Of all the places in your home, your freezer is a particularly unappetizing place to find bad smells lurking. Once you notice unwanted odors in your freezer, you’ll want to take action to neutralize them. These are some common problems and practical solutions to eliminate bad odors in your freezer.
Problems
- Ice maker – The many small crevices in your ice maker are a perfect breeding ground for bacteria. Cleaning
it regularly will help to prevent a bad smell in your freezer, while keeping ice tasting like it should. - Drip pan – Collecting all the water your stand-alone freezer gives off isn’t exactly a clean task, so give the drip pan a good scrub every now and then. Neglecting to do so can contribute to a funky smell.
- Spoiled food in the refrigerator – The food in your freezer probably isn’t spoiled since it’s frozen, but the strong scent of spoiled food in the fridge can easily travel into the freezer.
- Freezer burn – When frozen foods are stored improperly, they become discolored and encrusted with a layer of ice crystals. While freezer burn doesn’t make food inedible, it can cause a strange smell in your freezer.
Solutions
- Defrosting – Though it may take a while, defrosting your freezer is an excellent way to get rid of unpleasant smells. You’ll need to turn the freezer off, remove all contents, make sure the hose can drain away from the unit, and then wait for the ice to gradually melt. When it’s been thawed, thoroughly clean and dry all surfaces to vanquish odor-causing bacteria.
- Natural solutions – Wipe your freezer down with a gentle mixture of warm water and vinegar to keep it clean. If defrosting and cleaning doesn’t quite do the trick, try placing bowls of baking soda or coffee grounds inside the freezer to absorb problematic odors.
- Commercial Cleaners – If you’re still stuck with unwanted smells in your freezer, look for cleaners at your local hardware or home improvement store that are designed to eliminate bad odors.
For more information about maintaining a healthy environment in the freezer in your Yuma area home, please contact us at Hansberger Refrigeration and Electric.
Our goal is to help educate our customers in Yuma, Arizona about energy and home comfort issues (specific to HVAC systems). For more information about freezer odors and other HVAC topics, download our free Home Comfort Resource guide.
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