Should you open the refrigerator door and a sharp disgusting smell of mold, spoiled food or mustiness hit your nose? What now: change expensive equipment or call a master? For a start, you can try to cope yourself. And we will tell you how!
1. General wash
The first and foremost way to start is by thoroughly washing the refrigerator. Without it, even the best odor absorbers will cure only the consequences, not the problem itself. Unplug the refrigerator from the mains, lay out and at the same time review the products, put them in a refrigerator bag or on the balcony.
With a soft sponge, wash all the walls, take out and rinse the shelves with a pallet, clean the joints and seals with a brush. You can use regular soapy water or special detergents (gentle and without abrasives). Dry everything thoroughly and wipe with dry towels so that no water remains anywhere in the corners.
2. Vinegar
Dilute vinegar and water in half and wipe all surfaces after washing them with soap. Wear household gloves to protect your hands from the corrosive solution. After processing, open the windows in the kitchen and dry the refrigerator with the door open so that the characteristic pungent vinegar smell disappears.
3. Ammonia
The ammonia kills bacteria, removes odors and flushes out remaining stains. To make a solution, pour a spoonful of ammonia into a liter of water and mix. Soak a sponge in liquid, wipe the entire contents of the refrigerator and ventilate.
4. Citric acid
Citric acid is a nicer cleaner and more antibacterial without the pungent odor of vinegar or ammonia. Dilute a spoonful of powder or a few tablespoons of lemon juice per liter of water. You can add some regular rubbing alcohol.
Soak a sponge in the solution and wipe all surfaces of the refrigerator, and to consolidate the result, you can walk on top of a fresh zest. Or use a spray bottle to spray.
5. Soda
Soda absorbs any odors well and has almost no smell of its own. Transfer the pack to a container or waste jar and leave it open somewhere in the corner of the refrigerator. About once a month, do not forget to clean and empty the container, wash it and add fresh soda.
6. Salt
Place a cup of cooking salt in the far corner of the refrigerator for a few weeks. On top, you can pour half a spoonful of lemon juice or drop a couple of drops of essential oils. For example, citrus or tea tree (excellent natural antiseptic).
7. Coffee
Coffee also neutralizes extraneous odors well, but at the same time it has its own pronounced. Any can of the cheapest ground coffee or dried grounds left in the morning filter will do. Pour into a cup and place on the shelf in the refrigerator, changing as needed.
8. Citruses
Cut the washed orange, grapefruit or lemon together with the peel and arrange the slices on plates in the refrigerator. Leave them on for a couple of days and throw them away - that's enough to neutralize odors. Oddly enough, sliced potatoes give the same result.
9. Activated carbon
Well removes the unpleasant odor in the refrigerator and ordinary activated carbon, which must first be crushed and calcined in the oven. You will need about 10-20 tablets, which you need to pour on a plate or on parchment. Put the powder in the refrigerator for 2-3 days and repeat the procedure every 3-4 weeks. There are ready-made charcoal absorbers in the form of balls or pouches.
10. Clay
Dry clay in powder, which is sold in sachets in pharmacies and cosmetics stores, does just as well. Use it the same way you use coal. Take the white one - it will definitely not leave marks on the white walls.
11. Silica gel
If you still have bags with silica gel balls made of shoes, soft toys, outerwear and equipment - their time has come. A dozen standard bags will last for about six months. In addition to them, a gel or mineral-salt absorber is suitable.
12. Paper and newspapers
You can get rid of the smell in the lower trays of the refrigerator with crumpled newspaper balls. The main thing is to regularly throw them away and lay new ones at least once a week. This is a very simple and affordable way to remove the musty smell and at the same time forget about the dampness!