BLEACH in a fridge??

[Talkabtit101]

Bought a second hand fridge yesterday off marketplace, just moved home and couldn't afford one brand new, came delivered all was well, I opened the fridge and my nose burned from the chlorine smell, I asked if they'd used bleach in it and they said " we have to use something to stop it from smelling "

Fair enough this is absolutely fine, but how on earth do I get rid of the smell of bleach, I understand I have to clean it but how many rinses would one have to do with dettol and hot water to ensure there is 0 residue left behind.

I wouldn't usually mind but this fridge has a water dispenser, so the use of bleach in the fridge has got me a little wound

Aibu to think they could've possible not used bleach on the bloody fridge, surely there would've been another alternative, with the way it smells too, it isn't even diluted bleach, just as though they've poured from a thick bleach bottle right on it.

AND how do I now remove it

Bleach kills germs (not that I'd ever use bleach in a fridge) and Dettol does the same thing ... how would Dettol help this situation?

dont use bleach in a fridge
the smell taints the food
use Dettol, odourless

I've always thought combining bleach and dettol or bleach and vinegar was dangerous? I'd just use warm water to wipe it over a few times. I don't suppose it's going to do you any harm but the smell of bleach isn't something I would want around my food either

WTF were they keeping in there that made it smell so bad? Human heads?! Were they just slapping raw chicken straight on the shelves? If you understand basic food hygiene you shouldn’t have to bleach your fridge 😂

Agree that bowls of bicarb, white vinegar & cut lemons should help, plus leaving it switched off & open for a few days if you can.

As per @PyongyangKipperbang though, I’d be concerned about the seals if they’ve been bleached regularly - and if they’ve gone, it might explain why stuff in there was smelling.

🤣🤣🤣

Bicarb in water is all you need to clean a fridge. Bleach shouldn't be anywhere near food.

Yes, it is, it makes chlorine gas!

I let a friend's son stay in my flat for six months while I was on a secondment, flat was immaculate when I came back, apart from the smell in the fridge. I wiped it out with boiling water, left it switched off with the door slightly ajar, and had a wee bowl of bicarbonate of soda in it, and it was fine after a few days

What are people doing to the fridge that it needs bleach in it! Maybe don’t leave rotten food and spills to stink? I give mine a quick wipe with zoflora

What a fuss over nothing. Just leave the door open for the smell to go.

We gave away a 7 year old fridge a few years ago. We're clean people. Clean the fridge out regularly with an odorless antibac kitchen spray. Store food properly etc.

I unplugged the fridge. Emptied the contents into the new one. Gave it a really thorough clean inside straight away, let it air dry. It was sparkling. Then the fridge got pushed into the dining room and stood there for two weeks awaiting BIL collecting it.

On the morning he was coming, for some reason I opened the door. It looked and smelled like the inside of a fucking dirty bin in summer heat. It was black and green with mould over more than half of the inside surfaces. Honestly, it looked like a fridge that hadn't been cleaned in years, it was horrific. I had to bleach the fuck out of it to get rid of the mould and the smell 🤢

It really made me realise that whilst I thought our fridge was clean before it was actually just the low temperature holding whatever bacteria at bay 🤢

Wipe down eith bicarbonate of soda.

I emptied and cleaned my fridge once. It was an interesting experience in observational biodiversity

Of course it isn’t. I remember the cook at my children’s school in France telling me they had to wash lettuce three times in a weak solution of bleach to prevent food poisoning.

Yes I second bicarbonate of soda. Magic stuff.

You cleaned it once?

I just don't understand people who don't regularly clean their fridge out. That's where you store your food, surely you want it clean and safe to eat from? Yet people are crying over bleach. I'll gladly take bleach fumes over germs and bacteria.

When our fridge had a smell I bought a large syringe off Amazon. Sucked the water out the water tray at the back (disgusting). Then flushed water with Milton through the drain hole at the back and then took back from the tray. As fter a few rince throughs it was fine

Don't worry OP , the 'ban the bleach brigade' will be along soon with some excellent advice!

The anti bleach parade will arrive to tell you to use Milton instead 🤣🤣

Isn't Milton essentially bleach? And we put babies' bottles in it? So it can't be that bad? Although when cleaning out my fridge I only use hot soapy water, which is the same as I used to do working in a café and doing a deep clean of the fridges and freezers.

at least you know its clean! Honestly it will be fine with a bit of airing. Id rather use bleach which will beak down in time than some of those fragranced options - god know what you are tainting your food with these

Use vinegar and soda, leave door open for a while. Then put a firdge deodoriser in the door. The smell will go away soon enough. At least you know the previous owner kept it clean.

Was just about to say this very thing. I use a bleach based spray to clean the interior of my fridge and then give it a wipe down with a cloth and plain hot water. No issues with smell as l leave the door open for a bit to let it dry out before reloading. Dettol isn’t a nice smell to start with and it’s vile when it goes stale. I’d imagine after a few cleans with it, the smell would be permanent.

When I was given a set of Le Creuset pans in the 70s, the advice was to use bleach to keep the insides "looking fresh". So I did. I'm still here (but a bit horrified now that I did it, I have to admit).