freezer question

[Jasminegirl]

I have this cousin that came home from her vacation and found that their freezer had came unplugged. They had to take everything out and chunk it. It stinks really bad and they have tried several things, vinigar,coffee grains and I don't know what else. Could anyone tell me what would work to get the stinch out for them? Any info would be appreciated.

[Cat]

How awful!!

 

 

I found these... I hope something helps.

 

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Removing Rotten Meat Smell from the Freezer

 

Tip #1:

I clean fridge or freezer that has rotten smells with either bleach or baking soda or vinegar, but also I remove the drip pan at the bottom of fridge/freezer either in the back or front at bottom as if the blood from the meat dripped down into it the smell will stay and only get worse. I cleaned out a fridge that had raw meat that got rotten in it and still it smelled bad till I pulled the drip pan out and cleaned it out really good. I keep an open box of baking soda in both the fridge and freezer at all times.

 

Tip #2:

Try placing a container of vinegar in the freezer. Leave the container open.

 

Tip #3:

Put a large bowl or pan of kitty litter in the freezer and close it for a week. Be sure to use the kind that contains chlorophyll...the green stuff...not the clay type! This worked wonders for us!

 

Tip #4:

Try a freshly opened can of coffee. This is what they use in the trucks that they haul animal hides in.

 

http://www.creativehomemaking.com/cleaning...zer-smell.shtml

 

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Cleaning The Freezer After a Power Outage

 

How do you get rid of bad smell from a freezer. I had a vacation for six weeks, when I came back my freezer had stopped working. There was some meat in there which was rotten and I can't get rid of the smell. It smells like dead carion. I have used all the suggested things (e.g.) bicarbonate of soda, I have steamed it with boiling hot water, and left it outside with the door open. If anyone has a another solution, I would be happy to try it.

 

Thanks a lot,

Anne from England UK

 

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RE: Cleaning The Freezer After a Power Outage

Post By DocRuben (Guest Post) (06/26/2007)

I made the mistake of plugging my freezer into a GFCI outlet. The outlet tripped and it was about a week before I noticed. Needless to say everything in the freezer had to go. The smell was over-powering. I took everything out of the freezer. There was blood and water at the bottom. I poured baking soda, lots of it and used a scented cat litter. I let it sit for a couple of days. Cleaned it up and it was smelling good too. This did the trick for me.

 

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RE: Cleaning The Freezer After a Power Outage

Post by Grandma Margie (108) | (03/12/2007)

My niece had the same problem. She scrubbed with bleach, aired it out, filled it with newspapers, put pans of baking soda, pans of cat litter. What FINALLY worked for her was to place a large container of fresh ground coffee beans on the bottom, close the door and let it sit for a week, closed up. You need to use fresh, dry, unused coffee grounds, not the wet grounds left after you brew coffee!

 

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RE: Cleaning The Freezer After a Power Outage

A used appliance store gave me the following advice for a freezer full of spoiled meat: Clean the surfaces first (probably with a diluted bleach solution) then put a large open box of odor-absorbing scented cat litter in the bottom of the freezer and close the door for a couple of days. (Leave the freezer off.) It worked for me. I have also heard that filling the freezer full of crumpled newspaper will help. Can't remember if I tried that as well. Good luck! (09/09/2005)

By Rhonda S.

 

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RE: Cleaning The Freezer After a Power Outage

Crumpled newspaper will do the job. I once dealt with a full freezer that had been without power for over a week. And the crumpled newspaper removed the stench in quick order. (09/09/2005)

 

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RE: Cleaning The Freezer After a Power Outage

A neighbor once had that happen to her freezer above the fridge. The thawed blood had gotten under the plastic you might say, into the ventilation holes and the landlord said that it had to be replaced because of health reasons. I hope this is not your case. (09/10/2005)

By Cindy in AL

 

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RE: Cleaning The Freezer After a Power Outage

After you have throughly cleaned the freezer you can wipe it down with vanilla extract. After that try crumpled newspapers and that should do the job. (09/10/2005)

By mary wallace

 

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RE: Cleaning The Freezer After a Power Outage

As a military family when we moved, we always put coffee grounds in a clean sock, one in the freezer and one in the frig. We never had a problem with odor. (09/10/2005)

By Memere

 

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Coffee Grounds

My niece bought a big new deep freeze and quickly filled it with bulk purchases of various meats she found on sale. Unfortunately, it had to be placed in her attached garage and her kids were horsing around and unknowingly knocked the electrical plug out of the outlet. She discovered this WAY too late! She did the clorox bleach, the cat litter, the baking soda, the crumpled newspapers and still had a bad odor.

Someone told her to dump about 5 pounds of fresh (unused) coffee grounds in it, close the lid for about a week and then remove the grounds. It worked! I imagine that trying all the other methods first made it more likely that the coffee grounds finally made it stop stinking! (09/10/2005)

By Grandma Margie

 

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RE: Cleaning The Freezer After a Power Outage

I just had this happen to me with a deep freeze full of beef. And it went past 10 days before we noticed.

I had to:

*empty it

*wet vac up all blood/water mix (yes it was HORRID)

*I used a dilute of clorox with water and let it sit did I mention it was in a HOT garage...then

*I wet vac that up and washed wet vac well

*washed the insides of freezer with soap and bleach mix and bucket

*rinsed that out with clean rags

*poured half gallon white vinegar and some water and let it sit in freezer

*waited all day til next day and wet vac again...

I wish you good luck and if I can help anymore let me know. My mantra has always been; I may fall in the mud but I refuse to roll in it! Prayers and peace to you. (09/15/2005)

 

By meoowmom

 

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(Me again...)

Charcoal is also supposed to take smells out of things... the kind called "activated charcoal". It could be used as they suggest kitty litter... leaving it in, sealed up, for a week.

 

Hope she can get the smell out!!

 

[anna]

My freezer was purchased in 1975 or 1976 so I'd say that it was the perfect opportunity to replace it!

 

I had this happen once with a refrigerator with the freezer inside the fridge (I'm old) that had to be defrosted. We came home from vacation to find the electricity had been off 3 days due to a wind storm. I'd had frozen fish in the freezer and it had defrosted and fish liquid was throughout the whole refrigerator and running across the kitchen floor. I don't recall (I'm old) what I used to clean it up and get rid of the smell but I know I got it done and used it for several more years.