How to wash the inside of the refrigerator to eliminate the smell: how to wash it at home

Why does the refrigerator have an unpleasant smell?

Even with careful use of the refrigerator, its owners often encounter the appearance of an unpleasant odor 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 closed device, and there is a need to wash it:

Drain hole clogged. If debris or pieces of food get into a small hole at the back wall of the refrigerator, melt water stops draining efficiently from the refrigerator compartment, and the clog itself begins to rot, creating an unpleasant stench.
Spoiled products. Vegetables, fruits, opened fermented milk products or canned goods are often stored in the corners of a densely loaded refrigerator or on its doors; they quickly deteriorate and begin to stink.
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 odor appears.
Small food remains on the walls. When using the device, droplets of liquids and pieces of solid products inevitably fall on its walls. If you don't bother to wash away the stains for a long time, the food leftovers begin to decompose and stink.

Often the appearance of an unpleasant odor is caused by incorrectly set temperature. If the refrigerator compartment is too warm, some foods will spoil faster than expected. They may appear fresh in appearance, and the owner of the household appliance does not think of inspecting and washing the device, so the source of the stench remains a mystery for a long time.

Causes of refrigerator contamination

The refrigerator most often gets dirty from stale food. If you don’t have the habit of regularly checking the contents of the refrigerator for freshness, it’s time to start one, because it is products with an expired shelf life that pose the greatest danger to the cleanliness of the refrigerator.

Moreover, bacteria that develop in spoiling food can speed up the spoilage process of fresh goods. They can also cause the spread of mold, which can be difficult to clean out of your refrigerator.

Spoiled food can cause contamination and unpleasant odors in the refrigerator

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 power supply;
remove all vegetable drawers, food shelves and door containers from the device chamber;
wipe the walls of the device from moisture, and also clean the drain hole;
Wash the shelves and drawers thoroughly, wipe them dry and put them back.

Important!
To get rid of an unpleasant odor and prevent its occurrence in the future, 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. Cleaning a refrigerator can be difficult because some odors 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 make refrigerator cleaner

You can remove dirt and unpleasant odors by using the following homemade recipes:

baking soda . Baking soda can be used to remove dried stains. To prepare the product, mix soda with warm water, take a gauze cloth, moisten it with the resulting solution and apply it to a difficult to remove stain for about 25 minutes;
ammonia . Using this product you can eliminate the unpleasant smell of rotten meat.
Mix alcohol with warm water in proportions of 1 to 7. After this, wipe all contaminated areas and plastic parts with a rag soaked in an ammonia solution;
table or apple cider vinegar . Vinegar can remove the smell of spoiled meat or fish. To prepare an effective remedy, you need to mix 100 ml of vinegar and 100 ml of water. Next, use the resulting solution to wash all the internal parts of the refrigerator and wipe them dry with a clean towel;
lemon acid . The juice of one lemon is added to the water and washing is carried out with this solution. After the cleaning procedure, lemon leaves a fresh smell inside;
soap solution . Using a soap solution, you can remove dirt without resorting to the use of special household chemicals. Laundry soap is best. It needs to be dissolved in warm water, first cut into small pieces.

Eliminating a rotten smell is quite difficult, so it is better to prevent its appearance by cleaning the device in a timely manner. Before cleaning, it is advisable to determine what exactly caused the foul odor. In the future, the product that led to the appearance of an unpleasant odor must be stored in special packaging.

The degree of contamination will help you determine correctly what to use to clean your refrigerator to get rid of the unpleasant odor. If cleaning has not been done for a long time, then in order to properly clean the refrigerator, you will need to use the most effective products. You can eliminate unpleasant odors using powerful antibacterial agents. After getting rid of all microorganisms, the inside will no longer stink.

How to remove odor from a refrigerator using folk remedies

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

How to remove odor from the refrigerator with vinegar

Food vinegar not only removes dirt well, but also helps remove odors from the refrigerator.

Use it like this:

9% vinegar is mixed in equal proportions with clean water;
moisten a soft cloth in the resulting solution and thoroughly wipe the entire refrigerator, chambers and doors, shelves and drawers, seal and water drain hole;
after this, pour the vinegar into a glass, place it in a clean refrigerator and close the door for 2 hours;
after the expiration of the period, the glass with the solution is removed, and the switched off empty refrigerator is kept open until the remnants of the pungent vinegar smell disappear completely.

Then, if necessary, the device should be washed again with plain water and wiped dry. The clean refrigerator is plugged back in and the food is returned to its place, but it is advisable to go through them and make sure that they are all completely fresh.

How to remove bad smell from refrigerator using lemon juice

Another good way to clean a household appliance and kill the smell in the refrigerator is lemon juice mixed with vodka or alcohol. To 10 parts of vodka, you need to add 1 part of fresh lemon juice, and then soak 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 completely remove the unpleasant odor 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 spoil and begin to emit a stench.

How to remove odor from the refrigerator with baking soda

A reliable product that helps clean household appliances from unpleasant odors is baking soda. Soda powder must be diluted in a liter of warm water in the amount of 2 large spoons, mixed thoroughly and washed with the solution throughout the inside of the freezer.

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

How to remove odor from a refrigerator with ammonia

An ammonia solution or ammonia will help to wash the refrigerator and remove the odors of rotten meat and fish. This method allows you to cope with even the most persistent unpleasant odors.

Use ammonia like this:

1 large spoon of ammonia is diluted in 1 liter of water;
the liquids are stirred;
moisten a rag or sponge in the solution and wipe the walls of the refrigerator compartment, as well as drawers and shelves.

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

How to eliminate unpleasant odor in the refrigerator with chlorhexidine

A simple and affordable, but effective remedy for odor in the refrigerator 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, doors, drawers and shelves.

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

How to remove bad smell from refrigerator with laundry soap

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

After using laundry soap, any unpleasant odors will disappear, and the walls of the freezer will become completely clean and white. To preserve the effect for a long time, place a saucer with lemon slices in the refrigerator. They will scent the chamber of the device and delay the moment when the freezer needs to be washed again.

How to remove unpleasant odor from a refrigerator using activated carbon

If an unpleasant odor appears in the refrigerator, which is not completely eliminated after washing, you can not only wash the refrigerator, but also try using a harmless product - 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 in their entire form.

Charcoal has strong absorbent properties, so it can remove musty odors from the refrigerator. From time to time the coal needs to be replaced with a new one.

How to remove unpleasant smell from the refrigerator with spices

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, for flavoring you can use cinnamon, turmeric, cloves, basil, vanilla and other spices with a strong smell.

We recommend reading: Turmeric: health benefits and harm, medicinal properties, applications

Spices are poured in small quantities into a saucer or plastic container and placed open on the refrigerator shelf. Freshly ground coffee has 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 to Deodorize Your Refrigerator

A simple folk remedy to combat odor is fresh tea bags. They are very simple to use - just a few bags need to be placed on the shelves of the refrigerator. Dry tea leaves will absorb the unpleasant odor, and the unobtrusive light aroma emanating from it will significantly improve the situation in the refrigerator.

Attention! Tea bags should only be used to scent an old refrigeration unit that cannot be washed properly. If the new refrigerator stinks too much, and the reason has not yet been established, first of all, you should go through all the products and thoroughly wash the inside of the household appliance.

How to clean the inside of the refrigerator?

There are enough options on how to properly wash the inside of a refrigerator, both new and one that has already been in use for quite some time, for example, after it has been defrosted. The most common solutions used for these purposes always include ingredients that have odor-eliminating properties: lemon, vinegar, soda, ammonia.

Vinegar

The most popular solution that was used to remove unpleasant odors even before the advent of refrigerators. Vinegar and water are diluted in equal proportions and the resulting solution is used to treat all surfaces in the refrigerator.

Soda An excellent folk remedy for cleaning the inside of the refrigerator is baking soda, which is mixed with warm clean water - 2 tbsp. by 0.5 l. and stir well until the powder is completely dissolved. Using soda, you can absorb unpleasant odors in the process of their formation - just after washing the refrigerator, put a small container filled with baking soda in the unit, which needs to be changed from time to time. This is a very effective means of avoiding unpleasant odors; it is used mainly after completely cleaning the refrigerator - washing and defrosting, as well as if it is new and you are just starting to use it.

IMPORTANT! Soda - as an additional element. Apart from washing it, a pile of it will not help get rid of the unpleasant smell in the refrigerator.

Ammonia Using ammonia, the simplest solution is prepared - 40 ml. alcohol is mixed with two glasses of water and mixed well. They are especially good for cleaning the refrigerator after defrosting, when the smell of food is richly mixed with technical heat, and besides, the mixture of water and ammonia has disinfecting properties.

Lemon To use this method to wash the inside of the refrigerator, you will need not just a lemon, but its juice - 2 tbsp. but 0.5 l. water. After stirring the product, you can begin to treat the surfaces. A solution of lemon juice will not only eliminate bad aromas, but will also add its own, pleasant, citrus amber. Just as in the case of baking soda, after washing, you can put several containers with lemon zest in the refrigerator so that its smell lasts longer in the refrigerator. It is especially good to wash new refrigerators with a solution of lemon juice before turning them on.

Toothpaste This home remedy is great if you have heavily soiled areas in your refrigerator. Apply toothpaste to the stain and leave for a couple of minutes. Then rub it in with a sponge until the dirt completely disappears.

Soap suds and hydrogen peroxide You can wash the inside of the refrigerator with ordinary dishwashing detergents, soap or shampoo. You need to add a couple of drops of the product to a container of water and foam the solution to the maximum. Next, they wipe the refrigerator with it, and then it is recommended to treat it with a mixture of hydrogen peroxide - a teaspoon per glass of water.

Detergent In the end, in addition to folk remedies, there are special household chemicals for washing refrigerators and more. The wide range includes detergents with the following names: Magic Power, Top House, Topperr, Electrolux, Luxus Clean Refrigerator, Sano Refrigerator Cleaner, Bon, Sidolux Proffesional, Helfer, Zumman, Edelweiss and many others. You can become familiar with the features of each product by carefully studying the label on the container.

IMPORTANT! Do not use abrasive products to clean the refrigerator, especially a new one!

How to remove odors from your refrigerator using specialized products

Traditional methods do not always give the desired result in the fight against bad odors. It happens that the refrigerator 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 products come to the rescue - cleaning compounds and air purifiers:

Detergents with special composition. Since the refrigerator is designed for storing food, it is not recommended to wash it with ordinary household chemicals - this is hazardous to health. It is better to purchase a product with a mild composition at a hardware store, intended for treating the refrigerator. For example, the FeedBack odor-removing refrigerator cleaner is in demand. It is hypoallergenic, safe for human health, but at the same time completely removes any dirt and eliminates odors.
Odor absorbers. Such refrigerator odor removers help not to wash the appliance, but to prevent the appearance of an unpleasant stench in it. Typically, the absorbent is an active absorbent substance placed in a round or egg-shaped, breathable package. The ball with the absorber is placed on the refrigerator shelf or on the door and changed only once every few months. Gel, silica gel and dispenser absorbers do an excellent job of their functions; they not only absorb stench, but can also scent the refrigerator.
Ionizers. Battery-powered mini devices are more expensive than cleaners and absorbers, but provide the most reliable odor protection. If you place an ionizer 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 neutralize odors in the refrigerator, but will also keep food fresh longer.

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

How to get rid of yellowness on plastic

If you want to remove yellowness, you will need to use a bleach. Yellow plastic can be easily cleaned using alcohol diluted with water, laundry soap and chlorine-containing detergent. Plastic may turn yellow over time. In this case, it will be difficult to give it its original appearance.

You can find out how to clean an old refrigerator from the smell by carefully studying the information in the article, written based on advice from housewives forums.

On specialized resources you can find information on bleaching plastic elements, as well as reviews about the best detergent. Just remember that too aggressive chemicals can ruin the appearance of the refrigerator.

This article contains a short summary of advice. Read "Clean"!

How to get rid of odor in the refrigerator freezer

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

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

Unstable operation of the electrical network. If the refrigerator is often and for a long time switched off from operation in emergency mode, frozen foods begin to defrost, and the moisture inside the freezer absorbs their smell.
Unsealed 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 aroma.
Accumulation of external odors inside the freezer. Each time the door is opened, air from the room or kitchen manages to penetrate into the freezer in small quantities and remains inside it. If you open the freezer at a time when the house smells strongly of cooked food, sooner or later a noticeable aroma will begin to emanate from inside the refrigerator.

You can wash the freezer from an unpleasant aroma in the same way as the main chamber of the refrigerator. But there is an important nuance - before washing the freezer, you must completely defrost it and remove the ice and snow 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 compartment, freed from ice, must be washed with one of the household or specialized products and wiped dry. To prevent the appearance of stench in the future, you can not only wash the freezer, but also put a harmless flavor in it.

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

keep frozen foods in airtight bags or plastic containers with a tight-fitting lid;
prevent emergency defrosting of semi-finished products;
regularly remove snow “coats” 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 they do not spoil, lose a significant part of their taste and benefits.

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

Causes of odors

The smell may also appear if you turn off your unit for a while and leave it closed.
Instructions for storing food require not to disturb the commercial environment, store ready-made food separately from semi-finished products, use vacuum packaging and correctly place products on shelves.

Sometimes thrifty housewives forget about these rules, fill the refrigerator with food, and do not get rid of expired goods on time. This leads to the appearance of an unpleasant odor, since there is no ventilation function in the freezer compartment.

Broken packaging or spoiled chicken eggs can easily become a source of disgusting odors. A few drops of spilled broth, milk, or sauce stains will also make you wince in no time.

A newly purchased refrigerator may have an unpleasant odor, so before using it, you must thoroughly wash the equipment with any detergent, inside and out.

Attention! The smell may also appear if you turn off your unit for a while and leave it closed.

How to get rid of smell in a new refrigerator

An unpleasant aroma can appear not only in an old refrigerator that 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 odor remain unclear.

The source of the unpleasant odor in new refrigerators is ordinary mustiness. After being manufactured at the factory, the refrigerator travels a long way to the buyer’s kitchen, and all this time it remains closed. Therefore, an unpleasant odor 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 the new household appliance, not after some time, but before the first use.

The refrigerator must be removed from its original packaging, opened, all drawers and shelves removed, and then the chamber and freezer must be thoroughly washed with any approved chemical or household solution. The washed refrigerator is wiped again 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 after this can the device be plugged into the mains and loaded with products without fear of the creation of a foul odor.

How to clean the refrigerator from the smell inside

How to wash the inside of the refrigerator to eliminate the smell is a pressing question for every housewife. Before choosing a method, determine the cause of the unpleasant odor. You may need to clean the drainage hole, which is located on the back wall of the unit, otherwise the smell will not stop.

Vinegar or soda

The most common means of removing pungent odors is vinegar. The recipe for preparing the solution is simple: 50 ml of vinegar + 50 ml of water. Soak a cloth in the liquid and clean the inside of the refrigerator. Table acid can be replaced with soda in the same proportions - the effect will not be worse.

After baking soda, food can be loaded immediately, but vinegar requires time for the refrigerator to ventilate. The “plus” of these products is that they will also help to wipe off even old and dark stains inside the camera.

Advice: if the smell is insignificant and you don’t want to disassemble a refrigerator filled with food to wash it, then there is an easier method of processing. Pour baking soda into a plastic cup, which will absorb all unpleasant odors, and place it on the refrigerator shelf.

Ammonia

Ammonia eliminates even the most persistent ointments. The method, however, is not quick, but it will 100% help get rid of difficult odors, such as rotten fish or meat. You will first need to defrost the refrigerator, then rub the shelves with alcohol, and most importantly, do not close the door, leave it to ventilate overnight.

Lemon

Lemon juice removes fish flavor better than other remedies. Squeeze out the citrus, moisten a cotton swab and treat every corner inside the refrigerator. For a long time, when you open the door, there will be a breath of freshness.

Hydrogen peroxide

This product can not only remove the smell, but also disinfect your camera, and most importantly, protect it from mold. Soak a cotton pad in peroxide, wipe all surfaces inside the refrigerator, and ventilate it for 10 minutes. Be sure to open a window in the kitchen for air circulation.

Laundry soap

A proven and effective method. Plane a bar of soap, dissolve it in water, wipe all surfaces, then rinse with a wet cloth and wipe dry. This method will help clean the refrigerator if it is new and has a factory smell.

When the stench is formed due to spoilage of food, and you feel a rotten aroma, defrost the refrigerator and eliminate the cause of the stench. After this, rub all the shelves and the door with soapy water and leave it for 12 hours. After the time has passed, thoroughly rinse off the dried foam.

This is interesting: laundry soap contains alkali, which not only cleans dirty surfaces, but also perfectly removes mold and mildew.

Activated carbon

The most common medical product, which is in every first aid kit, absorbs odors no worse than soda. Take 4 tablets, crush them with a spoon, place them in a saucer and place them on a shelf for 2-3 days. The refrigerator will no longer stink, and you won’t need to defrost or wash the refrigerator.

Rice and vinegar

Take a tablespoon of rice, which is best poured into a deep bowl. Pour vinegar over the grains until all grains are covered. Leave the prepared product in the refrigerator until the stench disappears completely.

Baking powder

This is a quick and easy way, you can see for yourself. Open the package and place the confectionery powder directly in it in the refrigerator. In exactly one day, the contents of the package will absorb the foul odor.

Spices with a strong aroma: turmeric, citrus zest, ground coffee

Which of the above remedies to choose is up to you. The main thing is that their aroma is pleasant. Place spices, zest or coffee in a saucer or plastic glass and place it on the shelf. In a day the amber will disappear. Don't overdo the spices because the flavors may be absorbed into the food.

Preventing unpleasant odors in the refrigerator

In order to avoid cleaning the refrigerator from the stench too often, you should follow the rules of prevention, then a bad aroma simply will not appear:

The refrigerator needs to be defrosted from time to time - three times a year for NoFrost refrigerators and once a month for conventional units.
The quality and freshness of the food in the refrigerator must be carefully monitored and canned goods, dairy products, vegetables and fruits should be removed from the refrigerator as soon as they begin to spoil.
Accidentally spilled liquids or food debris that falls on a shelf must be washed immediately so that they do not become a breeding ground for bacteria.
Food in the refrigerator should only be kept in closed packages and containers, and it is advisable that they are clean, this will prevent odors from spreading throughout the internal 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 of activated carbon or a saucer with lemon in the refrigerator to remove the smell. It is also recommended to use special odor absorbers and fragrances; in principle, they will not allow the problem to arise.

Prevention of odor

Unpleasant odors will not arise if you follow simple rules and properly care for your equipment:

You need to take care of your refrigerator regularly. It is necessary to audit the contents, sorting through the products and throwing away rotten and spoiled food.
Once a week you should wipe the surfaces with a damp cloth, even if they are visually clean.
All products and dishes must be stored in plastic containers, bags or pans, always closed with lids.
Vegetable trays should be dry. When the liquid drain is clogged, condensate tends to flow into vegetable trays, causing premature spoilage of food.
When defrosting food at low temperatures, it is advisable to place it in deep containers, as the bags may leak.
If a stain appears in the refrigerator, it must be removed before it dries and becomes embedded in the surface of the plastic.