Club Soda Is The Secret To Tackling Bad Odors In The Fridge

It's happened to all of us. You crack open your refrigerator, and it hits you: a smell that seems to have taken over the entire appliance. It can send you into a frenzy of opening drawers, peeking under makeshift aluminum foil lids, and searching remote corners for the malodorous source. Even if you are lucky enough to find it, the smell seems to linger. Thankfully, there are several solutions already in your fridge or pantry, like club soda and vinegar. Plus, you can prevent those smells from happening in the first place, according to Jill Koch, influencer and creator of Jill Comes Clean. Koch told Chowhound exclusively that with some simple storage tips and by staying on top of what's in your fridge, you can keep it smelling fresh.

If you've ever rushed to pour club soda over a stain on your clothes or your carpet, you probably won't be surprised to learn that it is an effective cleaning solution throughout your kitchen. When it comes to cocktails, club soda may be interchangeable with seltzer, but that's not the case when it comes to cleaning. In addition to being carbonated with carbon dioxide, club soda also contains added minerals that enhance its fizziness and create a slight taste difference. Those minerals often include sodium bicarbonate, also known as baking soda, another pantry staple that doubles as an effective household cleaner. So even though baking soda is Koch's first go-to cleaning method for a stinky fridge, "club soda is another great, simple, affordable option."

To use club soda in the fridge, experts recommend placing a small bowl of it onto one of the shelves until the odors are absorbed. You can also apply club soda directly to a cloth or sponge to wipe down refrigerator surfaces.

Another pantry item Jill Koch recommends is vinegar. Koch, who shares cleaning and home organization tips on her blog and social media feeds, suggested using vinegar straight or diluted with equal parts water to clean the shelves, drawers, and walls. "Vinegar is also a natural deodorizer and will help get rid of any odors," she said. If you have any tough stains, she added, combine baking soda with water, dish soap, or lemon juice to make a paste that will clean and deodorize.

Half of the battle with refrigerator odors is making sure they never appear. To keep your fridge from developing foul odors, Koch suggested storing foods in airtight containers and vacuum seal bags. "Staying on top of the foods in there and getting rid of things when they expire or start to go bad will also help keep odors away," she said. "I like to get into a routine of going through the fridge and emptying what should be tossed on our trash night."