoal. They absorb any odor well, but they will have to be changed more often - at least once a week. Put a handful of the absorber in a sock or simply wrap it in a cloth and put it in the corner of the refrigerator compartment. In a few hours the problem will be fixed.

Refrigerator freshener

Refrigerator fresheners have recently appeared on the market. Such products are found among household products, but they should not be confused with ordinary toilet fresheners. The filter is attached or installed in any place and exudes the aroma of your choice. If the smell is not very strong, for example, industrial, then such a device will be effective, it will stop smelling in the chamber.

How to wash the refrigerator from the smell

When faced with a problem, do not limit yourself to just an absorber or a spray. First you need to thoroughly wash the refrigerator compartment and sort out the products, find the cause of the stink. Vinegar is an excellent refrigerator cleaner to remove odors. It is best to dilute the substance with water and spray on the walls of the chamber. At first, it will smell strongly of acid, but then the unpleasant odor will disappear. Tip: if you leave the door open for a couple of hours, then all unwanted aromas can be quickly weathered. Vinegar can be completely replaced with ammonia.

Of the chemicals, chlorine and powerful odor destroyers, which are sold in specialized departments, can also be noted. Lemon or juice is also a natural freshener. It not only gets rid of stink well, but also leaves a pleasant citrus scent. After washing with conventional means, you can cut the lemon into slices and arrange on the shelves. Such a refreshing method can be used not only to eliminate stink, but also simply to maintain freshness in the chamber.

How to get rid of the smell in the refrigerator

Although there are many folk methods, the elimination of odor in the refrigerator can be done using household chemicals: a solution of chlorine, ammonia, special exterminators. True, then you will have to store products there, so it is very important to thoroughly wash these products with water, and at the end you can additionally wipe the surfaces with lemon juice. Next, you will learn how to get rid of the smell in the refrigerator using folk proven methods and improvised means.

How to remove bad smell from refrigerator

It is very difficult to get rid of a rotten stench, but this, unfortunately, happens: while you were not at home, the electricity went out - the freezer thawed, it began to smell unpleasant. Bad smell in the refrigerator is not always easy to clean. Even thorough washing will not help here, but only disinfection at home. How to eliminate the smell in the refrigerator:

First, open the chamber, take out the products and parts of the chamber: boxes, shelves.
If the inside continues to stink, then the smell has already been absorbed well, so wash everything thoroughly with soda.
Then make a strong solution of vinegar and water - a great remedy for refrigerator odors.
Wipe the walls with a damp cloth, do not close the doors.
Repeat the procedure several times until the scent begins to disappear. This may take several days or even weeks.
As soon as the freezer stops smelling, you can start using it again.

How to remove the smell of fish from the refrigerator

The most unpleasant is the smell of fish in the refrigerator. It will not be easy to get rid of it, but it will have to be done, otherwise it will be simply impossible to use the refrigerator. An ordinary fragrance or air freshener will not cope here, as well as an odor absorber from a store. How to remove it from the camera:

First of all, the walls and shelves must be thoroughly washed with all possible natural or chemical means: bleach, salt with vinegar, vodka, lemon juice.
Next, fill the clean chamber with food, and use an ordinary potato instead of an absorber. Just cut the vegetable into slices and arrange on the shelves. Such a folk method has never failed the housewives.

Moldy smell in fridge

It is not uncommon for mold to appear in the refrigerator, in particular, this problem is familiar to those who store potato tubers or other vegetables and forget about them until the typical smell appears. You can also destroy it. First of all, clean the inside of the camera. To do this, use any of the tools and recipes listed above. An excellent, inexpensive remedy for the smell of mold in the refrigerator is ordinary bread, which quickly absorbs an unpleasant smell. Knowing how to remove odor from your refrigerator will make it easy to keep it clean.

Video: how to get rid of an unpleasant smell in the refrigerator

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Sooner or later, the question of how to get rid of an unpleasant smell in the refrigerator is asked even by the most clean housewives, who have complete order at home. An enclosed space for storing food, each of which has its own smell, is somehow saturated with a whole mixture of aromas that together no longer seem so appetizing. The situation becomes more complicated if some of the food on the shelf has gone bad. In addition, the problem of smell often arises with the owners of either a new or a very old refrigerator. Fortunately, for each of these cases, there are proven remedies that will help remove the smell.

To ensure that your anti-odor campaign is a small victorious war, and not a lengthy epic worse than the Odyssey or the Iliad, it would be nice to start with a little investigation. Try to figure out where the fetid amber came from.

The main causes of smell in the refrigerator

You have a new refrigerator, its parts are still being rubbed in, it smells of grease, plastic, rubber, and so on. This smell should disappear on its own in two weeks. If this does not happen, the refrigerator may be out of order, and it must be taken to a service center or returned to the seller;
The drain on the refrigerator is clogged. Perhaps you had no electricity at home for a while, the ice melted, and now the water is standing and rotting in a clogged channel. Find the instructions from the refrigerator and figure out what are the problem areas and how to clean them;
Liquid food has spilled or pieces of food have fallen into the refrigerator. For example, milk spilled by a child, dried at the bottom of the container, can easily be ignored for a long time;
Some of the food has gone bad. This, for example, can be a rotten egg hidden among fresh ones: despite the fact that the shell is intact, the smell still seeps out a little. Perhaps vegetables or fruits began to mold;
Products are stored in dirty containers. We are not necessarily talking about poorly washed dishes, although, of course, their cleanliness must also be monitored. We often bring packages of milk, jars and other packages from the store dirty. Sometimes milk is sold in packages soiled with other packages that burst during transportation;
You have put foods with strong flavors in the refrigerator: fish, smoked meats, dishes with garlic and other seasonings;
The refrigerator, disconnected from the mains for a long time, was closed, and a musty smell or even mold appeared in it;
You have an old refrigerator, and all the stories described above have been in its lifetime.

Depending on the reasons for the appearance of the smell, you need to choose ways to deal with it. They can be divided into two groups: means to eliminate the cause of the smell and means to neutralize or mask it. The latter are best used when it is very difficult or impossible to eliminate the cause of the problem.

Tools to help eliminate odor in the refrigerator

First of all, the odorous refrigerator should be washed well. This may need to be done several times. If your diligence did not give the desired result, use anti-odor products.

Vinegar is a proven remedy for odor control in the kitchen and beyond. Mix a 9% solution of acetic acid with water in a 1:1 ratio and wipe the already cleaned refrigerator. If the smell is very persistent, you can leave a rag soaked in vinegar solution inside the refrigerator compartment;
Baking soda not only fights odor, but also kills bacteria and cleans old greasy stains. Dampen a small amount of baking soda with water, dip a sponge in it and rub the inside of the refrigerator. Then rinse it several times with a clean cloth, constantly rinsing it in clean water;
Lemon juice has a mild bleaching effect and is a fragrant odor and stubborn stain remover. Squeeze one lemon into a container, add half a liter of water, soak a sponge in the solution and wipe the refrigerator walls and shelves. Then rinse everything with clean water;
Lemon juice with vodka is an enhanced variation of the previous method of dealing with odor. To one part of juice, add ten parts of water. It is not necessary to rinse surfaces after wiping;
Ammonia is one of the most powerful means, which also gives disinfectant properties. Pour 30 ml of ammonia into 300 ml of water, dampen a rag with the solution and wipe the inside of the refrigerator. After the procedure, ventilate the refrigerator well;
Laundry soap and soda is another proven folk recipe. Grate 50 g of laundry soap, add 1 teaspoon of soda and 500 g of water and stir. Wipe the inside of the refrigerator with the mixture, and then rinse it with warm water;
Dishwashing liquid and cleaning products can be used, but with caution. It is important that they are not aggressive to the materials from which the shelves and walls of the chambers are made. The product should not have a persistent pungent odor so that you do not have to eat products with the smell of bleach later. If possible, find an industrial cleaner for meatpacking refrigerators. It is more effective than household chemicals.

Means for masking an unpleasant smell inside the refrigerator

If you've cleaned your refrigerator and the smell is still there, try odor-absorbing and masking products.

A mixture of bread, cloves and mint. You will need 100 g of bread, preferably rye, 50 g of mint leaves and five dried clove flowers. Finely chop the bread and mint, mix with cloves. Divide the mixture into bowls and place inside the refrigerator. Bread will absorb odors, and cloves with mint will serve as natural flavors;
Coffee. A strong unpleasant odor can be removed by ground coffee or dried coffee grounds. Just put the container with them in the refrigerator for a few days;
Charcoal is a good odor absorber. Suitable for both wood and activated. For the best effect, it must be crushed. It is convenient to pour such an odor control agent into a container with holes and keep it in the refrigerator all the time. When the coal is damp, do not rush to throw it away: it can be dried in the oven and reused;
You can use fragrances or store-bought odor absorbers. Natural, as a rule, are based on the use of the means described above.

How to prevent bad smell in the refrigerator

Thoroughly wash the refrigerator once a quarter, and then ventilate and dry it well;
Once a week, carry out an audit on the shelves, throwing out spoiled products;
Keep all products tightly closed. If there is no suitable container with a lid, use cling film, bag or foil.

Refrigerator care and food storage tips

1) A solution of water with ammonia will add shine to glass shelves and other smooth surfaces in the refrigerator;

2) If your refrigerator is combined with a freezer, never put liquids in open containers in it. They contribute to the formation of ice;

3) Some products cannot be stored nearby. Set as far apart as possible:

cheese and vegetables
cheese and smoked meats,
fish and salads
bread and fish
fish and grapes
bananas and citrus.

4) So that the products do not immediately defrost during a temporary power outage, put a metal object in the freezer, preferably copper;

5) Do not fill the refrigerator to capacity. Between the products there must be a place for air circulation;

6) Keep the back wall of the refrigerator clean: dust accumulated there increases energy consumption;

7) Place the refrigerator away from heating appliances. If you have underfloor heating at home, the kitchen should have an unheated place for the refrigerator.

The specific "aroma" coming from the refrigerator makes the hostess urgently decide how to remove the smell from the refrigerator at home. Effective household chemicals, improvised means for washing the unit, bad odor absorbers will help in this. And so that the problem does not recur, it is worth familiarizing yourself with the methods of preventing it.

If the refrigeration unit is in good working order, and the food is stored in it correctly, then nothing should smell when the door is opened. Why does the smell still appear? The reasons are conditionally divided into three groups:

Violation of the rules for the storage of prepared and raw products.

If smoked meats, fish, sausages are left unpacked, their strong aroma will absorb the refrigerator and all its contents.
In meat and fish semi-finished products taken out of the freezer and stored in the refrigerator, bacteria multiply rapidly - as a result, the meat or fish "rotten".
If the shelf life is exceeded, the “old” product deteriorates and begins to spread stench. If you do not throw it away in time, it has a characteristic musty smell.

Installing a new refrigerator. Inside, it can smell like plastic, technical grease, metal. Before connecting a new unit, manufacturers recommend wiping it from the inside and outside with a damp cloth and keeping it open for 1-2 days. Usually, after such manipulations, the technical smell evaporates.

technical factors.

The faulty unit does not reach the nameplate capacity. At the same time, the freezer spontaneously defrosts, a sufficiently low temperature in the refrigerator compartment is not maintained - as a result, food stocks become unusable.
Sometimes the drain becomes clogged, which causes water to collect in it, becoming a breeding ground for bacteria and a source of a disgusting stench.
Power outages also lead to defrosting of the refrigerator and the appearance of an unpleasant smell in it.

Important: The smell from the freezer compartment of the refrigerator spreads if the products are stored unpackaged or their shelf life has exceeded 3-4 months. Another reason is the water remaining after defrosting in the grooves under the door seal or in the freezer tray.

Methods for removing unpleasant odors

To remove the smell from the refrigerator quickly and efficiently, a "general cleaning" is carried out in the refrigerator.

Her algorithm is:

the refrigeration unit is turned off, freed from the contents and all collapsible parts;
thoroughly wash the refrigerator, shelves and drawers with home or purchased products; corners, joints, hard-to-reach areas are especially carefully processed;
wash off the detergent residue with clean water;
dry the unit and removable units, after which they carry out natural drying - the door is not closed for several hours so that the smell disappears and mold does not appear;
on the shelves lay out means to absorb unwanted odors (aroma absorbers).

Housewives are worried about how to remove the smell from the refrigerator, using effective and environmentally friendly products at home. All means for cleaning the unit and absorbing odors are divided into purchased and homemade.

Folk remedies

If you want to do without synthetic detergent analogues and get rid of the smell, choose one of the following options:

ammonia - 1 teaspoon of a pharmaceutical product is added to a liter of water, all surfaces are wiped, including the freezer (it must be well ventilated after that);
soda solution - 2 tbsp. spoons of food powder are dissolved in a liter of water (you can clean the walls by dipping a damp cloth in soda);
vodka with lemon juice - 1 tablespoon of juice per 10 tablespoons of vodka;
an aqueous solution of vinegar in a ratio of 1: 1.

Natural odor neutralizers

To maintain freshness in a washed refrigerator for a long time, food products that can absorb and neutralize unpleasant odors are placed in it. Natural aroma absorbers are an excellent answer to the question: what to put in the refrigerator to remove the smell without harm to health?

Here is a list of these kitchen helpers:

soda - it is poured into saucers and put on the shelves, after a month the powder is changed;
vinegar with water (1: 1) - a cup with a solution is left in the refrigerator for a couple of hours after washing;
Activated carbon;
half an apple (without a core) or a potato;
ground coffee;
orange peel;
ground cinnamon paste with vinegar - it is kept in the refrigerator all the time, covering the jar with a lid with holes.

Purchased detergents and aroma absorbers

If, despite the use of improvised means, an unpleasant smell remains in the refrigerator - how to get rid of it quickly and completely? The modern chemical industry offers effective non-toxic preparations for this.

OdorGone is an eco-friendly, water-based cleaner that kills harmful bacteria and removes the most persistent odors within 12 hours.
Indesit for refrigerators. The solution is sprayed with a spray bottle, after half a minute the chamber is washed with clean water.
Top House set. Includes spray and wipes. An all-purpose cleaner for cleaning dirt, killing germs and absorbing odors.
Gel Clean Home. It is absolutely safe, made on the basis of hydrogen peroxide, does not require rinsing.

Recently, the following have gained popularity:

silica gel balls - affordable, in addition they also absorb excess moisture;
egg absorbers;
device with carbon filters - filter elements are changed every 2 months;
absorbent gel - able to absorb and eliminate odors twice as fast as other products.

A relatively expensive but effective absorber is a battery-powered ionizer. It not only eliminates the stench, but also disinfects the air, stops the processes of decay. To perform its functions, it is enough for the ionizer to stay in the refrigerator for several minutes daily.

Many are looking for answers to specific questions: what to do with the obsessive "aroma" of fish products, moldy food, like from the refrigerator? For each of these problems there is an effective solution.

How to eliminate the smell of spoiled meat

During the decomposition of semi-finished meat products, a lot of volatile substances are released, among which are ammonia and hydrogen sulfide. It is because of them that a persistent rotten smell is formed in the refrigerator or freezer. Before you fight the stench, you should throw away the meat itself and other food, especially stored without packaging (this is due to the toxicity of protein breakdown products).

first, the camera and removable units are washed with safe household chemicals;
prepare a solution for finishing by adding to the water: a) baking soda; b) ammonia; c) lemon juice or citric acid; d) table vinegar;
wipe the internal surfaces of the refrigerator with a cloth dipped in one of the solutions.

Particular attention is paid to cleaning plastic shelves and drawers, as polymers strongly absorb any smell, including bad. The removed parts are aired on the street or on the balcony, and the refrigerator itself is kept open for 5-30 days. After assembling and connecting the unit, odor absorbers are laid out on the shelves.

What to do if the refrigerator smells like fish

Characteristic feature of the fish – its specific aroma, even in finished form, and even more so when raw. Many users periodically think about how to remove an unpleasant smell from the refrigerator from this product.

Refrigerator is defrosted. Carry out washing with a special detergent, carefully remove its residues with clean water, allow to dry completely.
From inside the chamber is wiped with lemon juice and incubated for 3 hours.
Remove the dried juice with a damp cloth, leave the refrigerator open for 1-2 hours.
After drying and airing, the unit is plugged into an outlet, aroma absorbers are placed on the shelves.

If there is fungus in the refrigerator

In the event of such a nuisance, the question arises: what will help get rid of mold and how to quickly eliminate the smell from the refrigerator? Household emulsions, sprays, powders - Comet, Sif, Mister Muskul, Sano, a special non-toxic cleaner ZOOL ZL-377 will help remove black spots from the surfaces of the unit. After them, the walls and shelves need to be carefully. In addition to household chemicals or instead of it, soda or vinegar is used. Soda not only destroys the spores of the fungus, but also prevents its occurrence (if you keep it open in the refrigerator).

Note: You should thoroughly wash not only removable parts and grooves, but other places where the fungus likes to settle. This is a rubber seal on the door and a hole for condensate to drain into the evaporator tray. How exactly to clean the drain, it is better to find out in the instructions for the refrigeration unit.

It is better to dry the refrigerator with a fan heater, and then UV irradiation will help to destroy the spores. It is enough to turn on the blue lamp for 30 minutes.

Preventive measures

In order not to worry about how to remove the smell from the refrigerator at home, you should follow simple rules. Massive growth of bacteria and stench will simply be impossible if you properly store food and take care of the refrigeration unit.

Food and semi-finished products are kept in vessels under lids, in tightly closed containers, the bowls are covered with cling film. Plastic bags are more suitable for the freezer, and the products in the refrigerator are not stored in such containers for a long time.
Control the level of humidity. Juices, compotes are not left open to prevent freezing on the walls of the unit. To absorb moisture that causes mold, silica gel balls are placed on the shelves.
Modern refrigeration units are defrosted and general cleaning is performed in them at least twice a year, completely removing all collapsible units.
If something is spilled or scattered, the contamination is removed immediately using a soda solution.
Every week they check the food in the refrigerator, get rid of spoiled food in time.

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