Mold in the refrigerator: how to clean and remove the smell, what to do if it appears, video and photos

Do you like mushrooms? I love big white mushrooms and mushrooms, but today we will not talk about them, but about ominous and outwardly completely unattractive, and even more so inedible mushrooms, which we call mold. Disgusting and disgusting stains, spreading a fetid aroma, it fills our bathrooms, kitchens, basements with delicious preservation. And everything multiplies and multiplies ...

If this was a script for an apocalypse movie, the end of the world would have already come. But we will not give up and today we will carefully analyze the question of how to remove mold in the refrigerator.

Oh yes, I forgot to clarify, she grabs your refrigerator and "eats" your food, leaving children and old people hungry.

Mold, who are you?

The term "mold" includes microscopic fungi that spread on any surface. They do not disdain wood, concrete and plastic.

Mold can be different, not all of it is harmful and so impartial. The French are happy to chew cheese with noble blue and white mold, and doctors still remember with gratitude the experience of Alexander Fleming, who invented penicillin.

A completely different matter is black mold, the spores of which enter the human respiratory tract, weakening the immune system and provoking allergies. I hope I described mold scary enough to make you want to look in the refrigerator.

There are two reasons for the occurrence of mold:

• improper operation of the refrigerator;
• violation of the rules for storing food.

The humidity in the refrigerator rises due to the load of warm food and washed but undried fruits and vegetables.

War on the fungus!

Folk remedies

One of the best and most widely available remedies is soda, yes, regular baking soda. Apply a small amount of powder to a damp sponge and wipe the inside of the refrigerator.

Pay particular attention to the door seal and the place where the water drains into the sump. After the procedure, soak a cloth in vinegar and wipe the surfaces.

Baking soda is your go-to for removing fungal spores, and vinegar is great for removing bad odors.

Advice!
If you have an ultraviolet lamp in your house, place it near the switched off and defrosted refrigerator at a distance of 1.5-2 m from the walls.
The exposure time is 7-10 minutes.

An equally effective fighter is brown laundry soap, which we have known well since Soviet times. Prepare a saturated soap solution and wash all surfaces twice. Wipe with a dry clean cloth and that's it, mold, let's go bye!

Advice!
When loading food into the refrigerator, be sure to wipe it thoroughly.
Even in the absence of visible lesions by the fungus, they can be carriers of its spores.

You can often find advice about using copper sulfate. Yes, it can fight mold, but it cannot be used indoors, and even more so where food will be stored.

Recipes from grandma's book:

DIY instructions
Soda solution	For 1 liter of warm water, add 2 tbsp. spoons of baking soda. Cleaning a medium-sized refrigerator will require 5-6 liters of solution.
Vinegar solution	For 1 liter of cold water, 4 tsp. tablespoons of vinegar. Even a weak vinegar solution should not be used to treat rubber gaskets.
Ammonia	Dilute the alcohol with water in a 2: 1 ratio and wipe the surfaces of the refrigerator. The procedure is best done in the evening, leaving the doors open until morning.

On the watch for good: chemicals

To combat mold, you can also use ready-made detergents:

• TOP HOUSE for cleaning the refrigerator and freezer;
• Luxus professional "Clean refrigerator";
• Flat for refrigerators;
• Penosaur HORSE "Refrigerator cleaner".

spring-cleaning

As you know, the disease is easier to prevent than to cure.

In the case of the refrigerator and the mold attacking it, this axiom is relevant, so it's time to talk about prevention.

1. Audit and empty the refrigerator. Everything that has deteriorated and stale goes to the trash can without unnecessary regret. Place frozen food in a deep container and place in a bowl of ice or cold water.
2. Defrost the refrigerator. To do this, adjust the temperature to 0 ° C and disconnect it from the mains. Leave all doors open for 3-10 hours.

Advice!
You can speed up the defrosting process by placing a small container of hot water in the refrigerator.

1. Washing shelves and containers. While the kitchen lord is defrosting, thoroughly wash the side racks, containers, shelves. To do this, you can use dishwashing detergent or baking soda that we already know well.
2. Cleaning the condenser. The condenser is located at the back of the refrigerator and is cleaned with a narrow long brush and vacuum cleaner.
3. Washing the refrigerator. After complete defrosting, drain the melted water from the drip tray.

Thoroughly disinfect and flush the drain hole located on the back of the chamber. Use a bulb or syringe to pour the cleaning solution into the canal.

The wash ends with cleaning the rubber seal. For this job, I recommend using an old toothbrush.

Fu, that smell!

Now you know how to remove mold from the refrigerator, but what to do with the unpleasant odor that haunts your nose for a long time? Due to the fact that food is stored in the refrigerator, the use of various kinds of chemical flavors is prohibited.

Only folk recipes remain.

1. A very effective and affordable remedy is black bread, cut into pieces and laid out on the shelves of the refrigerator for a day.
2. Put 5-6 tablets of activated carbon on a saucer, put the container in the refrigerator for several days. Activated carbon can also be used for preventive purposes; for convenience, it is poured into gauze bags.

1. Cut the lemon in half and leave on the refrigerator shelf for 1-2 days.
2. To get rid of the smell that black mold carries with it, you can use bags of rice or sugar, which are placed in the freezer.
3. On the shelves, you can arrange tea bags or black tea infusions, poured into gauze bags.
4. Pour baking soda into a small container (I take a glass) and leave it on the shelf of the refrigerator. Alternatively, you can use vanilla extract.
5. Silica gel, which is often stuffed into new shoes, does a great job at removing odors. Uncomplicated sachets can be decomposed for preventive purposes.

And what in the end ...

I hope my little kitchen opus was useful to you and now you know what to do with mold in the refrigerator. It remains for me to wish you victory in the war against mold and offer a video in this article.

How do you fight for cleanliness in the kitchen? Share your secrets with our readers, perhaps your recipe will be the best this season!