Rotten food left in fridge

[Anonymous No.6119017]

>go home from uni for the winter
>come back to uni house after winter
>fridge stinks
>oh no
>housemates didn't get rid of food over winter (I was the first to leave)
>landlord comes in and switches it off over winter
>3 weeks of rotting food
>fridge stinks

I've cleaned all the drawers, wiped it down etc, got rid of the food and everything but it still stinks
I've heard multiple ways of trying to get rid of the smell such as putting a lemon in there which i've tried but it still smells, albeit not as bad

sorry if this isn't the right place to ask but do you guys know of any ways to get rid of the smell? or have any stories of something similar

thanks

[Anonymous No.6119026]

sodium bicarbonate

[Anonymous No.6119028]

>>6119026
what do I do with it? wipe the shelves and drawers down again?

[Anonymous No.6119044]

>>6119028
Yes, wipe everything with a base like sodium hydroxide (lye) or baking soda if you can't find it, scatter some activated charcoal, then turn the refrigerator off and let it sit for a few days.

[Borneo No.6119054]

hi op, ive had to deal with an unplugged freezer full of rotting meat and veg not so long ago

you'll have to bleach every surface, and leave a saucer of sodium bicarbonate in it, otherwise known as baking soda

[Anonymous No.6119057]

>>6119017
have you tried putting in 2 lemons?

[Anonymous No.6119074]

>>6119044
okay thanks - so I should turn it off yeah? I thought maybe leaving it on would kill of the bacteria (freezer was affected too)
>>6119054
it's so grim isn't it
I used washing up liquid and like some flash kitchen cleaner spray shit. So I just stick sodium bicarb in a bowl and leave it in there? guy above you said to wipe it down
>>6119057
got 2 cut lemons in there at the moment, have done seemingly nothing

[Anonymous No.6119079]

>>6119074
try adding an orange

[Anonymous No.6119086]

>>6119074
Heat kills bacteria; cold just slows its growth. Leaving the refrigerator cold unfortunately slows the rate at which the odors react with the base you leave stuck on the walls. You should also leave it open with some air current for a while after you let the base and charcoal sit.

[Anonymous No.6119091]

>>6119017
Think of it as seasoning your fridge, as you would a cast iron pan.

[Phil Ossiferz Stone !!esSirF6LRYN No.6119092]

>>6119054
This. And make sure you air the bugger out during and after. It should be room temp and completely dry for at least a day.

[Anonymous No.6119095]

>>6119086
>>6119092
you lads had better not be being cheeky and taking the piss but thanks, i'll turn it off and leave it open

[Anonymous No.6119098]

>>6119092
>>6119086
every guide online to leave the door closed when putting in activated charcoal and stuff

[Anonymous No.6119103]

Oh god OP, that sounds like a nightmare.

I just had a minifridge full of booze and pop that I had unplugged a while ago because I figured it'd be safe but I finally opened it a couple months later and discovered mold on every goddamn surface. It didn't smell completely horrendous, but I used some bleach and scrubbing bubbles on the whole thing to disinfect it and let it air out for a about a day. Now it's like new again.

[Anonymous No.6119117]

>dad had a bunch of meat stored in an extra fridge in the garage
>hadn't used it in a while
>didn't realize it had stopped working at some point
>meat had been sitting in there untouched for probably three months
>go in to grab a pound of frozen hamburger
>mfw

[Anonymous No.6119123]

>>6119098

Cleaning it thoroughly with bleach is far more effective than any of the rest of the stuff being discussed. And like the other guy said, you need to get EVERY surface. Best thing to use is a sprayer of some kind so you can make sure it gets into all the nooks and crannies.

[Anonymous No.6119127]

>>6119054
>leave a saucer of sodium bicarbonate in it, otherwise known as baking soda

this one OP

also grapefruit works better than lemon but it doesn't really matter

also good for you for actually cleaning the fridge instead of just whining about it, I wish I had roommates like that

[Anonymous No.6119141]

thanks for all the help

I'm going to get some bleach + bicarb, wipe it down with the two of them (separately of course) then stick a saucer of bicarb in the fridge and leave it

does this sound good?

my question is, should I leave the door open or shut?

[Anonymous No.6119154]

>>6119141
Prolly open so you can get the weird stonk out, plus if it's open it'll dry out the extra moisture so it doesn't start growing more mold. I hope you live in a place where you can comfortably open a window.

[Anonymous No.6119155]

>>6119141
Leave a saucer of activated charcoal, it's way more effective. Leave the refrigerator off while it "soaks" for at least a day then open the door, throw away the bicarbonate/charcoal, and let it air out.

[Anonymous No.6119162]

>>6119141
Also it's critical that you clean *every* surface.

[Anonymous No.6119169]

>>6119091
underrated post

[Anonymous No.6119178]

>>6119154
>>6119155
>>6119162
okay thank you
and I've already cleaned it once, so I know it like the back of my hand. Trust me, every surface will be fucking blasted with every chemical under the sun to get the smell out

[Anonymous No.6119186]

>>6119155
where do you even buy activated charcoal?

[Anonymous No.6119189]

>>6119186
same place you buy activated almonds

[Anonymous No.6119201]

>>6119186

-Hardware store has it for air filtration purposes, and also for household water filters.
-Pet store has it for use in aquarium filters
-Pharmacy has it as an absorbent for people to eat in the case of accidental poisoning

Or you could buy a charcoal filter cartridge for a Brita pitcher and smash it open.

[Anonymous No.6119212]

>>6119201
okay thanks, I was wondering if you could use the pills from pharmacies or health shops

[Anonymous No.6119229]

>>6119212

The pills will work but it's a crazy expensive way to buy activated charcoal. You want a lot of it, not just a few tiny capsules. Think pounds.

It is honestly the cheapest to buy it online. Just google it. GAC is a common abbreviation (granular activated charcoal)

A cheaper and more practical option might be to use normal charcoal, like you would use to make a fire. It is not as absorbent per unit volume as GAC is, but it has the advantage of being much cheaper and easier to find. So instead of, say, using a pound of GAC you could use a whole sack of grill charcoal. Who cares that it's less effective because you can counteract that by a massive increase in volume.

Also, I wouldn't sweat the charcoal so much. Of all the stuff being discussed here, the thorough cleaning with bleach is going to do 95% of the work.

[Anonymous No.6119369]

>>6119229
thanks for the help mate

[Anonymous No.6119406]

>>6119017
I did this exact same thing to my housemate, turned all the power off at the mains and the fridge freezer went with it. Apparently it smelt pretty bad.

[Anonymous No.6119418]

>>6119074
I usually go with a minimum of 3 lemons, 2 is just a waste

[Anonymous No.6119446]

Gotta let that bitch air out. Plus baking soda will do wonders.

[Anonymous No.6119454]

>Leave minifridge at home when I move out
>Sister used to for awhile, then got kicked out
>Dad unplugged it about two years ago
>Went to get it the other day.

Opened it.
>Boxes of Hi-C that have melted and become moldy
>A quart of peach tea that exploded all over
>Black/Grey mold errywhere
>Smells chemically

Is it even salvageable at this point? How the fuck do I even go about it?

[Anonymous No.6119457]

>>6119127
I would clean it out.
Then charge the irresponsible fucker for my time. :^)

[Anonymous No.6119475]

>>6119446
WHIP IT
THRU THA
GLASS
NIGGA

[Anonymous No.6119478]

>>6119454
>Is it even salvageable at this point?
Of course.

>How the fuck do I even go about it?
Get everything from inside the fridge and throw it out. Wash it out with soap and water. When that's done wash it again with bleach and a scrub brush. Make sure you do a really thorough job.

Wash it with soap and water again to get rid of any bleach residue.

There you go.

[Anonymous No.6119479]

>>6119454
Do what others have suggested in this thread just go overkill on it. Also since it is a mini fridge and easily carried I'd suggest doing it outside so you don't have to worry about having one of your rooms smelling terrible until it airs out.

[Anonymous No.6119485]

>>6119479
Luckily for me its 7degrees out.

Think I will do it in the hallway or something.

Should I get a face mask or anything? I always assumed mold would fuck your shit

[Anonymous No.6119502]

>>6119485
It would probably be a good idea to do that on the off chance it turns out to be a dangerous mold. Also since you are talking about a hallway I'm assuming you live in an apartment or something. You should see if you can find one of those soviet era gas masks so you can freak out your neighbors.

[Anonymous No.6119527]

>>6119502
>tonight on channel 9 news at 10, a man in a Soviet era has mash was arrested after attempting to poison people in his apartment complex with deadly mold spores

[Anonymous No.6119532]

>>6119527
>has mash
I meant gas mask but I guess that works too

[Anonymous No.6119543]

OP, literally ignore all the advice ITT. I've checked and all the advice given results in mustard gas.

[Anonymous No.6119628]

>>6119017
leave fucking bowls of bicarg in every drawer after bleach cleaning that fucker... also throw roomates in basement and let starve.

[Anonymous No.6121412]

>back in highschool
>messing around in abandoned shop class during lunch
>woodshop teacher died years ago and they never hired a new one because woodworking is a dead art
>see fridge and open it
>miles upon miles of fuzzy green carpet coating all surfaces
>stench of 10,000 forests, wet swamps, and compost piles amplified to the second power wash over me like an overflowing sewer
>I find a chain and lock it shut

I wonder how it's doing these days?