I get by with a little help from my friends

[Sam-Tafi]

And then...Disaster!

So, we go away for a week and not the camping kind of going away. Our camper is parked in our side yard as usual, with the land electric line hooked up to it. We never clean out the fridge until the end of the season when we get ready to winterize. That means all the condiments, etc. are in the fridge, and whatever is in the freezer is in there.

Unbeknownst to us or our house/dog-sitter the power went out. We figure that the camper sat without power to the fridge for about 7 to 10 days. You can imagine the gross. Well imagine it, and then multiply it by 3. Or 4. You'd be in the ballpark.

We threw everything in there out. We completely, and I mean completely disassembled the fridge and freezer as far as we could without turning screws. We first wiped it all out, then used a cleaning solution, then we used a 15% bleach and water solution. After drying, we sprayed with a disinfectant. We did the same to all the pieces we took out.

All of this to ask this...one of the items in the freezer was a (formerly) frozen bag of shrimp. As Jimmy Buffett once sang, "Smell those shrimp- they're beginning to boil..." And trust me, the shrimp began to boil, smell, and, well, you get the idea. SO- we have the fridge and freezer open, the fridge is unplugged, and boxes of baking soda sitting in both fridge and freezer. It is a million percent better, but when you get right up to the fridge, you still get the whiff of (spoiled) shrimp. Does anyone have any other ideas that we can apply to further attempt to remove the smell? This is a brand new this season camper, and thankfully, the rest of the camper did not take on any smell. But the fridge is still somewhat evident.

I'm willing to buy a new fridge, but I'd hope that we don't have to go that far and that there is some other life hack one of you has out there that we can try first.

Any ideas/suggestions appreciated!

Sam & Tafi

 

[Mrsfish]

You also might want to try a small tray of charcoal. Not the burning kind, but the kind from a pet store for an aquarium. Another very good deodorizer.

 

[kowAlski631]

Same thing happened to us on one of our boats. A good friend told us baking soda and coffee grounds (not used) mixed in an open container after everything was washed down with bleach water and then baking soda. Shut the fridge for a couple of days. Check and replace if door not gone. It worked.

 

[Shortest Straw]

In my trucking days we used coffee grounds in the refrigerated trailers when they needed to be deodorized.


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[MCTalley]

I'm willing to buy a new fridge, but I'd hope that we don't have to go that far and that there is some other life hack one of you has out there that we can try first.

Trust me, if you price out a new RV refrigerator, you'll try lots of other options to get the smell out. Lots.

 

[Bogie]

I remember reading that vanilla extract helps to get odors out of ice chests.

I also found this LINK that has a few methods. Let us know if any of them work for you.

 

[JohnD]

I'll bet from now on you'll empty out that fridge after every campout.

Or at least leave the gas turned on as a back-up plan.

Even though our Prowler is parked next to our house and plugged in to shore power all the time, that fridge gets emptied the minute we pull up out front before I even back the trailer in the yard, then I prop both fridge doors slightly open and leave them that way until I fire it up for the next road trip.

 

[wdk450]

I'll bet from now on you'll empty out that fridge after every campout.

Or at least leave the gas turned on as a back-up plan.

Even though our Prowler is parked next to our house and plugged in to shore power all the time, that fridge gets emptied the minute we pull up out front before I even back the trailer in the yard, then I prop both fridge doors slightly open and leave them that way until I fire it up for the next road trip.

Did you do a websearch on "deodorizing strong smells" ?? I found results there for strong smell sources I don't even want to mention on this forum.

 

[Sam-Tafi]

Thanks all for the great suggestions. We are using some and researching others.

In my previous life as a police officer, we often used coffee at scenes where odors were an issue, so that was a good suggestion and reminded me of previous uses.

I am happy to report that overnight airing and our previous efforts have made this much better. Not perfect yet, but vastly improved.

As to the propane back-up, that was an option in our previous pull behind, but this fridge only runs on electric. It does switch to battery when you are towing and you have thrown the switch in the control panel. It is not a propane/electric unit.

Thanks again all- much appreciated!

Sam n Tafi.

 

[porthole]

Almost 2 years ago I had the bright idea to make roasted garlic in the RV for one of our campouts. - Never again.

We could smell the aftermath for about a year ....... Time - will be your friend, along with a bunch of internet potions.

 

[Mrsfish]

Almost 2 years ago I had the bright idea to make roasted garlic in the RV for one of our campouts. - Never again.

We could smell the aftermath for about a year ....... Time - will be your friend, along with a bunch of internet potions.

Lol! - we often make a jalapeno popper for rally appetizers and it does the same thing. Trying to figure out how to do them in a grill next time. Jalapeno smell lasts a LONG time and is pretty distinct.

 

[JohnD]

The first time we went up the curvy dirt road full of chatter bumps and switch backs up Poudre Canyon to one of our favorite campgrounds with our first trailer (1978 Coachman Cadet), unbeknownst to us one of the kitchen cupboard doors came open and one of those big tubs of Crisco fell out and when it hit the floor is splattered everywhere!

Cathy laughed her @$$ off when I opened the door and walked in . . . didn't yet see the Crisco . . . until I slipped on it and landed on my back on the kitchen floor!

Lesson learned . . . store the Crisco in a cupboard UNDER the counter, not above it . . . DOH!

No smell from that, but another time when going up that same road another kitchen cupboard door popped open and a small bottle of vanilla fell out and broke the cap off . . . vanilla everywhere!

However, that smell was very nice . . . for the next five years or so.


The old Coachman TT at Jack's Gulch Campground up Poudre Canyon, Colorado:





We took our Heartland Trail Runner up there once (this is in the same campsite as in the first shot above) . . . haven't been there yet with the Prowler:

 

[Bones]

White vinegar in an open bowl. We have not used it in the RV but we have used it in the house but not in a fridge. I think it is worth a try

 

[VKTalley]

Lol! - we often make a jalapeno popper for rally appetizers and it does the same thing. Trying to figure out how to do them in a grill next time. Jalapeno smell lasts a LONG time and is pretty distinct.

Ann, I have a popper recipe that Malcolm makes on the grill. I can email it to you...just PM me your address.

 

[IronJ]

Lol! - we often make a jalapeno popper for rally appetizers and it does the same thing. Trying to figure out how to do them in a grill next time. Jalapeno smell lasts a LONG time and is pretty distinct.

We love the poppers and do em often..............outside on my pellet smoker...lol.....no more inside the house/camper poppers..

We have one of those holders (the kind with holes in it) where you can stand up poppers on the grill...they just don't cook the same unless you can really control grill temp...

Matter of fact we often use the side patio and an induction top for frying/cooking stinky stuff....it's great for that...or stuff that splatters...

As for fridge stink , in our old trailer wife left the outside kitchen one with food in it once...we tried EVERYTHING and maybe it was in my mind, but the putrid rotten smell was still there...lol

Luckily it was just a dorm style fridge...so not too expensive to replace!

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