Cooking food may result in a plentiful meal, but there can also be some downsides for anyone with a sensitive nose. If you’ve left pungent food in the fridge, the appliance can seem to adopt the smell even after the food has been eaten or thrown away.
Bad smells in refrigerators often originate from food that has gone bad, spills that have been left uncleaned, or a buildup of moisture and bacteria inside the fridge. However, if you don’t have time for a deep clean just yet, the experts at Delish have shared a number of ways to placate the smells of last night’s dinner. When it comes to fridges, you’ll need a plate loaded up with three things.
How to get rid of fridge odours
Delish shared a number of different hacks to combat the variety of smells emanating from your kitchen. However, if the unwanted odours are localised to your fridge, you don’t have to worry about removing all your food and doing a deep clean.
Instead all you need is three items – one from your fridge and two from your store cupboard – to do the job: lemon, baking soda, and salt. Delish explained: “If you open a box of baking soda, let it sit in your fridge and it’s not absorbing those aromas, slice some lemon and sprinkle it with baking soda and salt, and let them sit on a plate in the fridge.
“That should do the trick.”
Baking soda can be an effective tool to help get rid of unwanted odours by neutralising those scents which are acidic. As baking soda is an alkaline, when it comes into contact with acidic odours, it reacts to neutralise them.
The chemical reaction between the baking soda and the acid neutralises or produces a less odourous compound. Ultimately, this changes the pH level which helps eliminate the bad smell.
Kathy Cohoon, the director of franchise operations of Two Maids, told Martha Stewart that it can take up to 24 hours for an odour to be fully eliminated, especially if it’s stubborn.
While the baking soda gets rid of the odours, the lemon will work to mask any lingering scents. Using lemon helps to remove unwanted odours by providing citric acid to cut through bacteria.
It’s also a natural antibacterial, antiseptic, and bleaching agent, helping to cut through grease, remove stains, and kill bacteria, making them a versatile eco-friendly alternative to commercial cleaning products.