Get rid of the smell in the refrigerator with rice, vinegar or potatoes

So you come home after a hard day with the thought of how to treat yourself to a delicious cheesecake, open the refrigerator, and instead of the alluring smell of fruit, you feel an incomprehensible mixture of fish and rotten vegetables that are not even there! Agree, the appetite and mood will be spoiled thoroughly, and you will not calm down until you find the answer to the question: how to get rid of the smell in the refrigerator? The information we collect will help return the former fragrance to the most important kitchen appliances in minutes.

We are looking for the cause and fix the problem

You can endlessly mask an unpleasant odor with flavorings for the refrigerator, or you can find the root cause of the problem to quickly fix it. But the strategy according to which we will act depends on the nature of the cause.

• How long have you washed it?

Do not be surprised by the unpleasant smell, if the last time wet cleaning was carried out a couple of years ago. Yes, the Nou Frost system saved you from the need for laborious defrosting with basins and rags, but this does not mean that now you can forget about cleaning. But even clean-tidy housewives may have the smell of a dirty refrigerator: was something spilled somewhere and was not noticed? In a couple of weeks, this drop of sauce, soup or brine will certainly make itself felt.

What to do? Thoroughly wash the refrigerator with any detergent and do not start it to a similar condition in the future.

Tip

Factory detergent can be replaced with a solution of vinegar and water 1: 1 or soda solution: both products will help rid the equipment of dirt and eliminate unpleasant odors. You can also wash the refrigerator with a solution of lemon juice or wipe the shelves with pure lemon juice.

• Equipment bought recently.

Remember how many fans have the smell of a new car. And how the new shoes smell when you just get it out of the box. New things tend to retain the smell of production, so if you smell something was wrong right after your purchase, just give the refrigerator time to ventilate. By the way, the smell of “novelty” in technology is quite specific, and you certainly will not confuse it with dirt or rot: the easier it will be to find and eliminate the cause.

What to do? Just wait, or if the smell soaks the food, unload the refrigerator to let it air out for several days. You can also wash the new refrigerator with detergents, if only for hygiene reasons.

• Something seems to be rotten.

Can't understand where the smell comes from? Or maybe a piece of sausage fell over a vegetable box and lay there for a couple of months? Or are you just still hoping that the remains of tomato paste, opened six months ago, will still be useful to you? Expired products can spoil not only the functioning of your digestive system, but also your appetite: just smell it!

What to do? Make it a habit to revisit the refrigerator once a month to quickly get rid of all expired products and dispose of those that are about to expire. Better yet, try to buy as much as you can eat, say, in a week: this way you will always eat fresh food, and the refrigerator will smell good.

• It's time to separate the fish from the cheese.

When cheese, sausage, fish, vegetables and a cake are on one shelf, it is difficult to be surprised at an unpleasant smell. Each product individually can smell very appetizing, but a mixture of these flavors will not cause anything but disgust.

What to do? Purchase containers, zip storage bags, foil or cling film. Not only that, in such insulation products are stored for longer and do not weather, so they also retain their original smell.

• It is time to clean the drain.

If the refrigerator is washed out, spoiled foods are thrown out, it is ventilated more than once, and all food is laid out in containers, but the smell has not gone away, most likely the problem is the clogged drain that any refrigerator has, even with the Nou Frost system. To do this without a technical mindset is quite difficult, so if you are afraid to break the refrigerator, disassembling it, call for help from a knowledgeable person.

What to do? Find drainage, clean and rinse it, then put it back in place.

Tip

A clogged drain can sometimes be calculated by the liquid that accumulates under the vegetable drawers or in the deepening of the freezer, depending on the device of a particular model.

Additional odor removers

Above, we talked about how to remove the smell from the refrigerator using radical methods, but there are options that can be called cosmetic. They will not eliminate the cause of the smell, but they can help in the intervals between washing or in situations where you need to solve the problem quickly, for example, before the guests arrive. All these tools can be divided into two categories.

Absorbents

These folk remedies are able to remove the smell, absorbing it and keeping it inside. From a strong smell, for example, they will not help fish, but the air will become fresher.

• Soda.

Soda perfectly absorbs the smell if you fill it with a flat plate and leave it in the refrigerator. The tool is not expensive, but there is one drawback: the plate will occupy valuable space on the shelf, so this option is not recommended for frequent use. By the way, if there is no soda, and the problem must be solved urgently, pour sugar or salt into a bowl, because they absorb smells no worse. Well, if you want to apply this technique on an ongoing basis, do not forget to change the content every 2-3 months.

• Coal.

It doesn't matter if you grind activated charcoal or use charcoal crumbs for barbecue: it will definitely help get rid of the smell in the refrigerator. In medicine, coal is used precisely because of its absorbing properties, so it will be easier to eliminate the problem with a plate of coal at home. And yes, after calcining in the oven at 180˚ the same coal can be used repeatedly!

• Onions, apples or potatoes.

Slices of these fruits and vegetables also make the odor less noticeable, absorbing them. But they need to be changed too often: once every 1-2 days instead of once every 2-3 months, so this absorbent is rather a one-time event.

• Fig.

Instead of soda, put dry rice in a plate: it absorbs the smell no worse. Although he will not remove the cause of the unpleasant amber, he can urgently make the air in the refrigerator fresh.

• Rye bread.

Pieces of rye bread at the same time absorb the smell and provide a pleasant aroma, but it’s a pity to use fresh bread: use the remaining crusts or blackened pieces.

• Cat litter.

Yes, yes, the option seems absurd, but only before you test it in action. The absence of odor, quick replacement and low price make it very convenient to use at home, and the absorbent properties - effective!

Flavors

Folk remedies from this list only slightly mask the unpleasant odor.

• Coffee. One of the best flavorings is coffee, but using it, put the food in containers: fish or meat with the aroma of coffee - food for everyone.
• Cinnamon, cloves, anise. Your favorite spices can muffle the bad smell for a short time if you put them next to the food.
• Citrus fruits or their crusts. It is enough to recall the last time you ate an orange to understand how strong the smell of citrus is.
• Rosemary, thyme, mint.Aromatic herbs will also serve as an excellent flavoring, filling the refrigerator with an appetizing aroma.

Well, you are fully armed to deal with bad breath in the refrigerator. Use any of these tools that you like and do not forget to find the root cause!