Smelly freezer

After the obvious of wiping down with bleach, the old method was to keep a pan of fresh charcoal inside to absorb the odor that has gotten into the insulation, etc. Assuming it helps keep changing it often.

EV2 wrote:
After the obvious of wiping down with bleach, the old method was to keep a pan of fresh charcoal inside to absorb the odor that has gotten into the insulation, etc. Assuming it helps keep changing it often.

I did try charcoal. It didn't seem to make a big difference. Thanks for the suggestion though.

Jesshopes wrote:

EV2 wrote:
After the obvious of wiping down with bleach, the old method was to keep a pan of fresh charcoal inside to absorb the odor that has gotten into the insulation, etc. Assuming it helps keep changing it often.

I did try charcoal. It didn't seem to make a big difference. Thanks for the suggestion though.

We went thru the same thing and never did get the smell out, try these folks as a means to replace
Refer's

Oh, man, that would suck.

It needs to be mentioned that just any old charcoal is useless for this task. What MIGHT work would be ACTIVATED charcoal, which is cheap enough from most drug stores or online. Get powdered activated charcoal, lay out some plastic wrap, spread the charcoal thinly, and close the door for a week or so. Rinse and repeat. MAYBE that will help.

Best of luck. That's a VERY nasty problem.

Jesshopes wrote:
Several months ago my daughters failed to empty the camper freezer (unbeknownst to me) and therefore we ended up with rotten meat. We have a Norcold Freezer/Fridge combo. I've tried EVERYTHING I can think of to get rid of the smell. It's better...for sure...but I still smell it.

A little story, 'though you probably won't like the ending. :(

Recently my local dealer discovered that "someone" had broken into a brand new trailer that had been delivered to the dealership a couple of months prior and aside from trashing the unit & using the toilet had also left some sort of meat in the fridge which over time had degraded to a putrid liquid. :E With virtually no chance this had happened at the dealership a claim was made to the trailer manufacturer which would have had possession of the unit at the time the break in had occurred, likely in their factory storage yard. Since no amount of cleaning by dealer techs could eliminate the smell it was determined there was only one solution that would absolutely solve the problem - the trailer manufacturer agreed to ship a brand new fridge at no cost to the dealer as a replacement. Sorry to say but you might be faced with the same, except that in this case it will be you who has to cover the cost. :(

SoundGuy wrote:

Jesshopes wrote:
Several months ago my daughters failed to empty the camper freezer (unbeknownst to me) and therefore we ended up with rotten meat. We have a Norcold Freezer/Fridge combo. I've tried EVERYTHING I can think of to get rid of the smell. It's better...for sure...but I still smell it.

A little story, 'though you probably won't like the ending. :(

Recently my local dealer discovered that "someone" had broken into a brand new trailer that had been delivered to the dealership a couple of months prior and aside from trashing the unit & using the toilet had also left some sort of meat in the fridge which over time had degraded to a putrid liquid. :E With virtually no chance this had happened at the dealership a claim was made to the trailer manufacturer which would have had possession of the unit at the time the break in had occurred, likely in their factory storage yard. Since no amount of cleaning by dealer techs could eliminate the smell it was determined there was only one solution that would absolutely solve the problem - the trailer manufacturer agreed to ship a brand new fridge at no cost to the dealer as a replacement. Sorry to say but you might be faced with the same, except that in this case it will be you who has to cover the cost. :(

Well, since the cost of a new fridge is over $1000 there is no way we could swing it. Which is why I'm giving the smell elimination another shot. It's not putrid (although it was at first). It doesn't smell unless you open the freezer. I'm SUPER sensitive to it and it doesn't bother my other family members as much as it bothers me...but It drives me crazy.

Definitely not something I can pay $1000+ to remedy, though.

Since you have nothing to lose, take a clean cotton sock or washcloth, douse it in vanilla, and use it to prop the door open. When we had a boat, we would use this method to store the coolers.

seaeagle2 wrote:
Since you have nothing to lose, take a clean cotton sock or washcloth, douse it in vanilla, and use it to prop the door open. When we had a boat, we would use this method to store the coolers.

We had some seafood drip in the refrigerator and had an awful time getting the smell out. Months of trying everything including leaving coffee in the fridge, baking soda, crushed newspapers and charcoal. What finally worked was wiping the whole fridge down with vanilla, closing it up, leaving it for several days and then washing it down. It actually worked!

Had the "Exact" same thing happen--my daughter got a turkey from work, for Christmas--put it in the 5'vr freezer and forgot about it. All was o.k. until summer came around and things started to heat up. One hot day--walked by 5'vr in driveway and there was an atrocious smell coming from it. Opened up the door and it about knocked me over. Went up to frig-opened door and there was nothing--opened freezer and the smell had me gagging. The turkey had pretty much liquified. Fast forward--tried charcoal, helped but not much, got largest bottle of Vanilla extract from grocery store--poured it into small bowls, put in fridge and freezer, shut doors,for a few days, it helped a lot--got more and kept using it. Also, bought Ozium from Amazon.com in spray and gel--also, a orange flavored spray and gel from Home Depot. Over time and those products the smell has pretty much gone away. Time and fresh air venting is your biggest antidote.

I've used lemon juice in ice chests that had spoiled seafood in them. Don't know if it would for you because I could soak the ice chest with water and juice.