Many of you will have experienced what it is like to open up your fridge door just to get a big whiff of something unpleasant. Maybe you have been away for longer than expected, or a power blackout while you were away might have been the cause, but a bad smelling fridge is never a nice thing to experience.
However, as many of you will know, if the smell has been permeating the fridge for some time, it can become extremely difficult to get rid of. It might take a little bit of elbow-grease and a slice of patience but if you follow our steps, you will eventually have your fridge smelling as good as new once again.
1. Empty Out all of the Food
Even if you know which item is the culprit for the bad smell, you are going to have to get everything out of there so that you can give the fridge a good clean. Take out all of the food and store in another fridge if possible. There is a good chance that some of the other food has spoiled too so make sure you check and throw away anything you are unsure about.
2. Remove All Shelves
The next step is to take out anything that can be taken out with regards to shelving, racks, drawers, bins and any other removable components. These will all need to be washed thoroughly with hot water and soap at a minimum. If the smell really is pungent, you might want to add in a small amount of bleach before giving them a wipe down.
3. Clean the Interior
Now that all the removables have all been cleaned, your next task is to get started on the inside of the fridge. This is going to be a bit tougher as the walls will no doubt have a lot more grime and food spillages and will not be as easy to reach and wash. A good cleaning tip is to add 1 cup of baking powder for every gallon of water that you are using. This will give you a bit more power as you try to clean areas of the interior where food has been caked-on.
4. Air the Fridge for a Day
We did say that you are going to need a bit of patience for this and this is the part where that will come in. If you really want to give your fridge the best chance of getting rid of smelly odours, you should leave it to air out for a day. Make sure you leave the door open so that the air can get to the interior.
Once you are confident that the smell has finally gone, you are now ready to put back all the shelves and everything else that you removed before restocking it with some fresh food. We do hope that these steps have aided you in your cause for a nice smelling fridge and that you will use them again should any nasty odours return in the future.
