How to remove the smell from the refrigerator - the secrets of the freshness of the main appliances in the kitchen? How to remove the persistent smell of food from the refrigerator Eliminate the smell in the refrigerator with soda

In order to get rid of the smell, many people use chemical detergents. But did you know that there are many folk ways to eliminate unpleasant odors? Let's get to know them.

What to do if there is an unpleasant smell in the refrigerator?

There are several effective folk remedies on how to remove the smell from the refrigerator:

  1. It is known that the natural properties of the adsorbent are Activated carbon- first aid from the smell in the refrigerator. Grind a tablet of coal and place it inside the refrigerator. Literally in 6-8 hours the smell will be eliminated.
  2. One of the best means is considered and vinegar solution. This substance should be diluted in half with water, moisten a cloth and wipe the walls of your refrigerator well with it. If the smell has not completely disappeared, then you can moisten a piece of cotton wool with vinegar solution, put it in an ordinary glass jar and leave it on the refrigerator shelf.
  3. An excellent folk remedy for the smell in the refrigerator is a well-known baking soda. It can be used in different ways: put an open package with a small amount of soda on the shelf, or dilute the substance in water and place a jar with this solution in the refrigerator. The main thing is that the soda is contained in an open container, and not in a closed one, otherwise the whole point of this undertaking is lost.
  4. And what to do if the smell in the refrigerator appeared due to the storage of spoiled or strong-smelling products there? In this case, the usual black bread- its pieces must be laid out on the shelves of the chamber (there should be no food in it). After 10 hours, remove the bread - the smell should go with it.
  5. Good for removing odors and ammonia. They need to wipe the walls of the chamber, and then without fail leave the door open so that the pungent smell of ammonia disappears. Similarly, you can use onion instead of alcohol and

There are problems in the kitchen.

First, they forgot to eat something on time, then they forgot to throw something away on time, the refrigerator simply broke, and the aroma is as if all blue cheeses united in an army in one place at one time.

We figure out how to remove different types of odors from the refrigerator at home quickly and prevent a recurrence of the problem.

How to remove the smell from the refrigerator at home quickly and effectively - the causes of the problem

First you need to audit the unit: perhaps you forgot about the defrosted fish steak, and the refrigerator itself makes strange sounds?

Here is a list of the most common causes of smelly amber:

  1. Violation of food storage rules- smoked meats are without packaging; bacteria multiply in semi-finished products taken out of the freezer; some products have expired or vegetables have rotted
  2. Your refrigerator is broken- it does not freeze well, it defrosts when it pleases, the temperature is not low enough, the drain filter is clogged, the ventilation system is broken
  3. There were power outagesthe unit has partially defrosted, and again froze all the contents after the power was supplied
  4. You have a new gadget- a freshly installed refrigerator may smell of metal, grease, plastic, so it must be thoroughly washed before using it for the first time
  5. The flavors of some foods have reacted with each other- for example, a fish lying next to cottage cheese not only makes it tasteless, but also begins to emit hellish smells with prolonged contact

First of all, you need to find the source of the unpleasant odor.

How to remove the smell from the refrigerator at home quickly

The easiest and most efficient way- unplug the equipment from the mains, arm yourself with dishwashing detergent, a basin of water, remove all food from the refrigerator, let it defrost, remove drawers and shelves.

Then do a full wash. Especially carefully it is recommended to wipe the joints, corners, inaccessible areas.

Then carefully sort out all the food for suitability.

It is better not to close the door of the refrigerator for several hours and let it dry thoroughly, reload the products and turn it on.

Be sure to put absorbers of moisture and unpleasant odors in the chamber.

If after this procedure the source of the stench reappears, you can use the methods described below.

Tip: an unpleasant odor may reappear if the unit does not dry well, condensation remains on the walls, between the strips of the seal or in the pan.


We remove products and carry out a full wash

How to remove the smell from the refrigerator at home quickly - folk methods

It happens that an unpleasant smell is so persistent that no detergents take it. In this case, it makes sense to turn to folk methods.

Will help you:

table vinegar- dilute in half with water and thoroughly wipe the pre-washed refrigerator.

Lemon juice + alcohol- mix in a ratio of 1:10 and repeat the manipulation described above.

Ammonia- 1 tablespoon per liter of water. Wash the refrigerator, dry it and process it with the resulting solution.

food- dissolve 2 tablespoons in a liter of water and thoroughly clean with a sponge for washing dishes.


Improvised means to combat unpleasant amber

Refrigerator odor neutralizers of natural origin

So that peace and tranquility reign in the refrigerator, and unpleasant aromas no longer spoil your mood, it is recommended to place natural aroma absorbers inside the unit, which will kill the stench and not harm your health.

These include:

  1. Baking soda- pour into small open containers, put on shelves, replace with new ones in 2-3 weeks
  2. A glass of vinegar solution(water + vinegar in proportions 1:1) - leave for a few hours after washing, then remove
  3. Activated carbon- grind 20-30 tablets, put in a glass and refrigerate
  4. Cup of freshly ground coffee- works similar to activated charcoal
  5. Half an apple or potato tuber - leave for a while inside the chamber
  6. citrus peel- lemon, orange, tangerine
  7. Ground cinnamon mixed with vinegar 1:1- It is recommended to keep an open jar with it in the refrigerator

Tip: Place a few crumpled sheets of paper in the lower vegetable tray to remove bad odors.


On sale you can find a lot of harmless household chemicals

How to remove the smell from the refrigerator at home quickly - household chemicals

Ultraviolet lamp

A bactericidal ultraviolet lamp will help to cope with the problem - it perfectly understands mold, fungi and multiplying microorganisms.

Odor absorbers and cleaners

Their choice of free sale is huge. Appliances are compact devices for freshening the air in the refrigerator.

They work like air filters. More advanced models are equipped with an air ionization function.

They remove more than 90% of all bacteria, and with regular work they even cope with E. coli.

There are several types:

  1. silica gel balls- you can buy special ones or use those that are put in boxes with new shoes
  2. Activated carbon absorbers- remove moisture, ethylene from fruits and vegetables
  3. Ozonators- perfectly remove unwanted aromas, slow down the processes of decay; have a battery with a charge indicator
  4. Gel- contain lemon and algae extract; evaporating, the active substance dissolves unpleasant odors
  5. Mineral salt- suitable for multiple use; the main condition is to rinse thoroughly 1 time in 2-3 months

Be sure to use odor absorbers

In addition, special solutions will help you remove unwanted odors from the refrigerator at home:

  1. "Indesit" for refrigerators- sprayed on the unit cleaned of products, after which a full wash is performed
  2. Spray and napkin Top House- perfectly removes dirt and kills germs
  3. No Rinse Gel, Clean Home- based on hydrogen peroxide

How to remove the smell of fish and meat from the refrigerator at home quickly?

These two types of odors can certainly be called the most caustic.

When they decompose, hydrogen sulfide and ammonia are formed, in fact, which is the cause of the disgusting rotten aroma.

The fish itself, including fresh, if not packed in sealed containers, can cause stench.


The most difficult thing is to get rid of fish and meat ambre

What to do? First of all, throw away all spoiled products, after which:

  1. Turn off, defrost and thoroughly wash the refrigerator with detergents.
  2. Re-clean. Add one of these products to the solution: soda, vinegar, lemon juice or acid, ammonia.
  3. Thoroughly wipe the already dried unit - shelves, drawers, pallet, freezer, joints.
  4. Do not load the refrigerator with food and keep it open for at least five days.
  5. After switching on, be sure to put odor absorbers inside.

Tip: You can get rid of the fungus in the refrigerator with cleaning products like Comet, Sif, Mister Muscle and others. From natural substances with the problem perfectly copes

It is well known that it is clean not where they clean, but where they do not litter.

Therefore, in order not to have to study articles on the topic of how to quickly and effectively from the refrigerator at home, it is worth taking a number of preventive measures:

  1. Completely defrost and clean the refrigerator at least 2-3 times a year
  2. Keep semi-finished products and cooked food in dishes under lids and in airtight vessels
  3. Wrap open plates with plastic wrap.
  4. Be sure to control the level of humidity in the refrigerator - place jars and bottles with liquids only in closed form
  5. To avoid mold, place one of the types of desiccant inside the chamber, which we wrote about in the section above.
  6. Keep the refrigerator clean - immediately wipe up any spilled or spilled food (you can use baking soda to absorb the remaining moisture)
  7. Regularly check the expiration date of products and throw away spoiled ones.

As you can see, there are very few rules and it is not difficult to follow them.

You will also learn some useful tips on how to remove the smell from the refrigerator and freezer at home quickly and efficiently from the video below:

The refrigerator is designed to protect the freshness of food. But even with careful care, this household appliance sometimes begins to exude an unpleasant odor. Its appearance is most often facilitated by microbes that multiply in spoiled products. If one day you opened the refrigerator door and felt a stench, you need to act immediately. How to quickly remove an unpleasant smell from the refrigerator, will tell "Popular about health".

Causes of Bad Smell

Why does a bad smell sometimes accumulate inside the refrigerator? If it appeared, it means only one thing - somewhere in the bowels of this device bacteria multiply. Perhaps you haven’t sorted through the products for a long time, didn’t make an audit, somewhere there was a piece of meat or cheese that went bad. Microbes multiply on such food residues.

If there is nothing suspicious on the shelves, look in the vegetable compartment. What is there just not - tomatoes, cucumbers, carrots, onions. If the vegetables have been lying for a long time, they could rot, especially if they are stored in bags that do not allow air to pass through. A rotten onion or cucumber spreads an unpleasant odor in the refrigerator.

If everything is clean there, then stagnant water may be the cause of the stench. Check if the water outlet is clogged. It often happens that litter gets into it and the water flowing down the walls of the refrigerator does not seep down, but stagnates, creating a favorable environment for the growth of bacteria.

A garlic or onion dish can smell bad in the refrigerator if it is not contained in an airtight container or covered with a film. If this is the reason, just transfer it to a plastic container. Another reason for the bad smell is the remnants of liquids on the shelves, which were formed during the defrosting of meat and fish. Carefully inspect all shelves for dirt and eliminate them.

How to remove an unpleasant smell, get rid of the stink in the refrigerator quickly?

In order for the refrigerator to smell pleasant, the first thing to do is turn it off from the network, lay out all the contents and conduct an audit. Everything that has been lying for a long time - vegetables, sausages, old sausages, cheese, greens - must be thrown away without regret. After the inspection, thoroughly wash all parts of the appliance inside - shelves, compartments for vegetables, egg holder. What should be washed? Any dish detergent or ordinary laundry soap will do. Hard-to-remove dirt, such as a broken egg, is not so easy to clean, but do not use a metal mesh so as not to damage the coating. Better wait until the dirt gets wet. After a thorough cleaning, wipe the refrigerator with a dry soft cloth and leave it to air for at least an hour and a half. What to do if the smell is still there?

A clean refrigerator smells bad - what to do?

It also happens that after washing in the refrigerator it still smells bad. What tools will help get rid of unpleasant odors in the refrigerator quickly?

1. Vinegar. Dilute table vinegar with water 1:1 and wipe all internal parts of the appliance with a soft cloth dampened with this solution.

2. If there is no vinegar, use citric acid. Dissolve 5 grams of acid in a liter of water.

3. Baking soda is also good at removing bad odors. Prepare a soda solution from 20 grams of soda and a liter of water, dampen a cloth and wipe the shelves and drawers of the appliance.

4. Dilute a teaspoon of ammonia in a liter of water.

After treatment with such compounds, the inside of the household appliance usually does not smell. The main thing is to ventilate the refrigerator again and let it dry naturally.

How to get rid of bad smell in the refrigerator permanently?

To ensure that your “food treasure chest” never smells bad, always be careful not to leave old food in there. Sort out food in time, always wipe the shelves if something accidentally spills. And you can also try the action of sorbents, which literally absorb bad odors. These include:

1. Soda.
2. Activated carbon.
3. Fig.
4. Sugar.
5. Soda.
6. Lemon.

You can pour soda, granulated sugar, rice or crushed coal into a small bowl and put it inside the refrigerator on a shelf. Soon, all "flavors" will disappear, because the substance will absorb them. Lemon acts as a flavor and sorbent at the same time. Put a few slices of citrus inside in different places.

On sale you can find various devices for refrigerators that prevent the occurrence of bad odors. For example, ionizers, air fresheners in the form of aerosols, special sorbents-air purifiers. Today, all this is available to every consumer. These products can be ordered online or purchased at home appliance stores. But it is possible to do without them, if you carefully monitor the cleanliness of the device.

So, after reading this information, you can quickly remove the unpleasant smell coming from the refrigerator. As we found out, its cause is bacteria that have spread inside, they can be on the remnants of food or in stagnant water that does not pass through the tube down. Having found the source of reproduction of microorganisms, eliminate it, wash the device, treat it with an acidic solution and ventilate it, after which the smell will completely disappear. And so that it does not reappear, place a plate with a sorbent inside.

Sooner or later, the question of how to get rid of the 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 a good idea to start with a little investigation. Try to figure out where the fetid amber came from.

The main causes of smell in the refrigerator

  1. 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;
  2. 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;
  3. 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;
  4. 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;
  5. 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;
  6. You have put foods with strong flavors in the refrigerator: fish, smoked meats, dishes with garlic and other seasonings;
  7. The refrigerator, disconnected from the mains for a long time, was closed, and a musty smell or even mold appeared in it;
  8. 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.


  1. 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;
  2. 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;
  3. 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;
  4. 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;
  5. 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;
  6. 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;
  7. 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.

  1. 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;
  2. 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;
  3. 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;
  4. 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

  1. Thoroughly wash the refrigerator once a quarter, and then ventilate and dry it well;
  2. Once a week, carry out an audit on the shelves, throwing out spoiled products;
  3. 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.

Quite often, food that lies in the refrigerator acquires an unpleasant aftertaste. This happens due to the mixing of food odors or due to spoiled food. After buying a new refrigerator, it can also smell bad.

To remove an unpleasant odor, wash the doors and walls with soapy water. A soda solution will help get rid of the smell, for the preparation of which it is necessary to dissolve a tablespoon of the product in warm water. Wash the entire interior surface of the freezer and refrigerator compartments with liquid. Store food in packages, as the stink in the refrigerator may not appear because something has gone bad in it. The smells of dairy and meat products are often mixed, resulting in an unpleasant odor. First of all, check if all the products are fresh. If you find the source of the smell, remove it from the chamber. If you do not find spoiled food, unplug and defrost the refrigerator. Wash doors and shelves with baking soda. Instead of soda, you can use ammonia. They need to wipe all surfaces inside the device. Do not forget to ventilate the device for 2-3 hours. If the smell appears from time to time, pour some baking soda into a plastic container and close it with a lid. Poke a few holes in the lid. Remember, baking soda is a hygroscopic substance, so it needs to be changed every 3 months. Regular vinegar will help get rid of the smell in the refrigerator. Saturate a rag with it and wipe all corners. It is not necessary to rinse off the substance. After this procedure, ventilate the appliance by leaving the doors open. If you do not have baking soda at home, you can get rid of the stench with activated charcoal. Crush a few tablets and pour the resulting powder into a container. Place the dish on the bottom of the refrigerator. If you have a refrigerator with a “weeping wall”, there is no need to defrost it. But the melted liquid flows down the wall and enters a special groove. An unpleasant smell can occur due to stagnant water in this groove. Therefore, be sure to wipe the water from the bottom of the chamber and clean the drain hole. Once every 6 months, defrost the appliance in the usual way. To avoid bad odors, store food in containers with lids closed. Wrap cheese, sausages, and other snacks in cling film or wax paper. Do not store meat snacks in plastic bags, they may develop a white coating with an unpleasant odor. Check vegetable storage boxes weekly for wet or rotten produce. Cut the lemon into several slices and place them on a saucer. Place the saucer in the refrigerator for 2-3 days. Instead of a lemon, place orange peels on each shelf. Please note that these products do not eliminate the smell, but only mask it.

In household chemical stores you can buy special flavors and odor absorbers. Now on sale there are special filters for the refrigerator, which absorb and ionize the air. But the smell in the chamber will be present if it contains a spoiled product or particles of rotten food. Be sure to keep the device clean.