Need Help with Stinky Fridge!

I remember my Grandma filling a stinky fridge with balls of crumpled up newspaper to absorb the odors. Just set them on the shelves and shut the door.

Hi A.;
I've never had a problem with crab but there has been a time or two that I had some steaks go bad and stink up the place and what I did was, like you, washed it out with baking soda, then used some grapefruit oil and found that didn't help until I opened up the door under the fridge and found the drain hose needed cleaned and also the pan that the stuff drains into and got that all cleaned with good soapy water then after washing the fridge again I put boxes of baking soda in, one in the fridge and one in the freezer. It did help so I hope it works for you.
Good Luck;
J.

I know this sound a little weird, but I got this tip from a mover..and it works. Fill an sock or knee high panty hose with dry coffee grounds and put in the back of the fridge. ...ok the fridg. might smell like coffee, but it does absorb other icky smells.

ps, When you clean out your fridg, be sure to dump out the ice in the freezer compartment too.

Clorox makes a product called Clean-up. It is a bleach based spray. It sure does a great job on the worst my family throws at it. I have five kids.

Take everything out of the fridge, get vinegar and warm water on a rag and wash it all out big time, even rewiping all the areas. The best way is to air it out for a while if you have a back up fridge or can do that for a few hours. If not, then after you have wiped it out try leaving baking soda in the fridge with the box open. There are products out there that will clean smells from fridges, check in the cleaning area at Target. You can get natural ones too. Even go to Ask.com and look up what gets rid of odors in fridges...you would be amazed all the suggestions you will come up with! :)
Good luck.

Hi, well when i have stinky things, i use vinigar. yes i know it smells also, but the sent wears off quickly and it gets rid of the other bad smells.

This very topic was on a show I was watching recently, can't rememeber which, anyways they said that for the fish smell there really is only one way to get it and that is to place charcoal in the fridge, but I didn't pay attention to how long you need to do it or if you are supposed to take the food out of it. Sorry can't be much help, but I sympathize!

I think that there is a drip pan under the bottom drawer or even under the bottom of the refrigerator. Check that it is empty and clean. If you've cleaned everything else that could be where the smell is coming from.

The charcoal suggestion sounds good too. Good luck.

A simple solution of 1 part water to one part vinegar is what I use to clean my fridge when it is starting to smell. I spray it on and let it sit for about a minute, thin wipe it up with a clean white rag. I hope this helps.

Solumel and or Soluguard botanical are awesome for things like this. It gets all those fishy odors out and even disinfects killing off any bacteria or fungi or virus that may be lurking where the mess had been.

I do not keep bleach of any sort in my home because it is very hard on the mucus membranes and has caused asthma attacks in my oldest son.

Have you tried cleaning with some good old Clorox bleach? Take everything out and store it in a cooler or something, turn off the fridge and go to town with the bleach (I use a 3:1 hot water/bleach mix). Rinse it well, let it dry, then plug it back in.

Don't know if this will help, my mom would put crumpled newspaper in a plastic jars to take smells out of them, like those hot pepper gal. jars so she could use them for sugar and etc. she would do this until the smell was gone, then wash with baking soda water.
If all else fails throw out and get a new one??
A friend suggested putting in some charcoal briqetts in, charcoal absorbs odors. good luck

Try Clorox Cleanup w/bleach. The stuff works wonders. Also, make sure you pull out and clean thoroughly every single shelf and compartment from the fridge. We had a bunch of meat defrosting in our fridge a couple of months ago and it leaked everywhere. We had to take the entire fridge apart to get into all the cracks and crevices where the stuff leaked. Good luck!

Definitely the vinegar solution! It is so awesome! I use it for so much. You can also soak a piece of bread in it and leave it in your fridge overnight. I'm not sure if you need to take your items out or not though. Google "vinegar solutions" and you get a whole lot of ways to use vinegar as a natural cleaning agent! It's really quite fascinating!!!!

Hi A.,

Does'nt it just irk you when people don't clean up their mess right away? I feel ya. Have you tried taking a solution of water/bleach on a paper towel, (wet enough to set on the area for an hour or so.) Hope that helps.

Blessings,
C.

wash the area with a solution of bleach water. Dry thoroughly. Place some ground coffee beans on that shelf. Change them out as needed.

Have you take the frig apart and sprayed it with beach? Let it sit for a while and wipe it down. Clean the shelves while the frig is sitting. Hopefully this will help.
C. B

Try the prefilled coffee bags. A mover once told me they use these in fridges that are going to be stored for a long period of time.

How about some old fashioned vinegar? That usually neutralizes most strong smells without the chemicals.

Possibly an opened can of ground coffee would help with the odor. Buy a cheap brand, open it up, stick it in the fridge taking care to notice what else you have in the fridge because the smell may leach over to other foods that may not be covered up or in containers. You may end up switching one smell for another but at least it would not be a seafood smell! Good Luck!