Put crumbled up newspaper in your Coleman cooler to remove all musty odors; let set until the next time you use the container and all odors will be gone.
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My tip is how to get a fishy smell out of a cooler. I wash it out first with very hot soapy water and rinse well. Then I take a small lid and put about 2-3 teaspoons of vanilla in it.
Crumpled up newspapers placed inside of musty smelling coolers will remove the smell.
Here are the questions asked by community members. Read on to see the answers provided by the ThriftyFun community.
How do you remove odors from an ice cooler?
By debbie boelter from Pipestone, MN
Try putting a dish of kitty litter inside and closing it. If you can alternate leaving it open and in the sun it would help too.
Wad a bunch of newspapers up and put them inside the cooler. Leave for a few days. Don't know how this works but it does.
Wash with warm water and soap. Leave open to the sun. A day of sun should do it but leave longer if need to. My husband put fish in ours and it worked on that.
Charcoal briquettes, baking soda, or coffee grounds are all good odor absorbers. Give one or all of them a try as well.
I need to get the cleaning solution smell out of my cooler.
Clean it out with diluted white vinegar and leave it open outside for a couple days
Activated charcoal, crushed newspaper or Nok-Out will remove the smell.
Open the cooler and air it out. Afterwards, clean it with vinegar and water. You can now use Activated charcoal in the cooler. This will remove the smell inside your cooler.
Cover the bottom of a throw away aluminum pan with charcoal, pour some lemon juice over the charcoal and set it in the bottom of your cooler with the lid on for 24 to 48 hours. Works great in refrigerators as well.
Basically the same methods can be used no matter what type of odor/smell is in your cooler. I would not use bleach unless it will take drastic measures as bleach will remove the top protective coating from some types of coolers and then the coolers will hold all odors and dirt longer.
Cleaning with water and either vinegar or lemon outside and airing the cooler out will do wonders and may not need anything else.
Here is a useful link about keeping your cooler clean and smelling great.
www.icechestguide.com/
One thing I do is sprinkle baking soda inside and wipe it all over inside with a soft cloth and then rinse well and let air dry.
I would cover the bottom with kitty litter to soak up odours.Leave open for couple of days inside where kitty litter will not get wet.Then clean with lemon juice.Rinse with just water.
I always use baking soda and alittle water! Absorbs all smells! Works like a charm!
I would use baking soda and water, the baking soda absorbs odors, leave it open for a few days.
I would use baking soda and white vinegar to scrub it down with, then leave a bowl of vinegar in it for a few days.
