Bad Freezer Smell
Your refrigerator's freezer compartment is convenient for storage of foods, but if the freezer has a foul smell inside then the convenience might not be worth it. A freezer should be more or less odorless, but occasionally there are some factors that will cause a bad smell to develop that can make your refrigerator unpleasant smelling and can affect the smell and taste of the food inside. Depending on the type of smell you have in the freezer, you should be able to easily identify its source. Does this Spark an idea?
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Defrosting
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Defrosting could be the cause of a bad smell inside your freezer. When you defrost your freezer or when a self-defrosting freezer defrosts itself, the items in the compartment can take on a foul smell as they thaw. Even when the items are removed from the freezer, the smell can be left behind. This odor can be controlled by washing out the inside of the compartment regularly. Use warm water and sodium bicarbonate, or baking soda, to wash the surface of the freezer to eliminate defrost-associated smells. Two tbsp. of sodium bicarbonate can be mixed with 2 pt. of warm water.
Baking Soda
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You can use baking soda as a prevention method as well. This substance continually soaks up the odors left behind from various freezer contents and prevents any significant odors from forming. All you need to do is place a saucer filled with baking soda inside the freezer on the shelf. Replace the saucer once in a while and you will control freezer smells before they happen.
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Spoiled Food Smell
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The worst freezer smell you will encounter is the one caused by the presence of spoiled food. This happens when food has been in the freezer too long, especially if there has been a freezer failure and the food has been allowed to warm up. The bacteria in the food multiply quickly and cause very strong odors. Even when the food is disposed of, the smell can linger in the freezer for quite some time. You can remove the smell quickly by washing the compartment, but you may also need to take additional measures. Line the freezer with crumpled newspapers that are slightly wet. Line each shelf and replace the newspapers each day. The paper will absorb the odor in a few days.
Ice Odor
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The bad smell in your freezer might not be coming from the food at all. Sometimes the odor originates from the ice bin. The source may be the ice in the bin, or it could be the plastic bin itself. The bin can absorb odors from the freezer contents over time. In fact, replacing the bin every couple of years is a good idea because of this. The ice sometimes takes on odors, too, because of the impurities in the local water supply. Installing an in-line charcoal filter system to your water supply line will remove these odors.
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References
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