zxcvbob wrote:

Dan K wrote:

We figure a couple days into our 2 week vacation the circuit breaker
tripped on our refrigerator (due to a light on a timer plugged into the
same
circuit, but thats another story). You can imagine the mess and smell
that greeted us when we got back. We have removed everything, washed the
inside of the refrig/freezer down with a germacide (that works great in
the laundry for perspiration smells), and left baking soda in for 24
hours but it still
stinks to high heaven. The smell seems to be in everything plastic, and
theres a lot of plastic in the 2 year old (brand new as far as I'm
concerned) fridge. Any tips to get the smell out?



There's a hospital disinfectant called "quaternary ammonia", or quat for
short. I buy the stuff at Fleet Farm in the dairy supplies under the
brand name "Steramine". The active ingredient is something like
"n-alkyl (50% C-50) benzyl ammonium chloride" or benzalkonium chloride.
It kills bacteria, fungi, and even virus, and it has an oddly "fresh"
smell. It does a tremendous job of deodorizing things. Don't splash
the concentrate in your eyes. If you can't find the stuff, look for a
humidifier algicide or waterbed conditioner with the same active
ingredient

Also, a lot of the smell will disappear just by turning on the fridge
and getting it cold again.

Good luck,
Bob

And the smell will also disappear if you hold your nose.
In this case the smell equals bacteria, and hence the risk of having food
contaminated. if it wont clean up i would replace it. Have you talked to
your Home Owners insurance co? They may cover it or they may be able to
point you in the right direction to get it properly cleaned.
Eric