A refrigerator is the most necessary and common type of household appliances that is present in every home. But all users of this miracle of technology sometimes encounter such a problem as the appearance of an unpleasant odor inside it . How to get rid of odors in the refrigerator and what do they appear from?
Causes of occurrence:
1.New refrigerators quite often have an unpleasant smell, and this is quite normal. Parts in the unit (doors on the refrigerator compartment, internal cabinets, barriers on the shelves, etc.) are made of polymeric materials that emit a characteristic chemical smell.
2. In already existing technology, the smell often appears as a result of improper storage of products. Poorly packaged food, loosely closed storage containers, or a piece of cheese or sausage that has been left over for a long time can all become an unpleasant odor.
3. The cause may be a blockage in the drain hole, in which dirt accumulates over time, and the result is unpleasant odors in the refrigerator.
4. There is one more reason: when leaving for a long trip, most people turn off the refrigerator, close the door and leave it in this state for a long time. As a result, the air inside stagnates.
What to do
How to get rid of odors in the refrigerator if it is new? Having installed a new refrigerator in the house, before turning it on, it must be carefully treated inside with a special tool purchased in the store. You can wipe with a solution of baking soda (or ammonia) and water. Then rinse with plain water and dry well.
To eliminate the smell from the refrigerator that has already been in use, you must thoroughly wash it, not forgetting to rinse the drain hole. Before washing, be sure to turn off the power source.
There are four ways to deal with unpleasant odors: using household chemicals, odor absorbers purchased in stores, certain types of products, and also using a combination of some foods with household cleaning products.
Household chemicals for odor removal include:
- table vinegar, which is diluted in half with water and wiped with a solution inside the refrigerator (you can leave a cotton ball moistened in the resulting solution inside to effectively eliminate odor);
- baking soda, liquid ammonia (an aqueous solution is made of them, with which you need to moisten a napkin or sponge and wipe all the places inside the refrigerator, then rinse with water and dry);
- activated or charcoal.
How to get rid of odors in the refrigerator if it is washed and ventilated, but the smell still remains? You can purchase an odor absorber from the store and place it inside. It is a material impregnated with a carbon solution.
Some products are also good odor absorbers:
- lemon, brown bread, boiled rice, rice grains that can be put on plates on shelves;
- garlic or onions, which need to process the shelves and walls inside the refrigerator (leave for several hours, rinse after that with water, dry and ventilate);
- orange peels, celery and seasonings with a strong aroma (basil, turmeric, cloves, thyme, tarragon);
- a jar of sugar or salt placed inside the refrigerator or a piece of cheese will also help eliminate bad odors.
Products such as lemon and cheese, which are supposed to eliminate odors, cannot be left for a long time, as they undergo decay: later they will have to get rid of their smell.
With the combined use of products and household chemicals, you can use lemon, which should be cut in half, add baking soda to each half. Put the resulting combinations on shelves and leave for a week.
Prevention
The preventive measures taken on time will help solve the problem of how to get rid of odors in the refrigerator:
1. Fully wash the refrigerator (even if it has the function of self-thawing) every three to four months. This is written in each instruction manual.
2. All products without exception should be stored carefully packed in containers or wrapped with cling film. Keep track of the expiration date of each product.
3. Periodically place odor absorbers on shelves and in the freezer.
If any measures to eliminate unpleasant odors do not help, then there is only one way out - contact the master at the service center.