Stop Odors when Your Refrigerator Is Switched Off

Has the power ever gone off in your home for an extended period of time? Or have you had to turn off your whole refrigerator to defrost your freezer (see our article about defrosting freezers to make this happen far less often)? If you have had to do this or any other thing that requires you to turn off your fridge for any long period, you must know of the horrors that will await you when you finally have to open up the refrigerator door.

Keeping the refrigerator off creates several problems. The first and most obvious one is that any food inside that needs to be refrigerated will go bad. Unless you live in an area where the temperature outside is constantly at or below refrigerator level, which would allow you to just put your food outside, there is not much you can do to stop your food from spoiling. You will probably have to throw that all away. Another problem that is created is that the inside of the refrigerator is dark and probably damp, and once it warms up, it becomes very prone to mildew. This smell can be awful, and it can be very difficult to remove once it has started.

Fortunately, you do not have to face this horrible problem when you turn off your fridge. To easily stop it, simply put some newspaper inside before you have to turn of the fridge, or at least shortly afterward. This newspaper will absorb any leftover moisture from the refrigerator before it has time to mold. This will also banish those musty odors from your fridge even before they happen.

So next time the power goes out, run for your newspaper and throw it in the refrigerator. Even though you might lose some food, at lease the fridge will smell good.