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Last Updated on June 22, 2019 by Chris Butler
It happened to me Monday morning. I stumbled to the coffee pot and opened the refrigerator to grab my creamer. Whoa. The horrid smell set me back a few steps. What in the world crawled up in there and died overnight? It was bad. Very Bad. I quickly slammed the door back shut. This is not something I wanted to deal with before coffee.
I just did a complete clean out of the fridge a few weeks ago and had been doing good keeping it maintained. While enjoying my coffee I tried to imagine what it could be. I was afraid a mouse had gotten in and stuck in the back parts and it would smell that way forever.
Holding my breath I flung the door open and did a quick inventory. That’s when I saw it. A pork roast wedged in the corner of the bottom shelf. I had pulled it out of the freezer to begin thawing on the day I totally cleaned out the fridge. (isn’t that the way it always works?) Through an unfortunate series of events, it had been forgotten and pushed back. Ragweed allergies are in full swing, so my smelling abilities have been greatly hindered. Until the stink got so bad it about knocked me down.
Praise the Lord it was trash day! So the rotting, horrid smelling, forgotten roast went straight to the curb. But the smell remained strong all day. Even the freezer stunk. The next morning it still stunk. Ugh. Google said to remove everything and let it air our a few days. I’m still laughing about that one, who has time for such business? Luckily I found some easier ways that work quick!
Obviously the first thing you want to do for a stinky refrigerator is to remove the items that are causing the stink. If it’s been awhile since you have done a complete clean out, that may be what you are in for. However if time is short today, these tips may buy you some time to get it done.
If your fridge stink is from a power outage, by all means leave that door open and allow air to circulate. When power is restored and your refrigerator is back in business, these odor removing tips will remove the rest of the stink.
5) Coffee Grounds.
Coffee is an excellent odor absorber. The caffeine in coffee that so many of us use to wake up contains nitrogen, which is great for removing odors. This is the method I used. I also added a dash of vanilla, another good odor absorber.
4) Baking Soda
Baking Soda is probably the most common known odor absorber. It works by neutralizing acids in the air that are generally the culprit of stink. But don’t just open a box and set it in your fridge. Pour some into a bowl or spread over a plate, the more surface area the better. Again add a dash of vanilla to boost the odor removing power.
3) Kitty Litter
Have a cat? The clay in Kitty Litter will absorb most offensive smells. Place a dish of clean kitty litter in your fridge and be amazed.
2) Vanilla
I like to use vanilla in combo with other odor removers, but it will straight up work on its own. Saturate a cotton ball with vanilla extract and place on a shelf in your fridge. If your stinky smell is from fish, try lemon juice or lemon oil instead.
1) Charcoal
Charcoal is one of the best natural odor removers, though it’s probably the least common to have laying around. If you do have charcoal place a plate of it in your fridge and the odors will be gone in no time.
There you have it! 5 tips to get rid of the stinky smell. Keep in mind all of these products will remove odors in the rest of your home too! Sprinkle on carpet or place in trash cans, all the smelly things that stink. Comment down below and let us know how it worked for you!
Chris Butler has helped thousands of crafters learn how to use their Cricut machine without feeling overwhelmed. She is a best selling author and an up and coming designer. For fun Chris enjoys designing SVG Files, hanging out with her family (preferably at the lake), traveling, and volunteering at her church. She is a wife and mom of two crazy fun kids.
Annie says
I recently tried the baking soda trick – it really does work! (Also tried it tied into a sock placed in shoes for a few days – no more pongy trainers!)
Logan @ Money Done Right says
I knew about baking soda but not the others. Will definitely try them. Thanks!
Dawnmarie says
Charcoal is a new idea to me. Thank you for this easy to read list!
Tiffany @beforeandafterouremptynest says
Great tips! I’ve only used baking soda before. I will be trying the other methods for sure. Thanks for the info!