Eliminating Odor: How to Get Rid of that Nasty Freezer Smell
Before you defrost your freezer, which will help eliminate the freezer odors, prepare yourself to control the mess by placing some old rags or towels on the floor to catch the melting ice as it drops off the edge of the appliance’s surface and door.
Next, take all items- food, ice trays, ice cubes if applicable- out of the freezer compartment for now.
Turn the freezer’s temperature dial to the off position and unplug the appliance from the back.
Leave the door open and allow any water that has frozen into stalactites or stalagmite structures defrost, and the water, melt off the edge onto towels. To help this process along, for the impatient or otherwise time conscious folks, take something with a plastic or wooden handle and use it to urge the melted ice off the sides. Otherwise use a soft towel or dishrag to gently pry any slower to melt ice structure away from the freezer, as long as you do so carefully.
NOTE: One of the biggest misconceptions freezer owners have about the defrost/cleaning and freezer odor elimination process has to do with the endless icicles clinging to the freezer ceiling and walls or for some types of freezers, the literal blockade single wall of solid ice that builds up blocking all your food products from reach and in extreme (but common) cases, also preventing the closure of the freezer door. So in regards to that, be aware freezer friendly folks: chopping away at the ice sculptures inside your freezer with scissor blades or wrenches, metal spatulas or even butter knives is not a legitimate way to help defrost you freezer and using any type of force in conjunction with a metal or abrasive object can do major damage to your family’s freezing appliance. So remember, wood, plastic or manpower with a soft washcloth or towel using gentle pressure and your freezer should stay in safe and optimally operational condition.
It’s defrosted, now what?
Dry up all the remaining trays or puddles of water with a nice absorbent cloth or towel and proceed to rinse the entirety of the freezers odor ingrained insides with a surefire odor eliminating mixture.
Your mixture should include Ã?¼ cup baking soda dissolved in 1 quart of water. Once you’ve produced this concoction and your freezer is indeed dried off drench the interior of the appliance with it and then once, again, wipe it dry.
If you removed any trays or miscellaneous parts from your freezer, clean them in your kitchen sink with your usual liquid dishwashing detergent and water. Then of course, try these too and put them back into their appropriate position inside the freezer compartment.
Finally, we cannot forget to clean the part of the freezer that most easily collects food and drink spills, or other substances that carry mysterious odors. Make sure you clean the door, sides and other exterior surfaces with a soapy sponge before drying them as well.
You are almost done!
Just for an optional grand finale, open a fresh container of baking soda and stick it in your freezer once the clean has been performed. Baking soda is infamous for reducing odor in such food storage units. Even though I have listed this step as optional, I highly recommend it as a person deeply terrified and disgusted by unwanted smells in the kitchen area. This added step will not only absorb future odors as they seep out and roam around your freezer for quite awhile after the big defrost, but it will push off the date a little longer until you have to do another one. Two birds with one stone, always a wise choice. Good luck!
