The Best Way To Get Rid Of Funky Rotten Milk Smells In Your Fridge

While everyone knows just how bad turned milk smells, it sometimes happens. You have a busy work week, and the expiration date gets away from you. Next thing you know, you open the fridge to make your morning cereal, and a foul smell hits you in the face. While it's easy enough to spill it down the drain and recycle the bottle, sometimes the smell lingers in the fridge. Since it's a pungent, unpleasant odor, you will want to take care of it fast, and the best way to do so is to deep clean your fridge.

While it might be an involved task, it's the best way to eliminate that sour smell. Since your fridge is sealed closed to keep the cold air in, there is no good way to air it out. So your best course of action is to deep clean it to remove any lingering smells or spilled residue. Here's how to do it.

This will take you a few hours, and you will need to turn off and completely clear out your fridge to clean it properly. Because of that, grab a cooler with ice and put anything perishable in there. To begin, remove drawers and trays and put them either in the dishwasher or wash them by hand in the sink. While they're drying, sanitize your fridge with a bleach solution, wiping down walls, shelves, and any other compartments. In order to dilute the bleach, mix 1 tablespoon of chlorine bleach with 1 gallon of warm water. This will still be able to help kill off any bacteria that might be causing the stench.

Next, you want to neutralize the spoiled stench, so grab your trusty box of baking soda. Add a few tablespoons of baking soda to a bowl of warm water and use a sponge to scrub the shelves and walls. Baking soda absorbs bad smells, so this will help neutralize the gross, expired dairy odor. Foul odors are usually acidic, and baking soda acts as a pH neutralizer. Lastly, air out your fridge for an hour, leaving the door ajar. If you still get a whiff of something faintly sour, leave an open box of baking soda in the appliance to soak up the last lingering smells.