Deodorizing a used freezer

[DanPoch]

I picked up a Magic Chef 7.2 CF freezer last week. It has an oder in it that it not pleasant, but I can't identify. The previous owner used it to store venison in and I think that's what the oder comes from. I've tried bleach, soft-scrub with bleach, Baking soda, and Borax. Anyone have any ideas what to try next?

 

[moosetav]

oxyclean perhaps?

 

[soxpats]

how long did you leave the baking soda in there for? In my experience, it can take a while for it to really clear out the odor. I'd leave it in, at least until someone provides a better solution!

 

[AnonyBrew]

how long did you leave the baking soda in there for? In my experience, it can take a while for it to really clear out the odor. I'd leave it in, at least until someone provides a better solution!

Make a thick paste with baking soda & water in a bucket using lots & lots of baking soda, then mop it all over the surfaces and let it dry for a day before rinsing it off.

If the smell persists after that, take the lid apart, throw away the old insulation, mop the thick baking soda paste all over the inside parts of the lid, rinse, dry, then put in new insulation and put it back together.

I had one freezer I got off CL that had nasty smells coming from the insulation and inside the lid.

 

[Rustysocket]

Make sure to remove and clean the seals. Sometimes they are the source of the smell and often overlooked.

 

[ILOVEBEER]

Buy some scented baking soda.....pour it in a pie tin and leave it in the freezer in the open (lid closed)........ It will help. My freezer smelled like a whor*s underpants...enough to make me gag. It is much better now.

 

[DanPoch]

Thanks guys, I'll pick up some more making soda on the way home today and give at another go. I had left the first round in there overnight, but I didn't have a lot in it.

 

[thedude00]

Baking soda works. You can also try white vinegar in a spray bottle .
What i would do clean the freezer out with some 50/50 bleach/water dry. Then spray vinegar all over let sit for a couple mins, wipe off. Then get some news paper place it on all of the botton of the freezer and spread the baking soda over the hole bottom, turn the freezer on low close the door over night. In the morning you should have a good oder. Did that at my restaurant couple times.

 

[l1ranger]

Baking soda works. You can also try white vinegar in a spray bottle .
What i would do clean the freezer out with some 50/50 bleach/water dry. Then spray vinegar all over let sit for a couple mins, wipe off. Then get some news paper place it on all of the botton of the freezer and spread the baking soda over the hole bottom, turn the freezer on low close the door over night. In the morning you should have a good oder. Did that at my restaurant couple times.

this is pretty close to what has worked for me with some nasty fridges.
I think the vinegar is very important part

 

[Franzi]

+1 for vinegar.

You can throw some oil and mixed greens in there for good measure.

 

[strat_thru_marshall]

+1 for vinegar.

You can throw some oil and mixed greens in there for good measure.

cheese and croutons. nom nom nom

 

[DanPoch]

Thanks again

Does it help to have it running?
It's sitting outside (under a tarp) closed right now with baking soda and borax in it. I'll give it a vinegar bath this evening it it's not raining. My temp controller should be arriving tomorrow so I'll have to find a place to plug it in tomorrow anyway.

 

[thedude00]

Thanks again

Does it help to have it running?
It's sitting outside (under a tarp) closed right now with baking soda and borax in it. I'll give it a vinegar bath this evening it it's not raining. My temp controller should be arriving tomorrow so I'll have to find a place to plug it in tomorrow anyway.

It helps if it running it gets the air moving inside gets fresh air in old air out. But if you can not plug it in right not leave the door open a small bit just to get a little air move in there.

 

[GRHunter]

I just went through the same thing with the same freezer. My problem was that the smell was in the fiberglass insulation in the lid. The lid snaps apart so I removed the stinky fiberglass, bleached the lid assembly, and then replaced the fiberglass with 2 layers of 3/4 inch Styrofoam. My freezer smells great now.

 

[DanPoch]

Hi Guys, just wanted to update you all.

Taking your advice I popped the plastic cover off of the lid last night to remove the insulation. I discovered that it's already filled with extruded polystyrene insulation. It looks like the spray-foam type. There was a good amount of moisture between the plastic cover and the insulation which could have been part of the problem. I also found some really black, gross parts along the seal for the lid when I removed that. The seal has gone out with the trash.

So my plan is to get a new seal for the lid, and leave the plastic cover off of the lid. Since the cover is inside it doesn't matter if it's there or not. Now I need to find a real home for it in the basement, and start plans for adding taps.

Thanks again for all your help, you guys are awesome

 

[jasonsargo]

Sorry, I'm a bit late to the thread, and it sounds like you found a mold problem, but two hints:

I needed a solution for a big gallon "rubbermaid" water jug/cooler. They always come with that weird plastic flavor, and by the end of a work shift, the water was undrinkable.

I swear by vanilla extract. A paper towel soaked in it, left overnight with the lid on, and no more smells or flavors.

A friend swears by toothpaste. He told me he and his USMC buddies needed the same solution, and they used toothpaste. Same idea: a bit of scrubbing, then left overnight with the lid on, and no more smells or flavors.

Lots of the plastics have to be the same or similar as a fridge. Good luck.

 

[DanPoch]

Thanks for the extra tips jasonsargo. Last night the thing still had the oder. So I took it outside, dumped a lot of oxi-clean (5 of those blue measures that come in the big tub) and filled the bottom with water until the hump was submerged. I propped the lit open with a cherry log from my wood pile and let it sit overnight.

12 hours later (i.e. this morning) I went outside and stuck my nose in the freezer. No oder . So I emptied it and it is sitting open today to dry out.

I've been fooled before so if it still smells when I get home I'll buy a bottle of vanilla extract and give that a go.

Part of me says I shouldn't be so worried about it as I only have 1 in 5 kegs filled. On the other hand it I had a place to keep them chilled and serve-able, I'd be able to have 3 in 5 filled which sounds like a much better ratio.

 

[Stickshaker]

Another trick is to ball up a ton of newspaper and fill the freezer with them. Close the door and wait a couple days. I know it kills the odor in my work boots, and that ain't easy...

 

[DanPoch]

For all the rest who have persistent oder, I found that at the base of the freezer along the edges the seam is not sealed. Into this cavity a lot of junk had fallen and was decaying, thus the oder. So using a plastic putty knife I scraped along this depression and got out a bunch of junk out, then I put straight Vodka in it and let it sit.

A couple hours later, I dried edges with a rag and the putty knife and added caulk along the bottom edges.

Just brought it into the basement and plugged it into my Johnson temp controller and put my brew in there.

Thanks again guys, hope this helps someone out there.

 

[HatchetJack]

I don't know about your freezer but some of those fridges and freezers have
a plastic condensation drip tray under the very bottom. If the power was
ever off and that venison started dripping blood that tray could be nasty.
Or it may not even have one.