Old engel fridge smell... Help.

[jok2607 Lurker Find all posts View Profile Close jok2607]

Hey PP,

My grandmother recently gave me her 30yo Engel fridge. I remember it from our trips away. Now it's been sitting in her shed for about 6 years without use, plugged it in the other day and it still works, but the smell in the cooler is like nothing's you've smelt before. It smells like decaying rotten meat I have washed it, but the smell remains. It's so bad it gives you a headache. Thoughts on how to remove the smell or should I just consign it to the fridge graveyard and save up for a, let's say fresher one?

Regards,

John

[mjrandom Out of control poster! Find all posts View Profile Close mjrandom]

Vanilla essence usually does the trick, wipe it on and leave for a day or three. Make sure nothing has climbed into the fridge and died too though. When it is clean some bicarb left in a bowl on the bottom will help as well.

[Madkore Avid PP Poster! Find all posts View Profile Close Madkore]

Yep - same as above. There are some cleaning sprays out there with vanilla and so fourth in them. Not sure if they remove the smell or just mask it though?

[groeschel Member Find all posts View Profile Close groeschel]

Wipe it or even flush it with some liquid pool chlorine.
I doubt if any smell is left after that treatment but be carefully with any plastic or rubber parts.
Dont leave it too long inside and use gloves.
May be a bit extreme but I used it on a domestic fridge with great sucess.

Cheers
Michael

[sbclover Member Find all posts View Profile Close sbclover]

There is a product called NILODOUR comes in a small bottle and is green . Give that a go as it is fridges.

Sean

[maxjj Senior Member Find all posts View Profile Close maxjj]

Try washing it with vinegar. Something like a 2 ltr bottle white wine vinegar, the acid in there should clean it well and kill whatever is producing the smell. Then follow it up with chopped boiled lemons, throw in half a dozen or more chopped up in a pot with a litre or two of water and boil for a bit and then poor the lot in the fridge and give it a good rinse and wash. I rescued a microwave doing that once.

I would start with that, I found the vanilla to mainly mask the smell and not cut through and clean.

[Sarmad Junior Member Find all posts View Profile Close Sarmad]

Keep chemicals at bay from your food storage area

Adding to what maxjj has said,
Step1) wash it with white vinegar.
Step2) rub the insides all over with lemon, let sit for a couple of hours and wash down with dish washing liquid.
Step3) take an open dish / plastic container and pour some baking soda in it. Since your fridge still works, switch it on, put the baking soda container in & close the door, let it run over night. Even if it doesnt run, just let the soda soak in the foul smell from the confined spaces.
Throw away the soda and you should be able to use the fridge.

The soda technique is also a good way to deodarize your vehicle's cabin. Takes away all the fouls smells of smoke/pets etc.

[Hpycmpr Junior Member Find all posts View Profile Close Hpycmpr]

Some great tips here. I use a product called vanilla fridge cleaner. It's at at the supermarket, and comes in a spray bottle. Really good stuff. I just keeps bottle in the shed, so whenever I give the engel a wipe out it comes up a treat.