Deodorize Your Smelly Fridge With An Item You Already Have In Your Kitchen

Leaving food in the fridge for too many days will often cause a lingering, unpleasant smell. We all have a habit of forgetting about the contents of our fridge when we leave on a trip. Instead of throwing away food that will expire, you probably leave milk, cheese, leftovers, and other foods on the shelves, where they go bad while you're away. Even after you return home, throw everything out, and scrub down the inside, you may still continue to get a whiff of the expired food every time you open your refrigerator doors. However, placing a couple slices of bread from your pantry inside the fridge can help eliminate the foul odors.

Bread is sensitive to odors, especially if it's near potent ones, so it'll absorb anything from spices to cleaning products to foul scents. There are other items that can be used to soak up harsh smells in the fridge like baking soda, tea bags, and coffee grounds, but they can be messier to deal with. Use bread slices instead to easily deodorize your fridge anytime you forget to clean it out. Here's how.

If you don't enjoy eating the ends of the bread and you happen to have a strange smell coming from your fridge, use those ends to help soak up the odor. You'll need two pieces of bread, a small container without a lid, and 1 tablespoon of vinegar. Pour the vinegar over the bread, which will help it absorb the smell better. Then, place the pieces inside the open container and put them on a shelf in your fridge. Leave the bread in the refrigerator for 12 to 24 hours, then replace it with fresh vinegar-dipped bread if needed.

If you don't have whole slices, bread crusts can also work excellently. Apply vinegar, place the crusts on a paper plate, and set the plate on a middle shelf to help absorb the odors. Additionally, instead of keeping the bread slices in the same container, you could spread them out by placing them in two containers and on two separate shelves, to help absorb all the odors. 

Once your fridge is odor-free, deep clean the inside by removing all of the food. Throw away anything you don't plan on eating or items that are past their expiration date. Wipe down the interior with a damp towel and a fresh-scented cleaning spray. Going forward, clean your fridge once or twice a month to prevent foul smells.