We all like it when the refrigerator is clean inside, outside and does not stink. But since cleaning the refrigerator is not the most pleasant and quick occupation, sometimes we start it. And sometimes there are emergency cases when there is a persistent odor of rotten or mold due to spoiled products or a long idle time of the refrigerator. Let’s find out how to properly care for it, how to quickly defrost the freezer, what to do in difficult cases and how to remove odors urgently and regularly.
A little bit about prevention
How often should I wash the refrigerator? In addition to daily inspections of products and wiping of the walls of the camera, periodically it is necessary to carry out more large-scale cleaning.
- On-duty maintenance of the refrigerator without defrosting is optimal 1 time a week – it should be wiped from the outside and inside, including the rubber seal, to throw everything that has accumulated unnecessary for a week;
- A thorough cleaning of the refrigerator with defrosting is ideally done once a month, then in the freezer the frost is not formed, which reduces the efficiency of work, and the fridge will not have unpleasant smells. However, if you are not a perfectionist, and your refrigerator is working properly and even has the function of no frost, then one cleaning per quarter will be enough.
Capital cleaning in 7 steps
So, how to properly wash the refrigerator?
- Empty the refrigerator and check. All that is stale and spoiled – throw out, and perishable and frozen foods put in a container, and then put it in a cool and dark place or in a basin with cold water and ice. Banks and products in packages, which also want to wipe, we refer to the side of the sink.
- Defrost the refrigerator by first adjusting the temperature to zero, and then disconnecting it from the mains. Keep the doors of the refrigerator and freezers open. As a rule, defrost lasts from 3 to 10 hours. How quickly defrost the refrigerator? The following methods will help speed up the process:
- in an empty refrigerator put a small pot of boiling water and close the door. Once the water has cooled, drain it and refill the pot with boiling water. Repeat this procedure until the freezer is thawed;
- cut a small hole in the lid of the plastic bottle and fill the bottle with boiling water, then properly water them with ice – this will help it to thaw and crumble faster.
Read more in the material: How to properly defrost the refrigerator in 8 steps.
- Further we proceed to washing the shelves, containers and … the soiled packaged products. While the freezer is defrosting, we remove all shelves, containers and side racks and fold them near the sink or in the bathroom.
If there is a dishwasher, then you can wash some part in it, taking off in the PMM two upper tiers. If the dishwasher is not there, and the dirt is not too complicated, then we wash everything by hand with a sponge, brushes, hot water and detergents, and then leave to dry. If there are soiled jars with jam and pickles, bottles, some products in boxes, etc., it is also better to wipe them clean.
- Clean the condenser from the back of the refrigerator from dust. This can be done with a vacuum cleaner or a long narrow brush.
- After the refrigerator is defrosted, we proceed to wash the refrigerator inside. But first you need to drain the melt water from the pan, if it is plentiful (if the ice was small, then this can not be done, because the water itself will evaporate with time).
- Washing should be started from the top down, paying special attention to the far walls, corners and grooves.
- Be sure to clean and disinfect the drain hole on the back of the camera (right) – it is often a source of unpleasant odor in the refrigerator. For this, a medical pear or syringe can be filled with a cleaning solution directly into the channel.
- Lastly, we clean the rubber seal with an old toothbrush, and then wipe the camera dry. The door should be left open until the walls of the refrigerator dry completely.
Means for the care of the refrigerator can and should be prepared at home, and for convenience homemade solutions you can pour into the nebulizer.
- Soda Solution Recipe: prepare the product at the rate of 2 tbsp. l per 1 liter of water. On washing the refrigerator you need about 5 liters of water. With the resulting solution, we wash the entire chamber, and then we remove the remains of the soda itself with a clean rag;
- Recipe for vinegar-based products: make a solution at the rate of 2 tbsp per 1 liter of water, then wipe the entire chamber.
Attention!
- Rubber gaskets can not be wiped with acetic mortar, as they are cracked and spoiled;
- In order to eliminate the smell in the new refrigerator, the vinegar solution is more suitable.
On how to remove unpleasant odors in the refrigerator, we will describe in more detail below.
- Now my refrigerator is outside. You can do this with the same solution.
- We return all the shelves and containers to the place, store all the products and turn on the refrigerator.
It is important that all boxes, jars, bottles, bags and boxes are dry – no need to promote the formation of a new layer of ice in the freezer and increase the humidity level in the refrigerator compartment.
8 popular ways how to get rid of the smell in the fridge
To eliminate the unpleasant smell in the refrigerator, you can buy a ready-made scent absorber that is sold in any household chemical store or make a similar remedy at home.
To remove extraneous smells of mold, stale fish, meat, onions, etc., you need:
- Wash the camera with a solution of wine vinegar and water (the method is suitable for removing strong odors);
- Slice the black bread, spread out on the shelves and close the refrigerator for a day;
- Put on the shelf a saucer with activated carbon tablets (you can tie it in a gauze pouch);
- Put in the refrigerator 2 halves of a cut lemon;
- Put a gauze bag with sugar or rice in the chamber;
- To lay out on the shelves tea bags or gauze pouches with loose black tea;
- Pour in a glass of soda and put it on the shelf of the refrigerator;
- To quickly remove the unpleasant odor in the refrigerator, you need to pour the vanilla extract into a glass or a saucer and put in the refrigerator.
For more information on how to remove an unpleasant odor in the refrigerator, see the following video with an overview of various folk remedies.
