How to get rid of stink in fridge?

Question

We just bought a used 10 year old fridge from craigslist, and got it home and started cleaning it...it smells terrible!!! It smells like cat urine or something awful. I've had it open all day and have taken everything out and washed everything very thoroughly with soap and warm water, and also vinegar. Then I put dishes of baking soda in it and it has been sitting for like 6 hours and it still doesn't even seem like it smells any better. I don't know what to do! Any suggestions would help! Thanks!

Answer 1

there are actually 2 things you can use  one is charcoal(yes the charcoal you bbq with)

in a dish.  or you get a piece of cheese cloth or cut an old pair of nylons thoroughly clean them  and put coffee grinds with a little bit of baking soda in a dish   good luck

Answer 2

Leave the baking soda in it. If possible leave it open to air out (unplugged) for a couple of days. If not you can clean it with a paste made of baking soda and water. You will have to scrub it down afterwards because the baking soda will leave a residue.

Answer 3

clean it with a disinfectant then put in a box of arm and hammer baking soda in you just have to open it and put it in the fridge

Answer 4

Wipe down with

bleach

vinegar

lemon juice

Answer 5

wipe it down with bleach

Answer 6

You probably need to clean the drip pan located behind the grill on the bottom of the refrigerator.  All the water and muck from the refrigerator ends up there.

Answer 7

i know i know .believe it or not take orange peels and just toss in there ,shut door and leave overnight.

Answer 8

Once you use a fridge to store bodies, they're never the same again.

Answer 9

The odor could be coming from in behind the freezer compartment. If a fridge has been sitting for a while, sometimes the frozen food (like peas) get in behind the wall and start decomposing once the fridge is at room temperature. If there have been spills inside, some of it may have got into the insulation. If its in the freezer, you can remove the back and sometimes the bottom panel with screws. Make sure the unit is unplugged since there are wires. Soap and water is usually enough to clean a fridge and freezer out so if it still stinks, I would guess its coming from the freezer compartment. If the smell goes away after a few days of airing out, its probably because everything has dried out and any food or wet/dirty insulation is dry.

Answer 10

I cleaned a fridge from top to bottom once and wondered why it still smelled bad. Then I discovered that there is a little drainage tray thingy for collecting water and liquids. It is behind the front lower part of the fridge. I popped off that lower part in front, removed the tray and cleaned it. Voila!! No icky smell.

Good luck!! ; P