Fridge + Salmon + four weeks no power...

[Geoffrey S]

So I was on holiday for some four weeks. Returning to my room the first thing I noticed was the smell. The first thought was that maybe it hadn't been such a great idea to disconnect the fridge... I thought I'd removed everything, but you never know... Apprehensively I open the door, and fears are confirmed: the best way to describe the sight is a petri dish in a biology experiment, and the smell is atrocious. After a look around I find that in the top is a freezer section I'd never noticed before, and the inside contains the source. A salmon filet, left in there by the previous user (oh, end of last year or so) looking terrible.

By now the smell in the room has just about gone, but the fridge still reeks. I've cleaned it out thoroughly with various cleaning liquids, washing up liquids and bleach, but to no avail. The smell remains. Worse, after leaving for a few days and returning I've noticed some of the stuff returning.

I've tried everything I can think of, but it doesn't help. My own small fridge is really useful, so I'd prefer it to be saved, especially since I'm rather tight for money right now. Anyone got experience with a similar situation or have any ideas how to clean this one out? Any help would really be appreaciated!

[drone]

Some buddies of mine in college had a small fridge, and the power to the dorm got cut during one of the breaks (about a week, I guess). Maggots galore! They hosed it out, used cleaners and bleach, and got it working again with no smell. Sounds like you have a more resistant strain of fuzz though.

When you say "after leaving for a few days and returning I've noticed some of the stuff returning", do you mean the fuzz/mold? While it's powered on? Where in the fridge do you see this?

[Sigurd]

Yep...
Had a freezer (the large one with a lid) in the basement that someone cut the power to. In it were grouses. A grouse is a bird that has a rather red meat. It is found in the wild and is a popular bird for hunting.

I guess we didn't notice that the power was gone before the smell.
That freezer had to go... nothing could be done.

[Geoffrey S]

When you say "after leaving for a few days and returning I've noticed some of the stuff returning", do you mean the fuzz/mold? While it's powered on? Where in the fridge do you see this?

Well, it was completely clean (still stank) when I left. Power was on and the fridge was working, and I left it for about four days. When I got back there was some moldy stuff again, despite the fact that it was completely clean when I left it; most noticeably in the freezer compartment at the top, some in the bottom, though only in small amounts in both cases. The containers and planks I've cleaned have stayed good.

The smell is still clearly present though, and I'm wondering if something could be stuck in the drain in the back. I'll clean that out as much as I can with cotton swabs.

[Big King Sanctaphrax]

Have you tried using an anti-fungal agent? That would probably take care of any of the mold spores you've missed and stop it coming back. I would think that bleach should have sorted it, though.

[Mithrandir]

Deoderant?

[drone]

If it's one of those little fridges with the freezer at the top (single door unit), there are lots of cracks and crevasses that stuff can hide in around that mechanism. I'd advice an anti-fungal, or more bleach. Spray it down well, scrub it, and then leave it unplugged with the door open for a few days. Good luck!

[InsaneApache]

Bi-carbonate of soda is the thing to use in fridges. For grease and such, lemon juice.

It sounds like you may have some spores in a crack somewhere. If so, the fridge will have to go. The thing about molds is that once infected they are very hard to get rid of. You could try an anti-mold spray, however experience tells me the you will have to buy a new one.

Sorry to be such a harbinger.

[Fragony]

Not as tragic the the great case of the exploding milk-bottle. What you need is green soap, miracle stuff

[R'as al Ghul]

Against the smell try a package of backing powder on a small plate.
Leave it there for a day. If that doesn't help, grained coffee.

R'as

[Bijo]

So I was on holiday for some four weeks. Returning to my room the first thing I noticed was the smell. The first thought was that maybe it hadn't been such a great idea to disconnect the fridge... I thought I'd removed everything, but you never know... Apprehensively I open the door, and fears are confirmed: the best way to describe the sight is a petri dish in a biology experiment, and the smell is atrocious. After a look around I find that in the top is a freezer section I'd never noticed before, and the inside contains the source. A salmon filet, left in there by the previous user (oh, end of last year or so) looking terrible.

By now the smell in the room has just about gone, but the fridge still reeks. I've cleaned it out thoroughly with various cleaning liquids, washing up liquids and bleach, but to no avail. The smell remains. Worse, after leaving for a few days and returning I've noticed some of the stuff returning.

I've tried everything I can think of, but it doesn't help. My own small fridge is really useful, so I'd prefer it to be saved, especially since I'm rather tight for money right now. Anyone got experience with a similar situation or have any ideas how to clean this one out? Any help would really be appreaciated!

I would've expected upon your return you would've discovered a new life form. One that is intelligent and able to communicate with you through telepathy and that is able to defy the laws of nature like a psychic.

[InsaneApache]

It's just as well it was a salmon and not an octo-squid. Then you'd really be in a spot of bother.

[Uesugi Kenshin]

We once had that problem. Except we had unplugged the freezer because it doesn't have any sort of way to filter out moisture and had become full of really really thick ice. So we naturally wanted to clean the ice out. Unfortunately my parents never thought to take the contents of the freezer out. For most of the stuff that wasn't really an issue, pesto and tomato sauce don't exactly lead to horrible pests or molds. Unfortunately there were also a a couple of very large bags of ground meat of some sort still in the fridge. That still wouldn't have been much of a problem, but we forgot about the freezer for a little too long because it sits in the basement where we very rarely go. So basically I can never forgot that horrible stench and the hordes of maggots.

Fortunately we were able to clean the freezer out and can still use it with no mold or pest problems.

[Drisos]

Reminds me that in the fridge should still be some cheese that was green when I left it. I wonder if it's turned blue in the meanwhile. (The fridge in the kitchen for the people that live on the same floor as me, not my own fridge :P)

[FactionHeir]

Try the anti fungals, spray generously and into cracks where you find them.

If after a week they still come back, its time to change the fridge, as its also likely the fungus might now be resistant to some anti-fungals.

[Geoffrey S]

Thanks guys, I'll try some of these. Hopefully the fridge can be saved.

[Dutch_guy]

Thanks guys, I'll try some of these. Hopefully the fridge can be saved.

That fridge died four weeks ago, you must let it rest in peace.