A foreign smell from the refrigerator is not only disgusting and can ruin your appetite, but it can also spoil the food stored in the camera. A lot of products absorb the smells around them well, which makes them unusable even if the storage temperature and expiration dates are observed.
In this material, you will learn how to get rid of an unpleasant odor in the refrigerator using folk methods, as well as specialized detergents. Additionally, we'll look at common causes of third-party fragrances and show you how to avoid them.
Causes of unpleasant odors
Odors are almost inevitable in a new refrigerator. It, like any other technique, smells like metal, plastic and other materials that were used in production. Fortunately, removing the smell from the refrigerator is very easy in this case. If you have special cleaning products, then you can use them, and in the absence of store chemicals, a light solution of soda will do.
If the technique has been used for a long time, then unpleasant aromas may appear in it due to spoiled products. Moreover, such smells not only cause disgust, but are also very well absorbed by the walls of the refrigerator, as well as other food. In this case, you can remove the smell in the refrigerator using a solution of 9% vinegar (no more than a tablespoon per glass of water) or lemon juice.
It should be remembered that not only rotten foods, but also edible foods can also cause problems. If the food has a very pronounced aroma and is not packaged before being placed in the refrigerator, then other foods and the walls of the appliance can absorb its smell. This in itself is a problem, and if the aromas of several products are mixed together, then the result will definitely not make you want to open the refrigerator again.
If you are faced with just such a situation, then at home to get rid of the smell in the refrigerator will help cut potatoes, peels from orange, lemon or other citrus fruits, coffee beans and rice. However, all of these products mostly mask foreign aromas, but do not completely eliminate them. But special napkins found in hardware stores will permanently remove the smell from the refrigerator at home.
A less common, but still not uncommon, cause of the problem is a clogged drain. Unfortunately, many housewives do not think about this issue, and therefore during the washing process, the drain hole is not cleaned properly. Other owners of refrigerators do not even know about its existence. As a result, the continuous struggle with extraneous odors forces to throw more and more money on chemistry, but does not bring the desired results.
In order to remove the smell from the refrigerator quickly, read the instructions for your technique. If it is lost, then a copy for almost any model can be easily found on the Internet today. The manual contains recommendations for defrosting the refrigerator, cleaning the drain and the freezing system.
Of course, there are other reasons, such as equipment malfunction or prolonged shutdown. However, these are already special cases that lead to food spoilage. In such a situation, you can get rid of the unpleasant smell in the refrigerator only by throwing out all the food, because when it is returned to the washed chamber, it is likely that the stench will quickly return.
Popular fridge odor remedies
You can also add to the above folk methods ammonia solution... For a liter of water, you will need to take about a tablespoon of alcohol, after which you need to thoroughly wash the walls and shelves of the refrigerator. However, the products should not be returned to the refrigerator immediately after cleaning is completed, because it must be slightly ventilated from the remnants of ammonia.
An excellent way to get rid of and forget about the unpleasant smell in the refrigerator for a long time is also Activated carbon... It is necessary to take several of its tablets, crush it well into powder and place it in an open container or container, closed with a lid with holes. For greater effect, you can mix activated carbon with baking soda.
If vinegar, soda and other products described in this material are over, and you do not have special chemistry, then use the usual dishwashing liquid... It not only removes odors well, but also fights dirt excellently. However, after such a preparation, the refrigerator must be rinsed several times and ventilated, as after ammonia.
Important! Never use powdered cleaners. Even with sufficient effectiveness, such substances can damage the walls and shelves of the refrigerator. If you have no other option, then dissolve the powder in water and soak a cloth in the solution.
Prevention of odors
Any competent housewife knows perfectly well that the best remedy for the smell in the refrigerator is to prevent its appearance. To do this, you need to regularly follow just a few simple rules. With their help, you can not only save time on constant cleaning of the refrigerator from unpleasant odors, but also save a huge amount of food.
Store all food in pots or containers with tightly closed lids. If you open a tin can, immediately transfer the product that you do not plan to use right away into another resealable container. By the way, this is necessary not only to protect the refrigerating chamber from foreign smell, but also to increase the shelf life of the food itself. An open can begins to gradually oxidize the product it contains, rendering them unusable.
If you cannot find a container for some dishes, then you cannot put them in the refrigerator just on a plate. The latter is required at least to be wrapped with cling film, and even better, to wrap food well with foil. This method allows you to keep the freshness of the product for a long time and protect the shelves from contamination.
Throw away food immediately when you notice that it has gone bad. Rotten and similar unpleasant odors are very strong and persistent, so often even a container with a tightly closing lid does not protect from them. At the same time, in order to avoid quick spoilage of products that prefer cold, try not to place them on the door. The fact is that the latter is constantly opened and heated by room air.
Another important requirement is the permissible maximum filling of the chambers. It is forbidden to hammer them completely, especially when it comes to the freezer. By doing this, you will not allow the air to circulate normally, which will lead to an increase in temperature and food spoilage. The same applies to the failure of other parts of the refrigerator. Therefore, experts recommend that you regularly check everything (drain, the density of the rubber bands, adherence to the set temperature, and so on) and eliminate the malfunctions without delay.
Of course, it is not always possible to closely monitor the condition of the refrigerator, and some products can treacherously deteriorate in just a day while you are at work. For this reason, odor absorbers should be used for added safety. Above, we have already mentioned crushed activated carbon, which does an excellent job with this task. Moreover, after some time of use, such a tool can not be thrown away, but held for several minutes in a hot oven, after which the powder will again begin to perfectly absorb extraneous odors.
If this option does not suit you or you want to give the refrigerator a more aesthetic look, then you can choose a special sorbent cleaner... However, before purchasing such products, please read the instructions carefully. The product you have purchased should be designed specifically for refrigerators, because otherwise it will not only fail to cope with its task, but also spoil the food.
Air ionizers for the refrigerator are also a wonderful solution. Such devices look beautiful and are durable. Ionizers work from several batteries or removable / built-in rechargeable batteries, for recharging which a special charger is supplied in the kit.
Conclusion
Preventing bad odor is much easier than getting rid of it. To do this, you just need to store the food correctly, monitor the performance of equipment and defrost it in time, even if there is an appropriate automatic mode. But if you still did not manage to avoid troubles, then the above tips will not only tell you how to remove the smell from the refrigerator at home quickly and efficiently, but will also help preserve freshness for a long time.
