Eliminating Odors from Your Refrigerator

After your power has been restored, you will need to clean and deodorize your refigerator. Here are some helpful tips.

• Remove all drawers, racks, and shelves. Wash them in soapy water and rinse in clear water. Then wipe them down with a solution of 1 tablespoon of chlorine bleach per gallon of water.

•Wash the inside of the refrigerator with a mixture of 1 cup of baking soda to a gallon of warm water.

• Turn on the refrigerator and fill it with clean, crumpled newspaper that has been sprinkled with water.

• Continue to run the refrigerator for several days, changing newspapers every other day.

• Once refrigerator odor has been significantly reduced, place an open box of baking soda inside, and start using your refigerator again.

Prepared by North Carolina Cooperative Extension Specialists at NC State University
9/00—JMG