Looking for advice...

I have a vacation cabin and when I'm not there, I switch off all the
breakers except the one for the fridge. After several years with no
problems, as luck would have it a summer storm caused the breaker to trip.
For probably 3 weeks, rotting meat stewed in the (top mount)
freezer...black liquid oozed into the floor of the freezer and seeped into
places I cannot get to without disassembling the fridge. Besides the
seepage, the plastic surfaces of the freezer and fridge have absorbed
odors too. The ice cube trays alone are still quite smelly and they've
been left, filled with baking soda, out in the sun for many days.

Three weeks ago after I discovered this horror, I cleaned all the exposed
surfaces with 409-type cleaner, cleaned again with clorox solution...left
large baking pans full of baking soda on all the shelves. When I left the
cabin, I left the fridge running with the baking soda inside. This past
weekend, the smell is almost as strong as ever. I'm not sure what to do
next. Should I turn it off and leave the doors open? I'm afraid it will
attract insects to crawl into those places I couldn't get to. Or will it
eventually get better if I wait long enough?

Lesson learned...from now on, everything in the freezer that isn't in a
container with a tight-fitting lid, will be double-ziploc-bagged. I'd
gotten slack about that, and had some steaks and burgers wrapped in saran
and foil....not airtight. :-(

annette

(swap zeros for O's to reply by email)

Put a tray with coal. But use just common and plain coal. In less than
a week the coal will absorb the smell
Hope this helps

Eric





Annette Tharpe wrote:
Looking for advice...

I have a vacation cabin and when I'm not there, I switch off all the
breakers except the one for the fridge. After several years with no
problems, as luck would have it a summer storm caused the breaker to trip.
For probably 3 weeks, rotting meat stewed in the (top mount)
freezer...black liquid oozed into the floor of the freezer and seeped into
places I cannot get to without disassembling the fridge. Besides the
seepage, the plastic surfaces of the freezer and fridge have absorbed
odors too. The ice cube trays alone are still quite smelly and they've
been left, filled with baking soda, out in the sun for many days.

Three weeks ago after I discovered this horror, I cleaned all the exposed
surfaces with 409-type cleaner, cleaned again with clorox solution...left
large baking pans full of baking soda on all the shelves. When I left the
cabin, I left the fridge running with the baking soda inside. This past
weekend, the smell is almost as strong as ever. I'm not sure what to do
next. Should I turn it off and leave the doors open? I'm afraid it will
attract insects to crawl into those places I couldn't get to. Or will it
eventually get better if I wait long enough?

Lesson learned...from now on, everything in the freezer that isn't in a
container with a tight-fitting lid, will be double-ziploc-bagged. I'd
gotten slack about that, and had some steaks and burgers wrapped in saran
and foil....not airtight. :-(

annette

(swap zeros for O's to reply by email)

Try also lemon juice

Hope it works!




Annette Tharpe wrote:
Looking for advice...

I have a vacation cabin and when I'm not there, I switch off all the
breakers except the one for the fridge. After several years with no
problems, as luck would have it a summer storm caused the breaker to trip.
For probably 3 weeks, rotting meat stewed in the (top mount)
freezer...black liquid oozed into the floor of the freezer and seeped into
places I cannot get to without disassembling the fridge. Besides the
seepage, the plastic surfaces of the freezer and fridge have absorbed
odors too. The ice cube trays alone are still quite smelly and they've
been left, filled with baking soda, out in the sun for many days.

Three weeks ago after I discovered this horror, I cleaned all the exposed
surfaces with 409-type cleaner, cleaned again with clorox solution...left
large baking pans full of baking soda on all the shelves. When I left the
cabin, I left the fridge running with the baking soda inside. This past
weekend, the smell is almost as strong as ever. I'm not sure what to do
next. Should I turn it off and leave the doors open? I'm afraid it will
attract insects to crawl into those places I couldn't get to. Or will it
eventually get better if I wait long enough?

Lesson learned...from now on, everything in the freezer that isn't in a
container with a tight-fitting lid, will be double-ziploc-bagged. I'd
gotten slack about that, and had some steaks and burgers wrapped in saran
and foil....not airtight. :-(

annette

(swap zeros for O's to reply by email)

"Eric nelson" writes:

Put a tray with coal. But use just common and plain coal. In less than
a week the coal will absorb the smell
Hope this helps

A plain (non-lighter fluid, non-quick lighting boring old Kingsford)
charcoal will do this as well I'm told. I haven't tried it.


--
--
Todd H.
http://www.toddh.net/

On 26 Jul 2006 00:21:00 -0500, (Todd H.) wrote:

"Eric nelson" writes:

Put a tray with coal. But use just common and plain coal. In less than
a week the coal will absorb the smell
Hope this helps

A plain (non-lighter fluid, non-quick lighting boring old Kingsford)
charcoal will do this as well I'm told. I haven't tried it.


I seem to recall from the 70's when my parents had a spare refrig and
we winterized our home, they left the door open with one or two
charcoals in it. I thought it was nuts to look at but I think it
worked because I don't recall any smell in the refrig and it was an
old one at the time.

// doug //
website: MyHomeRebate.com
"Buy New Homes for Less in Texas"

In article .com,
Eric nelson wrote:
Put a tray with coal. But use just common and plain coal. In less than
a week the coal will absorb the smell
Hope this helps

Charcoal brickettes would probably work better.

--
Rich Greenberg N Ft Myers, FL, USA richgr atsign panix.com + 1 239 543 1353
Eastern time. N6LRT I speak for myself & my dogs only. VM'er since CP-67
Canines:Val, Red & Shasta (RIP),Red, Zero & Casey, Siberians Owner:Chinook-L
Retired at the beach Asst Owner:Sibernet-L

I don't think so... it has chemicals
About 15 years ago, I had a very old fridge, always with bad smell. I
went to a "homexx" store (don't remember the name), and I bought a
"blue egg". This is a plastic blue egg, with holes and a piece of coal
inside
I have a new fridge but I keep the "egg" inside. I can put onions or
garlic inside the fridge, the coal absorbs the smell
Of course the "egg" is decorative, but the coal really works




Rich Greenberg wrote:
In article .com,
Eric nelson wrote:
Put a tray with coal. But use just common and plain coal. In less than
a week the coal will absorb the smell
Hope this helps

Charcoal brickettes would probably work better.

--
Rich Greenberg N Ft Myers, FL, USA richgr atsign panix.com + 1 239 543 1353
Eastern time. N6LRT I speak for myself & my dogs only. VM'er since CP-67
Canines:Val, Red & Shasta (RIP),Red, Zero & Casey, Siberians Owner:Chinook-L
Retired at the beach Asst Owner:Sibernet-L