We’ve all been there. Opened the fridge in the morning to be assaulted by the smell of last night’s dinner. Some food smells seem to escape the most airtight container we can find. So, what is the secret to a fridge that always smells good? 

 

Before you start to tackle fridge odours, do a quick clean out. Sometimes odours are from food gone bad, at other times, it’s a spill at the back of the fridge that’s gone unnoticed for a few days.

 

Put all the food into an esky, empty the shelves, pull them out and wipe them down with warm water and soap.  Be sure to check your fridge manual with regards to what cleaning agents you can or can’t use.  However, below are some natural cleaning agents known to absorb odours.

 

Baking soda and water

 

Grandmas swear by baking soda for practically every domestic cleaning task. With very good reason. Make a thick paste using water and use a sponge to rub the shelves and sides of the fridge. The solid food particles will come off and you will start to see the stains getting lighter. Wipe off the paste with a clean damp cloth. Once you’ve dried the shelves and put everything back in, it’s a good idea to keep an open box of baking soda in the fridge door to tackle odours before they start to invade.

 

Vinegar and water

 

This is another very popular cleaning agent. Vinegar is particularly effective for getting rid of strong odours, but some people feel vinegar leaves behind its own strong and not necessarily pleasant smell. If you feel the same, once you’ve cleaned with vinegar, here are some options:

• Slices of lemon or cotton balls soaked in lemon can be put in a bowl on a shelf
• Some people swear by ground coffee beans to absorb strong odours
• If you favour a sweet smell – cotton balls dipped in vanilla will do the trick.

Detergent and warm water

 

If you don’t want to use either baking soda or vinegar, just warm water with a couple of drops of dishwashing detergent will work well. In that case, you can soak the shelves in the bathtub to remove caked food.

 

If you want something stronger and easier to use, there are dozens of cleaning and deodorising fridge cleaning sprays. However, you want to make sure that they do not contain any harmful chemicals – one, because your food is stored there and two, because you don’t want to damage the interior surfaces of the fridge. Test the spray on small patch before using it all over.

 

The best way to manage odours is to prevent them from occurring in the first place. Going forward, use airtight containers for foods you know are going to smell. Keep a close eye on uncooked food like eggs, meat, fruit and vegetables - if they go off, they can emit very strong odours. Also, labelling containers with the date allows you to get rid of cooked food before it goes bad.

 

Does your fridge need a service? Before you call someone to repair your fridge, make sure they are licensed professionals who are experienced in repairing most leading brands and models, offer a full warranty and carry a range of spare parts. Getting someone like Melbourne Fridgeworks who can fix it onsite will save you transportation costs and get your fridge working in the quickest time possible. Breakdowns come without a warning, so call someone who offers an after-hours and weekend service.