Turn a stinky fridge into a clean fridge by disinfecting the interior and then adding newspapers and charcoal for the final treatment. Odors will be gone within several days.
By the DIY experts of The Family Handyman Magazine:March 2012
Smash about 12 charcoal briquettes from your grill and spread the chunks on two trays. One goes in the fridge, the other in the freezer. Then crunch up newspaper and fill the shelves with it. Close the doors and walk away. Repeat every day for a week.
When your power goes out and the food in your fridge and freezer goes bad, you’ve got a really stinky mess on your hands. Obviously the first step is to remove the food and wipe everything down with a disinfecting cleaning spray. But our appliance expert, Costas Stavrou, gave us the rest of the story.
Turns out the most common mistake DIYers make is not cleaning all the nooks and crannies inside the freezer. The biggest culprits? The shelf supports in your freezer. Costas says to remove them and clean behind them with detergent and disinfectant to get rid of any blood or crud. If they’re permanently attached, soak them with cleaning spray. Next, forget about those expensive charcoal odor removers or coffee (which is even more expensive). Just use newspaper and charcoal briquettes. Finally (and this is the most important part), replace the old newspaper and charcoal with fresh stuff every day for about a week or until the smell is gone. Don’t think a single treatment is enough. It isn’t.
Have the necessary tools for this DIY project lined up before you start—you’ll save time and frustration.
Avoid last-minute shopping trips by having all your materials ready ahead of time. Here's a list.
