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Bad Smell In Travel Trailer Fridge?

I stupidly left a couple of hot dogs and some pop in my refrigerator and freezer in my travel trailer over the winter. When I went in to clean it for use the stench was beyond explanation! I cleaned the upper freezer half with bleach and other disinfectants. The smell is still there.

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I left the doors open to air it out- smell still there. I put two dishes of baking soda in it, left door open for a day and there was no change. So I closed the door, turned on the freezer, and left the two dishes of baking soda in and the smell is still there.

Today I read on here to put coffee in the freezer to take away odors, haven't been back to check on it. I also just read on here to put a raw peeled potato in the freezer to absorb odors. I am going to try that one too.

I am desperate, we leave soon for a weekend away. Any other ideas out there?

Susan from Rochester, NY

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By Lorie from Toledo (Guest Post)
August 2, 20050 found this helpful
Best Answer

White Vinagar! Wash out the fridge with straight white vinagar warmed up in the microwave for a minute. Don't rinse yet. Then leave a bowl of it in there overnight. The next morning rinse it down twice with plain water and dry it out completely.

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then put a layer of charcoal brickets on the rack and floor of the fridge for a day. That should do the trick. I did this to clean up a 'new-to-me' fridge that used to store raw fish.

 
July 3, 20170 found this helpful

Do you leave the fridge on our just let it sit

 
July 11, 20170 found this helpful

Do you close the doors? And is the fridge on or off?

 
By (Guest Post)
August 2, 20050 found this helpful
Best Answer

Did a search, and soemone suggested baking soda in water. Others suggested bleach water. found this at this website from Sept 2004:
When refrigerators get old or have been in storage for a long time they can take on a stale odor, making it a less than appealing place to store your food. Often what happens is mold grows and creates the bad odors. Use the following recipe to help remove the mold and the odor.

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Ingredients:

- 1 cup bleach
- 1 cup water
- activated charcoal

Directions:

First remove all of the drawers, shelves, the condensation pan and trays from the fridge. Scrub the inside of the refrigerator and freezer compartment with the bleach solution using a sponge or rag. Wear gloves and make sure you have proper ventilation. Also be careful about getting bleach stains on your clothing. Then clean the drawers, shelves and other components that you removed from the fridge using the same solution. Mix a second batch if you run out.

Once you are done, put the fridge back together and place a shallow pan with 8 ounces of activated charcoal in the refrigerater and freezer compartment. You can buy the charcoal at local pet store in the aquarium supply section. Close the doors and let the charcoal sit for a week. If it still smells, replace the charcoal with fresh and let it sit for another week.

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Kelly

 
August 11, 20050 found this helpful
Best Answer

I use vanilla extract also. For all stinky things!
I had a spot behind my front door that my dog used
for a pee spot everytime we went somewhere without her.
lol
I finally figured out where the smell was coming from. I had been wanting to tile that area for a doorsweep anyway. When we took out the piece of carpet and padding to make a door sweep, we found that it had gone all the way down into the concrete floor.
I used vinegar and baking soda several times to no avail.
I put the vanilla extract there and let it sit overnight and did it again. No more smell!
The guy that put in the doorsweep for us was a carpet installer and he said I had taught him something.
He had run into that problem before many times and had never found anything that worked that fast or that took the smell totally out.

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I did dilute the last application with water so it wouldn't be sticky. My mother told me about it because after moving with the military one of the times they moved, she had left the fridge for my dad to clean out.
Which he forgot to do. The fridge was in storage for 3 months so you can imagine the smell. She used the vanilla extract and wiped it all down and put some in bowls in both the fridge and freezer. The next day ...... no smell.
Good Luck,
Debbie

 
By Rosa (Guest Post)
August 18, 20050 found this helpful
Best Answer

Use Vanilla ! I know this works for a fact. We went crabbing one time and brought the crabs home, after par boiling them first, stored them in the camper fridge ! What an rotten smell when we got home ! I poured vanilla on cotton balls, put the in the fridge, and on the counter tops, also whiped inside of freezer with vanilla .

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change cotton balls as needed . Took about 3 days for the smell to go. Try it , it really works . rosa

 
By Margaret (Guest Post)
August 2, 20050 found this helpful

Many years ago we had a freezer full of meat go bad when the electricity was out for several days due to a hurricane. I tried everything: Bleach, Lysol, ammonia, vinegar...nothing worked. Then someone told us to use cat litter. We got cheap cat litter (but not the clay kind) and put several small bowls throughout, on all the shelves. We closed the door and crossed our fingers. After about three days we opened the door and all we could smell was the cat litter. We took out the bowls and washed down the inside of the freezer with plain old soap and water and it was good as new. About ten years later we gave the freezer away, and it lasted several more years...without the smell!! Good luck.

 
By guest (Guest Post)
August 3, 20050 found this helpful

I would take it out of the travel vehicle open it and let it sit outside where the sunshines into it.
After a day of this, fill it with crumbled up newspapers and close the door for another day..try that..the newspaper usually will soak up the smell and then clean it out and let it air out again

 
By Jennifer B. (Guest Post)
August 3, 20050 found this helpful

Vinegar is a good solution. You might also try charcoal pieces, or aquarium quality charcoal to absorb the odors.

 
By LissiMeme (Guest Post)
August 3, 20050 found this helpful

Pack it with old newspapers after you have cleaned it out and that should help

 
By Gina (Guest Post)
August 3, 20050 found this helpful

What you need to do is clean the coils! I had this happen in a refrigerator some renters left that was brand new! Turn off the unit, and clean the coils twice and then in about two weeks the smell will be gone. Spray them with bleach water.

 
By grandma (Guest Post)
August 3, 20050 found this helpful

I HAD THE SAME PROBLEM WITH MY MICROWAVE. SOMETHING BURNED & THE SMELL STAYED FOR A LONG TIME. I PUT A BOWL OF VINEGAR IN IT, CLOSED IT & KEPT IT THERE FOR A FEW HOURS. IT WORKED. NO MORE BURNING SMELL.

 
By Edie (Guest Post)
August 6, 20050 found this helpful

Wash your fridge with vanilla extract. Leave door open to airdry. It removes the offensive odor.

 
By mick (Guest Post)
December 5, 20060 found this helpful

light rolled up newspaper, blow out flame, then put into fridge while smoking and close door. then leave for a hour. I am a lorry driver with fridge trailer used this idea when changing loads from bloody sheep skins to food. the tip was given to me by an old lorry driver. hope this works

 
By grandmadee (Guest Post)
January 13, 20080 found this helpful

I would try charcoal - Just lay several pieces in the fridge & freezer & close up over night - and this might help. Good Luck.

 

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