Wednesday, July 17, 2013

How To Get Your Freezer Clean After A Power Outage

By John Brown


Power outages often happen during the summer when the use of air conditioners, refrigerators and freezers are especially high, meaning the possibility of a door being accidentally left open or ajar is also higher. The mess that develops is no fun to clean!

A fairly usual consequence of leaving even the best fridge freezer door open is the stench of food going bad. If you left the freezer door open for too long, what will happen is that the warm air will defrost your frozen foods, like your fish and meats, and by the time you realise the door is open, the food will be ruined as well as the scent of the room. Sound familiar? To address this issue, just follow these easy steps below to help get your fridge or freezer smelling the way it should be again.

1. First, take out all the removable parts of your fridge or freezer. Shelves, doors, drawers, everything that can be taken out should be. Wash them in warm water and soap. Wipe down the inside of the fridge, paying careful attention to the gaskets and door liner. Be sure to rinse and dry all pieces well.

2. Wipe down the inside of the fridge with a baking soda & water solution. Mix 2 tablespoons of baking soda with 4 cups (one liter) of water and use it to clean the inside walls of the fridge.

3. Baking soda & activated charcoal absorb odors, so if your fridge or freezer still smells rank pour some plain baking soda or place some charcoal into large flat pans and put them in the freezer to absorb any residual smells. Leave the freezer empty and run as highest possible setting for several days or as long as necessary.

4. Use newspaper to absorb the smells by packing each shelf with crumpled newspaper. Put a cup of water on the top shelf for moisture or sprinkle a little water on the newspaper itself. Turn your freezer up to the highest temperature. This treatment usually takes about 5 to 6 days.

5. Place freshly ground coffee in small containers in the freezer, turn the freezer temperature down to the lowest temperature possible and run it like that for at least a few days.

If you've done all of the above things yet the smell of spoiled meat remains, there is a possibility that the drippings of the meat have leaked into the insulation and gaskets of the machine. In that case, call a fridge technician to help you replace these components.




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