Banish Unpleasant Fridge Odors With This All-Natural Ingredient

While your fridge might look pristinely clean, there still could be bad odors lingering, requiring something stronger than the cleaning products to deodorize them. You can buy a dedicated fridge deodorizer tool or activated charcoal to place inside and absorb the smells. However, lemons can also do the trick for less money. All you need to do is cut some lemons up, put them in small containers, and place them in different parts of the fridge. Leave the lemon slices in their containers for 24 hours and they will neutralize the odors in your fridge.

Lemons can do this because of their citric acid content which works to neutralize alkaline odors like those that come from rotten food and produce. This is why deodorizing microwaves, cutting boards, and your garbage disposal are also among household uses for lemons. To utilize the whole lemon, squeeze the juice on a cloth and use it to wipe down the surfaces as you clean the fridge. Cleaning with citric acid will help kill bacteria and mold.

To boost the effect of the lemon, combine it with baking soda. Baking soda, or sodium bicarbonate, is a versatile and effective cleaner that can be used to scrub away stains, grime, and built-up residue. Like a lemon, it neutralizes odors so an open box of baking soda can be left in the fridge to absorb foul smells. You can simply place it in your fridge with the cut lemons. Alternatively, you can create a mix of baking soda and lemon juice for cleaning.

To deodorize, first cut the lemon into pieces, sprinkle in one or two tablespoons of salt, and then two or three of the baking soda. Put it in the fridge, and the mix should address the smell within hours, much quicker than lemon slices alone. When utilizing this method, add a sprinkle of baking soda after the lemon juice and use the cloth to clean the fridge's interior. This will deodorize, sanitize, and lift stains and grease from the surfaces. The combination of lemon and baking soda is a powerful cleaning solution that is cheap and easy to make. As a natural, DIY cleaner, it is an effective and eco-friendly alternative to commercial products that you can use regularly and freely on your fridge.