We just survived Hurricane Katrina and are now beginning the clean-up. We emptied our chest freezer of all the contents right after the storm hit, but now it smells awful. The power has just now come back on after 10 days. How do I clean it and get rid of the awful smell before I can use it again?
Denise from Mississippi
A used appliance store gave me the following advice for a freezer full of spoiled meat: Clean the surfaces first (probably with a diluted bleach solution) then put a large open box of odor-absorbing scented cat litter in the bottom of the freezer and close the door for a couple of days. (Leave the freezer off.) It worked for me. I have also heard that filling the freezer full of crumpled newspaper will help. Can't remember if I tried that as well. Good luck! (09/09/2005)
By Rhonda S.
Crumpled newspaper will do the job. I once dealt with a full freezer that had been without power for over a week. And the crumpled newspaper removed the stench in quick order. (09/09/2005)
A neighbor once had that happen to her freezer above the fridge. The thawed blood had gotten under the plastic you might say, into the ventilation holes and the landlord said that it had to be replaced because of health reasons. I hope this is not your case. (09/10/2005)
By Cindy in AL
After you have throughly cleaned the freezer you can wipe it down with vanilla extract. After that try crumpled newspapers and that should do the job. (09/10/2005)
By mary wallace
As a military family when we moved, we always put coffee grounds in a clean sock, one in the freezer and one in the frig. We never had a problem with odor. (09/10/2005)
By Memere
My niece bought a big new deep freeze and quickly filled it with bulk purchases of various meats she found on sale. Unfortunately, it had to be placed in her attached garage and her kids were horsing around and unknowingly knocked the electrical plug out of the outlet. She discovered this WAY too late! She did the clorox bleach, the cat litter, the baking soda, the crumpled newspapers and still had a bad odor.
Someone told her to dump about 5 pounds of fresh (unused) coffee grounds in it, close the lid for about a week and then remove the grounds. It worked! I imagine that trying all the other methods first made it more likely that the coffee grounds finally made it stop stinking! I am so sorry for all the loss you have endured. Our whole country is heartsick and working on ways to help. (09/10/2005)
By Grandma Margie
I just had this happen to me with a deep freeze full
of beef. And it went past 10 days before we noticed.
I had to
I wish you good luck and if I can help anymore let
me know. I wish you health, love and joy. Katrina broke many hearts yet makes so many stronger.
My mantra has always been; I may fall in the mud but I refuse to roll in it!
Prayers and peace to you. (09/15/2005)
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Here is a suggestion next time you buy a freezer. If it is possible, find one with large, sealed plastic bucket drawers. If anything goes anyway wrong, you can more easily empty these out than the insulation in your freezer. I was really lucky ours had this design. I had no idea what to do with the rancid meat-soup, and also had a lot of newspaper on hand, which went into a bag, sitting in a bucket.
My freezer was unplugged unbeknownst to me and about a quarter of a cow thawed out. The meat was wrapped and in boxes so I turned the freezer back on so they would be less smelly and messy and I could throw them away without it looking like I had murdered someone in my basement.
But then I was left with a half an inch of frozen bloody water in the bottom. I unplugged the freezer again to let the liquid thaw. When it was liquid again I got several old towels and laid them flat in the bottom with one end up out of the water to use as a handle later.
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