How to wash the refrigerator inside to eliminate the smell

You can quickly get rid of the unpleasant smell in the refrigerator in several proven ways. But in order to eliminate bad amber, you first need to understand where it came from.

Why does an unpleasant smell appear in the refrigerator?

Even with careful use of the refrigerator, its owners are often faced with the appearance of an unpleasant smell inside. There are several main reasons for the smell in the refrigerator, due to which a stench begins to emanate from an open or even a closed device, and it becomes necessary to wash it:

  1. Clogged drain hole... If debris or food gets into the small opening at the back of the refrigerator, melt water ceases to drain qualitatively from the refrigerating chamber, and the blockage itself begins to rot, an unpleasant stench arises.
  2. Spoiled food... In the corners of a densely loaded refrigerator or on its doors, vegetables, fruits, opened fermented milk products or canned food are often stale, they quickly deteriorate and begin to stink.
  3. Poor ventilation of the device chamber... Even fresh food in the refrigerator produces a variety of odors. Normally, they are removed by the internal ventilation system, but if it does not work well or breaks down, an unpleasant amber appears.
  4. Small food residues on the walls... When using the device, droplets of liquids and pieces of solid products will inevitably fall on its walls. If you do not bother for a long time to wash the dirt, then food residues begin to decompose and stink.

Often, the appearance of an unpleasant odor is provoked by an incorrectly set temperature. If it is too warm in the refrigerator compartment, some foods will spoil faster than they should. In appearance, they may seem fresh, and the owner of the household appliance does not come up with the idea to audit and wash the device, so the source of the stench remains a mystery for a long time.

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

In general, there is only one way to eliminate the stench from the refrigerator - the household appliance must be thoroughly cleaned and washed. Namely:

  • unload all products completely;
  • disconnect the device from the mains;
  • remove from the chamber of the device all boxes for vegetables, shelves for food and containers on the door;
  • wipe the walls of the device from moisture, and also clean the drain hole;
  • wash shelves and drawers thoroughly, wipe them dry and put them back.
Important! To get rid of the unpleasant odor and prevent its further occurrence, it is recommended to wash the refrigerator at least once a month for conventional devices, and three times a year - for devices with the NoFrost function.

It can be difficult to clean the refrigerator, as some smells have time to absorb too much into the plastic walls and shelves of the device. In this case, washing the device with clean water and wiping it dry is no longer enough, you need to use special and household methods to remove dirt and odors.

How to remove the smell from the refrigerator with folk remedies

You can wash a household appliance from an unpleasant stench using the simplest means. The necessary substances are in every kitchen, they are simple to use, and they give a very effective effect.

How to remove refrigerator odor with vinegar

Food vinegar is not only good at removing dirt, but it can also help remove fridge odors.

They use it like this:

  • in equal proportions, 9% vinegar is mixed with clean water;
  • in the resulting solution moisten a soft cloth and thoroughly wipe the entire refrigerator, chambers and doors, shelves and drawers, a seal and a hole for draining water;
  • after that, the vinegar is poured into a glass, placed in a clean refrigerator and the door is closed for 2 hours;
  • after the expiration of the period, the glass with the solution is removed, and the turned off empty refrigerator is kept open until the remnants of the pungent vinegar smell disappear entirely.

Then, if necessary, the device must be washed again with plain water and wiped dry. A clean refrigerator is plugged back into the network and the food is returned to its place, while it is advisable to sort them out and make sure that they are all completely fresh.

How to remove unpleasant lemon juice smell from the refrigerator

Another good way to clean your home appliance and kill the odor in the fridge is with lemon juice mixed with vodka or rubbing alcohol. For 10 parts of vodka, you need to add 1 part of fresh lemon juice, and then wet a sponge or rag in the solution and wipe the entire refrigerator compartment from the inside, not forgetting to wash the shelves and drawers. If necessary, vodka can be replaced with plain water, but then you should take 2 times more lemon juice.

Advice! To remove the unpleasant smell to the end and not only clean the refrigerator, but also fill it with a pleasant refreshing aroma, you can cut the lemon into slices and leave it in a small saucer inside the cabinet. From time to time, the lemon needs to be changed so that it does not deteriorate and does not start to emit a stench.

How to remove odor from the refrigerator with baking soda

Baking soda is a reliable way to help cleanse your home appliance from unpleasant odors. Soda powder must be diluted in a liter of warm water in the amount of 2 large spoons, mix well and wash the entire freezer with a solution from the inside.

Then the refrigerator compartment must be washed again with a clean dampened sponge, wiped dry and the food must be placed in its place. To prevent the stench from reappearing, you can pour baking soda into a container with a breathable lid, for example, with holes made on top, and put it on one of the shelves. Baking soda is a good absorbent, absorbs fridge odors and can absorb unpleasant odors.

How to clean the refrigerator from the smell with ammonia

An ammonia solution, or ammonia, will help to wash the refrigerator and remove the smells of rotten meat and fish. Even the most persistent unpleasant odors can be dealt with with this method.

Use ammonia like this:

  • 1 large spoonful of ammonia is diluted in 1 liter of water;
  • the liquids are mixed;
  • a rag or sponge is moistened in the solution and the walls of the refrigerating chamber, as well as drawers and shelves, are wiped.

After using ammonia, the household appliance should be washed with clean water, wiped off and left open for several hours - the pungent smell from the refrigerator should disappear. Since ammonia is quite caustic, rubber gloves and a face mask must be worn when using it.

How to eliminate unpleasant odor in the refrigerator with chlorhexidine

A simple and affordable but effective remedy for fridge odor is chlorhexidine. A large spoonful of the product is diluted in a liter of water, and then the refrigerator is washed, paying special attention to the corners, door, drawers and shelves.

If you wash the device with chlorhexidine, the product will not only eliminate the smell, but also disinfect the surfaces. Therefore, there is no need to fear that soon after treatment, the unpleasant aroma will reappear.

How to remove a bad smell from the refrigerator with laundry soap

Real laundry soap works well against sources of unpleasant stench - microorganisms on the walls and mold. A damp sponge should be properly lathered with a bar of laundry soap, thoroughly washed from the inside of the refrigerator, and then washed several times with clean water.

After using the laundry soap, any unpleasant odors will disappear and the walls of the freezer will be completely clean and white. To maintain the effect for a long time, you should put a saucer with lemon wedges in the refrigerator. They will flavor the chamber of the device, and will push back the moment when the freezer needs to be washed again.

How to remove unpleasant odor from the refrigerator with activated charcoal

If an unpleasant amber appears in the refrigerator, which is not completely eliminated after washing, you can not only wash the refrigerator, but also try to use a harmless agent - activated carbon. Several tablets need to be poured into a shallow container, and then placed on one of the shelves. It is not necessary to crush the tablets, they will cope with their role as a whole.

Charcoal is highly absorbent so it can remove musty odors from the refrigerator. From time to time, the coal must be replaced with a new one.

How to remove bad smell from the fridge with spices

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If, after all the procedures, a bad aroma remains inside the refrigerator, it can be drowned out by stronger and more pleasant odors. Spices come to the rescue in this case. For example, you can use cinnamon, turmeric, cloves, basil, vanilla, and other strong-smelling spices for flavoring.

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Spices are poured in a small amount in a saucer or plastic container and placed on the refrigerator shelf open. Freshly ground coffee brings an excellent effect, it not only drowns out the unpleasant stench, but at the same time also absorbs the smell in the refrigerator.

How to use tea bags for odor control in the refrigerator

A simple folk remedy to combat odor is fresh tea bags. It is very simple to use them - several bags need to be laid out on the shelves of the refrigerator. Dry tea leaves will absorb the unpleasant smell, and the unobtrusive light aroma emanating from it will significantly improve the atmosphere in the refrigerator.

Attention! Tea bags should only be used to flavor an old refrigerator that cannot be cleaned properly. If the new refrigerator stinks too much, and the reason has not yet been established, first of all, it is worth going through all the products and thoroughly washing the inside of the household appliance.

How to remove odor from the refrigerator using specialized products

Traditional methods do not always give the desired result in the fight against bad odors. It happens that the fridge stinks too much, and household products cannot cope, or you just want to wash the appliance faster and without unnecessary hassle.

In this case, special means come to the rescue - detergents and air purifiers:

  1. Detergents with a special composition... Since the refrigerator is designed for storing food, it is not recommended to wash it with ordinary household chemicals - it is dangerous to health.It is better to purchase a mild product from a hardware store that is designed to treat a refrigerator. For example, there is a demand for a deodorizing refrigerator cleaner FeedBack. It is hypoallergenic, safe for human health, but at the same time it completely removes any pollution and eliminates odors.
  2. Odor absorbers... These fridge odor removers help prevent the unpleasant stench from appearing in the appliance. Typically, the scavenger is an active absorbent material enclosed in a round or egg-shaped breathable package. The ball with the absorber is placed on a refrigerator shelf or on the door and changed only once every few months. Gel, silica gel and dispenser absorbers do an excellent job with their functions, they not only absorb the stench, but can also scent the refrigerator.
  3. Ionizers... Mini devices that run on batteries are more expensive than cleaners and absorbers, but provide the strongest protection against odors. If the ionizer is placed inside the device, then at specified intervals it will "throw" ions into the chamber and thereby disinfect the interior of the refrigerator. This will not only help to neutralize the smell in the refrigerator, but will also keep food fresh for longer.

Of course, even when using an ionizer, food in the refrigerator should be sorted out from time to time and thrown away all expired food.

How to get rid of the smell in the refrigerator freezer

Usually, the low temperatures of the freezer by themselves protect it from unpleasant odors - microorganisms and bacteria rarely multiply in extremely cold conditions. However, under some circumstances, the stench may appear in the freezer.

Most often, the occurrence of a stench is provoked by several reasons:

  1. Unstable operation of the power grid... If the refrigerator is frequently and permanently disconnected from emergency operation, the frozen food begins to defrost and the moisture inside the freezer absorbs the smell.
  2. Leaky packaging of meat and fish products. The rotten smell of meat and fish in the freezer occurs due to the fact that semi-finished products are packaged poorly. As soon as they are slightly defrosted, their smells mix with each other and form a persistent unpleasant amber.
  3. Accumulation of external odors inside the freezer... Each time the door is opened, air from the room or kitchen manages to penetrate in small volumes into the freezer and remains inside it. If you open the freezer at a time when there is a strong smell of cooked food in the house, then sooner or later a noticeable aroma will begin to come from inside the refrigerator.

You can wash the freezer from an unpleasant odor in the same way as the main refrigerator compartment. But there is an important nuance - before washing the freezer, it is necessary to completely defrost and remove the ice and snow coat from its walls. It is not recommended to scrape off ice deposits with a knife, you need to wait until the ice melts naturally.

The freezer, freed from ice, must be washed with one of the household or specialized products and wiped dry. To prevent further stench, you can not only wash the freezer, but also put in it a harmless fragrance.

When using the freezer compartment, it is important to follow some rules:

  • keep frozen foods in sealed bags or plastic containers with a tight-fitting lid;
  • do not allow emergency defrosting of semi-finished products;
  • regularly remove the snow "coat" and excess ice from the freezer;
  • do not keep food in the freezer for too long, usually after 4-6 months most semi-finished products, if not spoiled, then lose a significant part of their taste and benefits.

It is also not recommended to put food in the refrigerator close to each other - there should be a small free space between meat, fish, frozen vegetables and ice cream.

How to get rid of the smell in a new refrigerator

An unpleasant odor can appear not only in an old refrigerator, which has not been cleaned or defrosted for a long time. Sometimes a new refrigerator starts to stink immediately after purchase, you want to wash it, but the reasons for the unpleasant amber remain unclear.

Ordinary mustiness becomes the source of the unpleasant smell in new refrigerators. After being manufactured at the factory, the refrigerator goes a long way to the buyer's kitchen, and all this time it is in a closed state. Therefore, an unpleasant smell gradually accumulates inside the device. It still needs to be washed, but it has nothing to do with spoiled food.

To solve the problem, it is necessary to wash a new household appliance and not after some time, but even before the first use.

The refrigerator must be disposed of from the factory packaging, open, remove all drawers and shelves, and then thoroughly wash the chamber and freezer with any chemical or household solution from those permitted. The washed refrigerator is once again wiped with a wet sponge and wiped with a dry cloth, and then left with the door open in a well-ventilated room for several hours.

Only then can the device be plugged into the power grid and loaded with food, without fear of the appearance of a fetid amber.

Prevention of unpleasant odor in the refrigerator

To wash the refrigerator from the stench was not required too often, the rules of prevention should be followed, then a bad aroma simply will not appear:

  1. The refrigerator needs to be defrosted from time to time - three times a year for NoFrost refrigerators and once a month for conventional appliances.
  2. The quality and freshness of food in the refrigerator must be carefully monitored and canned food, dairy products, vegetables and fruits must be removed from the refrigerator as soon as they start to deteriorate.
  3. Accidentally spilled liquids or food debris that have fallen on the shelf should be washed immediately so that they do not become a breeding ground for bacteria.
  4. Food in the refrigerator should be kept only in closed packages and containers, and it is desirable that they be clean, this will prevent the spread of odors through the inner chamber of the device.

Even if the inside of the refrigerator is completely clean, and there is no unpleasant smell, for prevention, it is worth putting a container with activated carbon or a saucer of lemon in the refrigerator against the smell. It is also recommended to use special odor absorbers and fragrances, they, in principle, will not allow a problem to appear.

Conclusion

You can quickly get rid of an unpleasant odor in the refrigerator if you wash your household appliance with products that eliminate the stench and kill microorganisms. You can clean the refrigerator not only with chemicals, but also with ordinary household substances, but it is even more important to observe the prevention of unpleasant odors.

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