How to clean mold... deep chest freezer?

Question

just got this deep chest freezer and let it sit in my basement for a couple of months unplugged with the lid closed and looked in there today to find mold ring all over the inside bottom. i know bleach will kill the mold, but any other suggestions on get the smell out. also, will the mold come back? will i have to defrost it every so often?

we got the freezer on freecycle (for those who dont know, its an awesome site, freecycle.org) so we dont have like the instruction manual or anything.

Answer 1

Use half a lemon the acid should neutralize the mold and give your fridge a nice smell.

Answer 2

Once you have cleaned the mold off with bleach, get some viniger and water and scrub the walls of the freezer, this will get rid of the smell and the bacteria. The mold shouldn't come back unless you keep the lid closed with the unit off. If you ever let it sit again for a long period of time like that without it running, keep the lid open, this will keep the air circulating.

Answer 3

Scrub it out with bleach, then rinse thoroughly.

If you can get it upstairs, let it sit in the back yard with the lid open for a couple of days to air out.  Or try Febreze.

And, next time, make sure your bargain freezer is dry, and prop the lid open a couple of inches to prevent stale smells.

You will have to defrost periodically.

To find the manual, search Google for the make and modeland the words "user manual" ...most companies have put manuals for their stuf online.