Say Goodbye To Funky Fridge Odors With A Simple Medicine Cabinet Hack

Fridges just smell sometimes. One forgotten container, or a particularly strong-smelling meal, and every time you open the doors again, the odor will hit you square in the face. It doesn't even have to be a bad stench, but sometimes you want to open the doors and not be hit in the face with a strong smell, especially first thing in the morning. Thankfully, there is an easy solution using something you may already have in your house: Hydrogen peroxide. You don't need to buy any specialty hydrogen peroxide for this to work, either. In fact, the three percent bottle that's typically available in stores is the best option. It does a great job of neutralizing odors without damaging anything. 

Hydrogen peroxide works because, as it breaks down into water, the gases it produces can bind to the chemicals that cause smells, eliminating them. It also reacts with cells from living matter, like blood or leaking juice from meat, to help clean up these annoying and smelly spills. However, to fully get rid of the smell, you also have to find the root source. If you're having a hard time getting rid of a pesky odor, you may want to consider cleaning out the gaskets of your fridge, as it's a place where grime and odors can build up.

It's worth noting that while hydrogen peroxide works for quick cleans, you do still need to actually go in and scrub it down every once in a while. Deep cleaning your fridge can be intimidating in theory, but it's not actually bad once you get started.

Take equal parts of peroxide and water and pour them into a spray bottle. Remove everything from your fridge, unplug it, then spray down the shelves and walls with this mixture. Then, you only need to let it sit for a minute or two before wiping everything out with a microfiber cloth. Not only does this help to remove smells, but it loosens up anything that may be stuck to the inside of your fridge. You can repeat this a few times to get rid of tough messes. Once you're happy with how it looks and smells, you can put everything back in its place.

For a more passive way to keep odors out of your fridge, such as those from leftovers or strong-smelling groceries, you can mix peroxide with a bit of baking soda into a paste and stick it in the back of the fridge so it isn't knocked over. You can either just keep it in there for a few days, or regularly change it out so your refrigerator doesn't build up odors. Like hydrogen peroxide, using a little bit of baking soda is a cleaning hack that'll make your refrigerator really sparkle, so keeping both around can help in a pinch.

However, be careful when cleaning your kitchen and fridge with natural products, especially if you start to mix ingredients. Vinegar and hydrogen peroxide both work as amazing cleaning solutions. However, they should never be mixed. They can create a toxic acid that can cause damage to your lungs, skin, and eyes. Stick to just one or the other at any given time.