# How do you get fish smell out of a kitchen refrigerator/freezer?



## Aggieangler (May 28, 2004)

We had some fish leak in our fridge before we were able to cook it (1 day) and now our entire side-by-side fridge/freezer smells like fish. Any good remedies to get the smell out. I need something that really works, baking soda isn't cutting it and I have already scrubbed it out with bleach.


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## 32redman (Apr 20, 2005)

Turn the fridge into a kegerator and buy a new one. lol Try charcoal. Use the search for threads that have been talked about this before.


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## scubaru (Mar 28, 2005)

If bleach and baking soda ain't cuttin it, time to go to Conn's!


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## jabx1962 (Nov 9, 2004)

I brought my former girlfriend wadefishing once...They still haven't got the smell off the fish..


Formaldehyde will get the smell out. Don't have any ideas where you could buy it though.

Charcoal would be my next choice. Or rent an Ozone Generator.


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## Bevo34 (Feb 10, 2005)

Why did you have fish in your fridge?????????????????????

You sure it's your fridge that smells like fish?????


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## jabx1962 (Nov 9, 2004)

Bevo34 said:


> Why did you have fish in your fridge?????????????????????
> 
> You sure it's your fridge that smells like fish?????


I guess the next question is...

Where did you BUY the fish?


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## Bevo34 (Feb 10, 2005)

ROTFLMAO.......ou know him well.



jabx1962 said:


> I guess the next question is...
> 
> Where did you BUY the fish?


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## callgeorgetx (Feb 18, 2006)

go in your baking supply and get some vanilla extract put it on a rag wipe down the fridge and then leave the rag on a small plate in the fridge for a day or two. that is what i do with my coolers and it works 
good luck
George


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## bill (May 21, 2004)

It can be hard to do...sometimes it can not be done.
If you have a second fridge/freezer, move all the food into it while cleaning.


Remove the drawers and place on the top shelf of refrigerator.
Pack the fresh food and freezer sections - including the doors - with crumpled sheets of black and white newspaper.
Place charcoal briquettes randomly on the crumpled newspaper in both the freezer and fresh food compartments.
Close doors and let stand 24 to 48 hours.


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## jtburf (May 26, 2004)

Clorox clean up ....that's all you need...

I use it everyday on something smelly ...lol...

John


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## jlatigo (Aug 4, 2006)

if the insulation got soaked with the fish juice you will never get the smell out with out first removing the insulation.


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## wading_fool (May 3, 2005)

Bevo34 said:


> Why did you have fish in your fridge?????????????????????
> 
> You sure it's your fridge that smells like fish?????


Bevo you missing any fish out of your freezer??? If your not then we know he bought fish!!!!!!


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## bogey999 (May 1, 2006)

ConSan triple action 20. From a feed store, or I have seen it at Home Depot, etc. You mix it strong and clean down the fridge. Then keep charcoal in several spots for a while. It will do really well, UNLESS you really did soak the insulation, then you need to really soak it with the ConSan, and over time the smell will abate.

Bogey


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## Tiny (Dec 19, 2006)

clean it out completely, spray the whole interior with bleach and put bleach in a cup and close the unit up for about a day, rinse well with water and let stand open and allow unit to air dry naturally - good luck


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## big bluemarlin (Apr 12, 2006)

wad up newspaper and change it out each day or so


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## Pescador Viejo Loco (May 21, 2004)

*simple if you choose to heed*

Turn the Frige or Freezer off for 4-5 hours.
Take 4-6 pages of NEWSPAPER and soak thoroughly with water (in bath tub is good) and lay them on each shelf in the frige or freezer and close the door, turn the frige or freezer on and wait minimum of 24 hours, remove newspaper and all should be fine. If odor presists, repeat till odor is gone. I have personally experienced this and I know for a fact it works really well. I thought surely I would have to dump the fridge. Try it, you will like it.


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## Bobby (May 21, 2004)

I did a quick read through and nobody said anything about this. Don't forget to clean the pan that catches water on the bottom by the coils. I cleaned for a week on one and then found that darn pan. Cleaned it and the smell went away.


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## Turpis Piscator (Jan 24, 2006)

Hate to say this, but it's happened to me, too............more than once. What I did was take the refrigerator out onto the driveway and blasted it out with a hose and let it sit. Then I took a spray bottle of clorox and used the whole thing spraying down every surface on the inside including the door seals. I also pulled the defrost trap out and sprayed that down as well. Hand cleaned any areas that need it and let it sit for a couple of hours. Then I hand dried the water up and moved it back in the garage and put like 4 boxes of Arm & Hammer in there and waited a day or two. That took care of the problem, but had it still been stinky I would have repeated the first few steps again until the odor was gone. In both cases these were "garage" refrigerators that lost power, first time my wife unplugged it and forgot to plug it back in, second time an fuse blew in the garage and nobody knew. In both cases, it was REAL rank, but these steps took care of it.


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## fishedz (Sep 5, 2004)

Yep, did the same. You can also put some coffee beans or ground coffee with cinnamon in a bowl and leave it in the frig.



Bobby said:


> I did a quick read through and nobody said anything about this. Don't forget to clean the pan that catches water on the bottom by the coils. I cleaned for a week on one and then found that darn pan. Cleaned it and the smell went away.


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## Steelersfan (May 21, 2004)

Bringing back bad memories for me. We went away for a weekend and the power had gone out in our apt. while we were gone and when it came back on, the surge must have tripped the fridge breaker. Anyways, 3 lbs of bait shrimp, about a dozen frozen mullet and several stingrays I had in there for shark bait were all defrosted and plenty stinky. I am surprised the coroner didn't pay a visit as I could smell the stank outside our apt. on the stairs. 

We had stinky water on the kitchen floor behind the fridge that leaked into the walls and floor. The drain pan in the freezer and on the bottom of the fridge were both full. It took 3 bottles of clorox cleanup and several boxes of baking soda but the smell finally became tolerable after a couple months. good luck


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## Blackgar (Aug 4, 2004)

Make sure all of the fish juice is gone. Wad up wet newspaper & change out at least twice daily. It will take a few days but it will go away


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## trout250 (Aug 24, 2005)

if it leaked enough to get into the drain, you will probably have to flush it out enough to get the insulation cleared out then do the charcoal / newspaper bit.sometimes vingar will work when clorox won't.


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## Scout177 (Oct 23, 2006)

We had the same problem. Like Bobby said, it was the pan underneath. The pan is not removeable and you have to take several panels off the back to access all the areas of the pan. Clean with bleach water and let dry. It worked.


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## Mrs Backlasher (Dec 19, 2004)

Gosh, I don't know. 've never had the problem of HAVING FISH in my refrigerator. 

Good for you!


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## SpeckReds (Sep 10, 2005)

Throw it out and get a new one. LOL Good Luck. Try bleach and water. Scrub everything.


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## ellisredfish (Jul 5, 2005)

I am with you Mrs. B, what few fish I catch nowadays go from the cleaning table to the pan. Thanks for the laugh.


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## Bevo34 (Feb 10, 2005)

I don't know where he got the fish. I better go check my freezer. LOL


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## Freshwaterman (May 21, 2004)

Wipe it out with vinagar rince and repeat we have over 250 apts and town homes ,works every time,I mean even after people leave fridge full of food with no power for weeks,Vinager has a difrent enzime in it And it works!!!!


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## CM (Jan 25, 2005)

Aggieangler said:


> We had some fish leak in our fridge before we were able to cook it (1 day) and now our entire side-by-side fridge/freezer smells like fish. Any good remedies to get the smell out. I need something that really works, baking soda isn't cutting it and I have already scrubbed it out with bleach.


OK, after 3 pages of opinions that will probably work for some people, I make a living with stinky things that I have to deal with daily. (Not quite as bad as the "Dirty Jobs guy"), *but USE WHITE VINEGAR*, its cheep, won't harm food, and has an acidic acid base. Not only will it take out the smell from your fridge, it also will take out the fish smell from your boats. Most Restaurants use White Vinegar and I know for a fact that most all packing plants use it. Its also a GREAT product to clean Igloos out with. You use it once, you won't use anything else.

USE WHITE VINEGAR, IT WORKS


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## Bluffer (Feb 24, 2005)

You have to remove the evaperator cover & cleanout the defrost drip tray & drain. nobody does this but thats where the real smell stays with the defrost water.


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## Ally Gator (Apr 14, 2006)

Several years ago, we had a new camper. We took it on it's first fishing trip, and caught quite a few fish. We put the fish in the freezer.

When we got home, we unpacked all the food in the refridgerator, but forgot about the fish.

Three weeks later, we opened up the new camper and boy did it smell of rotten fish. We used vanilla in a bowl, closed the rifridgerator and freezer down for about a week. We also left open vanilla in the camper. The smell was completely gone.


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