De-stinking a fridge from spoiled food.

[50AE]

I did the dumbest thing of letting the mains power go down on fridge while on vacation of two weeks in hot summer. There was meat and cheese inside. Needless to say, it reeked DEATH when I opened it with all kinds of biology inside. Although it's clean on the surface now, it still stinks. I took apart everything inside to clean thoroughly, but plastics and especially rubber seals have absorbed a lot of the smell. Running a portable ozonator inside helps, but there's still a lot of work to do. Should I spray some H2O2 solution. Would that help?

Edited August 14, 2022 by 50AE

[Richtee]

Ah shit. I tossed out a fridge that happened to a few years back. The reek gets into the insulation of the box. Peroxide may help. The ozone prolly is the best bet if it’s in the insulation. I seen videos of Tannerite helping...

[cmjlab]

A big bowl of baking soda *placed inside the fridge, and the fridge shit back up for a few days* will often eliminate / absorb bad odors. Unsure of how well it will work if the odor is from bacteria eating into a plastic surface if that what happened.

 

Charles

Edited August 15, 2022 by cmjlab

[Arthur]

Baking soda (sodium bicarbonate NaHCO3) as found in the food ingredients area of supermarkets is a suggested detergent to clean such smells, particularly because it doesn't leave "clean" fragrances behind.

[Crazy Swede]

Neither baking soda nor vinegar in bowls will help. I tried everything once when helping a friend in the same situation.

 

I think an ozone generator is the only way to go!

[50AE]

Yep, although it degrades, it is still a persistent smell. Offensive enough for a sane mind not to put food again. I'll probably try leaving a ozonator or a UV medical lamp inside.

Experiencing such phenomena for the first time made me realize not only spoilage was the problem, but the high pressure due to water evaporating in the hot summer temperatures. There was literally reeky liquid in every possible gap, even the electronics. So it makes total sense for this smell to find way in every gap possible and into the insulation.

Edited August 15, 2022 by 50AE

[Richtee]

Y There was literally reeky liquid in every possible gap, even the electronics. So it makes total sense for this smell to find way in every gap possible and into the insulation.

Yeah...Tannerite.

[CountZero]

Nuke it from orbit!

[CountZero]

Too bad, I have seen it happen to a friend. He got a new fridge, the stench didn't go away. I don't think he tried ozon through.

[ThrownBiscuit]

I salvaged a fridge in similar situation, it took longer than you may be willing to put up with though. I just kept putting finely ground charcoal into the fridge for about 8 months before it became bearable, (it needed changing every couple of weeks). As an aside after drying I did not detect any noticeable changes in the charcoal for use in compositions, besides the charcoal smelling bad.

[50AE]

Good tip! So there is patience involved.. for sure, yeah!

[Richtee]

My question is..what the hell you doing to keep stuff cold in the mean time?

[50AE]

I'll be surviving on long-term storage stuff for a while. Like potatoes. There's so much work to do and some weight to lose anyway!

Edited August 18, 2022 by 50AE

[spectra1]

Seriously an ozone generator will make short work of the smell, best part is no patience is needed. Would probably only take an hour or so. Ozone generators are cheap.

[50AE]

The ozone helped a LOT. I ran it for an overall of 48h with some breaks.

[Richtee]

Hey...that looks like a FACTORY transformer

[Alejosnap2]

The mineral carbon Is a better option.

a little part inside the refrigerator and ready

[justvisiting]

About the carbon: I've noticed that jars from pickles, relish, etc... still smell after being well washed with soap and dried with the lids off. The stronger the smell of the product, the stronger the residual smell. The smell resides in the rubbery gasket in the lid. I took an olive jar that retained the olive odor and dropped a stick of homemade charcoal into it. After a couple of weeks I checked it and the odor was completely gone. I'm guessing that charcoal can be used to keep the smell away in the fridge too- and it's free if you make it yourself. Another 'reason' to make your own charcoal

[WSM]

Bleach and peroxide, plus time. It might just work!

 

WSM