So I went out of town this weekend, to come home and find out that my power had some how kicked out on friday morning only to not have been on all weekend. I got home on sunday night to the smell of hot death eminating from the kitchen. No AC and no power the refridge can do a number on some food.

Thankfully it wasnt a whole lot, due to the fact i recently moved in and have been eating out quite a bit.

but, there were several things in the fridge that produced quite a rank.

The frozen chicken in the freezer being the major culprit. actually, when i opened the freezer the smell hit so hard and was so vile i vomited nearly immediately.

What I am asking about is

A.) What cleaners work best for getting rid of the residues of the rot
B.) Is there any type of precaution I should take to try and keep the place bug free? It's an apt in a 100 year old house.
C.) Any real way to flush the smell form the place? Ive had the windows open the entire time ive lived there (no AC at all, not just with no power) and its just sitting in the apt like a dense fog... or is it just something that'll dissapate with time?

[Edited on August 7, 2006 at 2:28 PM. Reason : oh goddamnit, i title like a retard]

[Edited on August 7, 2006 at 2:29 PM. Reason : e]

8/7/2006 2:27:58 PM

clean everything with clorox

and burn lots of popcorn

and open the windows

8/7/2006 2:29:56 PM

kill a human and stash the body. it'll get the stench of rotten food out.

8/7/2006 2:51:08 PM

I just had this problem...

http://brentroad.com/message_topic.aspx?topic=422064

First, I dismantled everything in the fridge and soaked those parts in bleach water. Then I ran what I could through the dishwasher on the highest temps. Next I opened the fridge up (power off) and let it sit for a couple of days and air out. Next I went to Home Depot and couldn't find activated charcoal so I bought these volcanic (sp?) rockings that did the same thing. Let them stay in the fridge for a couple of days w/ the fridge on low settings. Then I washed everything out with bleach and water. Smells 99% normal. Just remember that if you have an ice machine, throw out the first couple of batches.

[Edited on August 7, 2006 at 2:52 PM. Reason : g/s/p]

8/7/2006 2:51:55 PM

^^haha

[Edited on August 7, 2006 at 2:52 PM. Reason : .]

8/7/2006 2:51:59 PM

Quote :

"clean everything with clorox and burn lots of popcorn and open the windows"

also, spread baking soda in a tray, and change it every day until the smell diminishes significantly. at that point, just keep a box in there - one of the ones with an open side.

And yes...burning popcorn does help

8/7/2006 2:53:02 PM

Clorox and baking soda.

8/7/2006 2:58:32 PM

so you are saying to mask the problem

im just hoping the smell doesnt permiate the walls or something.

thanks for the suggestions guys.

im thinking that the bag that contained the chicken remained true to the seal and that none of the soup leaked out.

of course some may have leaked when i was holding the bag while puking into a trash can, but thats another story.

so when you clean with chlorox, you mean like the straight bleach jugs right? not one of their products

[Edited on August 7, 2006 at 2:59 PM. Reason : lazy typing rules]

8/7/2006 2:58:46 PM

I used the germicidal bleach from home depot because I had fruit flies everywhere in the freezer.

8/7/2006 3:03:14 PM

its not hard to clean, go to the dollar store, get some smelly good shit, and get some deep cleaners and you should be good

8/7/2006 3:07:43 PM

^Unless the stench has gotten into the liner, then its time for a new fridge.

8/7/2006 3:08:39 PM

nah i dont think that'd be a problem with baking soda

8/7/2006 3:12:17 PM

Quote :

"kill a human and stash the body. it'll get the stench of rotten food out."

beat me to it

dead hooker smell > rotten food smell

8/7/2006 3:23:17 PM

They make a product that you can put in the fridge that gets rid of smells. We got it when a bunch of shrimp leaked all over and the baking soda wont cuttin it.

8/7/2006 3:42:56 PM

guess its time to go home from work and face this beast.

the power company was supposed to have come again today.

8/7/2006 4:40:21 PM

Yea it fucking blows, my problem was rotten tuna.

8/7/2006 4:42:15 PM

i know this may seem like common sense, but make sure you DILUTE the clorox if that is what you are going to use. and use straight clorox not the lemony stuff.

and since you said that the stench seems to just sit in your house, have you tried a few floor fans to help circulate the air and help push the "smelly air" our of your apartment?

good luck

8/7/2006 5:35:16 PM

well.

i neglected to dilute it.

my hands are starting to burn.

dammit.

i cant do this whole "household" thing for shit.



[Edited on August 7, 2006 at 8:37 PM. Reason : e ]

8/7/2006 8:36:55 PM

normally you can do like a capfull to a quart of water or something like that... you can look it up online somewhere....

i guess its a good thing you keep your windows open if you used straight clorox. also gloves are usually a pretty good purchase for things like that


sorry that doesn't really help you out now!

8/7/2006 8:42:57 PM

white vinegar also helps with smells

combine with baking soda and you have a volcano!

8/7/2006 9:10:33 PM

man I'm sorry about this and I'm sorry that I laughed really hard when you said you were vomitting and holding a bag of rotten chicken.

Basically you're going ot have to mask the problem til it airs out. Keep some baking soda in the the fridge and freezer

8/7/2006 9:28:12 PM

got the baking soda rockin and a few plug ins around the place.

that was so bad this morning



cleve, its fucking hilarious to me now, but was pretty rough then. ahah

8/7/2006 9:39:29 PM

white vinegar and water makes a good wash - 1:4 vinegar to water. I sometimes add a few drops of dish liquid. It's not as abrasive as clorox but I still wouldn't let it sit on wood surfaces too long. GREAT for everything from glass to plastics to counters/floors.

8/7/2006 10:58:13 PM

reminds me of the time when my dad's meat freezer died out last summer, and we didnt know about it for about 5 days or so

omg

the smell....it was like being punched in the face

and since said freezer was out in our shop/garage in the backyard, the flies had plenty of time to get to it

ever see a river of maggots flow out of a drainage pipe?

a river

a fucking river

8/8/2006 3:13:15 AM

good call on using this stuff.... there is also something you can get at Home Depot that my brother used in his new car (the previous owner smoked) and it pretty much cleared the smell right out... I will have to ask him what it was though....

8/8/2006 3:19:55 AM