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Potpourri Smell in Refrigerator?

My "bright" son decided to clean his refrigerator freezer recently. He decided to squirt potpourri oil inside. He said it smelled stale. Now everything has a funny taste and it has migrated into the refrigerator section.

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I've suggested baking soda paste, he did that. He says that he will put a thing of baking soda in there. Then in a day or two when he removes it the refrigerator still smells like the oil. Someone else suggested putting a small bowl of coffee grounds in there, did that. Any other suggestions for him? He says the ice gets hit bad with this smell. It is less than a year old and I really would hate to tell him to get rid of it, but the smell is ruining his food.

By Meemaw

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June 13, 20090 found this helpful

I would suggest that he get a few ice chests and clean it out again then leave the doors open to air out for a day or two. the air isnt really circulating through there with the doors closed so that may be why the smell just wont budge.

 

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June 13, 20090 found this helpful

This would work best if he could borrow/share a refrigerator with a family member, friend or neighbor for a couple of days:
Turn off the fridge, scrub the 'entire' freezer really, really well with a vinegar and baking soda paste, and then place a full pint of vinegar in an uncovered bowl in the freezer and close the freezer door. Leave it for at least two days.

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If he absolutely can't do without the fridge for a couple days then at least do the same thing (leaving fridge on of course) and leave the freezer door open once the bowl of vinegar is placed in it. Personally, I think it would work best to do it with the fridge off so the vinegar is completely encased with a closed door. Please let us know what he tries that works so others know for future reference ;-)

 
June 13, 20090 found this helpful

Because potpourri oil is usually synthetic and not edible and because plastics absorb and hold aromatic oils... you may have a health hazard that may not be remediable.

If all else fails, hit it with straight 91% (or strongest you can buy) rubbing alcohol. Strong alcohol dissolves oils. Rub every part of the interior, and leave it open, empty and unplugged overnight.

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If that doesn't work, get rid of the fridge. Sorry to say but his health is more important than a fridge.

Oh, and LOL since he doesn't seem to have a lick of sense (just kidding.. my son is only a toddler and already I dread the things he will think up to do!) make sure he keeps windows open when using that alcohol so as not to breathe it too much.

Best wishes. What a terrible lesson for him to learn!

 
June 16, 20090 found this helpful

I suggest trying charcoal or old coffee grounds with the door closed. Lots of coffee grounds in a large can worked well getting the smell out of my car. And, I keep bamboo charcoal in my fridge to absorb the smell.

 
June 16, 20090 found this helpful

I'd heard somewhere (perhaps here?) that filling an odoriferous fridge with crumpled newspaper for a day or two (use a lot of newspapers!) will help get rid of unwanted smells. It might be worth a try. Good luck!

 
June 16, 20090 found this helpful

When my refridge smelled bad I tried crumbled up news paper. It worked but didn't fix the problem. I then desided to take all the food out and wipe down the inside with bleach water.

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It worked. I did have to get rid of butter and cheese because they had a funny taste.

 

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June 16, 20090 found this helpful

Before you throw the fridge out, try coffee grounds, and baking soda, and charcoal briquettes. All of these things absorb odors. I would NOT wash it with a bleach solution, as it may then smell of bleach. I would only use bleach if you have a mold problem, which you don't. It may need to be washed again, but again I would just use something like hot water and Dawn dishwashing liquid. I don't really know what this potpourri oil is, but if there was enough of it sprayed on, it may need to be washed off. Strong odors sometimes take a long time to be absorbed by things.

 
June 16, 20090 found this helpful

I once had a freezer for many years. I used it for so many things, great storage of foods. When my boyfriend & I broke up, I couldn't take everything right away & he got a boarder to share expenses. This idiot pulled the plug & all this meat just rotted.My ex didn't know this had happened & so it sat for a few weeks. Let me tell you, this was the worst thing I have ever smelled. We tried everything to get rid of the awful odor. Nothing did it.

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The thing is, plastic absorbs smells, it's porous. I didn't try this cause i didn't think of it at the time. I would try something that gets into the surface of the plastic. I'd try a solvent, like maybe weld-on #3. This is a solvent used to glue many plastics. It melts the surface of it, then it dries rock hard, just like new. You'd have to air it out for a while, but once weld-on is dry, it no longer smells. Use a warm heater fan to blow the air around inside, it would

speed up the drying. Don't use the weld on for PVC, that continues to smell for a long time. Check the net or your local phone book & look for plastic fabrication supplies. They have a number 3 & 4, the 4 dries slower, 3 is fast. Use a mask cause you are using a lot, soak a paper towel with it & scrub the surface. Do it fast, cause it will melt some of the surface as you do this. Get a lot of paper towels & weld-on, maybe a gallon & do it with lots of windows open, early in the day, turn on fans to keep the air moving through.

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Put the weld on in something like a fine squirt bottle. I can't think of anything else that would get into the surface. It will change the surface texture. Good luck,(by the way, I fabricated plexi for over 10 years, so I know a little about this stuff)

 

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June 16, 20090 found this helpful

I would suggest taking everything out and putting a bag of charcoal in it for a couple of days.

 
June 16, 20090 found this helpful

Krudd Kutter at Lowes for about $12 a gal. No smell to it and it will remove the oil that has seeped into the plastic!

 
 
June 18, 20090 found this helpful

When my freezer was off for a week with meat in it and I was told by the store personell where I had purchased it that it had gotten into the lining and it would cost more to have it relined than to get a new one (the one I had was only a year old), I decided nothing ventured, nothing gained so I got a 5# bag of the unscented clay kitty litter, punched holes all over with icepick and put it in freezer and closed it up for a couple of days. Then I turned my freezer back on, filled it, left the kitty litter in and had no smell. After about a month I took the kitty litter out and had no further smell. I have used the plain clay litter for other things since with very good luck.

 

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Home and Garden Cleaning AppliancesJune 12, 2009
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