How to get rid of smell in refrigerator?

[Beer604]

Hi,
I t is too cold right now for Ales, so I am using an old
refrigerator that is sitting int he garage as a fermentation chamber.

The only problem is the smell. I cleaned it as good as I could
even sanitized it, but at Ale fermentation temperatures it is really smelly.
It is the typical old fridge smell (it wasn't kept very clean by the previous owner).

I don't think there is a reason to worry about the brew since it is sealed
by airlock, but I don't want to have a stink bomb sitting in the garage neither.

Does someone have have a good suggestion how to get rid of or
minimize the smell?

I have baking soda inside to combat the smell but it
just doesn't help at that warm temperature.

Thank you.

 

[Dogphish]

the refrigerator at the last house i rented smelled like a rat when i moved in. it was still plugged in, cold, and full of food and mess from the the previous resident.

i threw all the food away, scrubbed it clean with rubbing alcohol the best i could, and let it run with baking soda. the smell went away after a month or two.

maybe leaving it unplugged with the doors open will help it air out.

 

[WyomingBrewer]

Had one of those in my first place 20 years ago, never did get rid of that smell but it still kept my beer cold!

 

[Scut_Monkey]

I have had the same problem with a fridge or ours in the past. I wiped it down with Clorox/bleach and let it air out as long as I could. Keeping the moisture out with something like Damp-rid should help as well.

 

[Msbeer]

I wonder if you were to scrub it out good with a strong solution of Ox-Clean.

Just a thought.

 

[shelly_belly]

Wipe it down with vinegar. That should do it.

 

[Beer604]

Thank you for the suggestions.
I will try and clean it again using
the above mentioned cleaners.

 

[RCCOLA]

The insulation gets wet between the freezer and fridge and then molds--that's where the odor originates from. Reason I know is that I took the separation between freezer and fridge out of mine and now control the temp with a Johnson controller. That thing was nasty.

I now keep a tray full of charcoal in mine and it helps.

 

[Hermit]

Crumple up old newspapers and stuff them in. The more the better. It absorbs odors and moisture. Change as needed. This used to be recommended by Whirlpool. That is where I picked it up. You get a lot of surface area this way. Change frequently. I had to store a unit once and just put a stack of old papers in it. Ended up smelling of newsprint. Easier to live with than the alternative.

 

[EllisTX]

Sorry to hijack but if a plastic bucket fermenter full of bock is set in said smelly fridge, what are the odds that the beer will end up with an off flavor?

 

[RCCOLA]

Sorry to hijack but if a plastic bucket fermenter full of bock is set in said smelly fridge, what are the odds that the beer will end up with an off flavor?

Unless it's in there with the lid off, it is highly unlikely that any odor will get thru the liquid in your airlock, thru the 3/8" hole, and into the beer.