How to get cauliflower smell out of the fridge

[Anonymous]

I bought a bag of precut cauliflower at Costco, and within a few days my fridge smelled absolutely horrible. Even putting the cauliflower in airtight containers did not work.

I ended up ricing it, froze it in bags and ate it and tasted fine, but my fridge still smells so bad, and it's been a few weeks. I tried coffee grounds, a few boxes of baking soda, baking soda on plates, and washing the interior with soapy water then wiping it with diluted vanilla (all real things I read online).

Is it just doomed to smell like cauliflower forever 😭 this hasn't happened to me before, that the smell got so bad, is that what happens if you don't cook it in a day or two?

[Anonymous]

How long did you leave the baking soda out on plates and how often did you change it out?

I had a bottle of chocolate milk explode in my car and soak the carpet. The smell was horrific. I covered the area in baking soda, let it sit for hours, vacuumed and repeated for several days and finally got the smell out. Baking soda is a miracle and I’d keep trying it with multiple plates (maximize surface area) and changing out for fresh baking soda 2-3x per day. It should improve.

[Anonymous]

Sounds like some bad cauliflower. I have never had that problem, but I buy whole cauliflowers.

I swear it’s the precut/prewashed stuff that can get the nastiest.

I think you just need to clean your entire fridge. Wipe down with white vinegar solution and dry. Remove baking soda first, of course.

[Anonymous]

A few weeks?? It sounds like you still have some in there or the plastic s holding the smell. I’d wipe everything down with vinegar and leave baking side in there longer. FWIW, we buy cauliflower all the time and I’ve never had this happen.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:A few weeks?? It sounds like you still have some in there or the plastic s holding the smell. I’d wipe everything down with vinegar and leave baking side in there longer. FWIW, we buy cauliflower all the time and I’ve never had this happen.

Thanks to both you & pp, will try vinegar, and could be that there's other plastic holding the smell. Do you buy whole or precut?

[Anonymous]

I read some advice online that to really remove a bad fridge smell, after cleaning it well you need to empty it, unplug it, and let it sit, opened, for about a day.

I'll see if I can find that advice.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I read some advice online that to really remove a bad fridge smell, after cleaning it well you need to empty it, unplug it, and let it sit, opened, for about a day.

I'll see if I can find that advice.

https://www.consumerreports.org/refrigerators/how-to-get-rid-of-funky-refrigerator-smells/

Step 4: Air it Out

Here's where the patience piece comes in. For best results, you need to unplug the refrigerator, leave the door open, and air it out for at least one day. If the refrigerator smells persist, wipe the interior down again with the baking soda solution and air it out for another day.

Tip: To introduce a pleasant smell, you can place a couple of cotton balls soaked with vanilla inside the refrigerator and freezer and close them in there for a few hours before restocking.

Step 5: Clean the Evaporator

If there's a lasting funk that just won't go away, chances are the refrigerator smells have permeated the evaporator coil, which produces cold air for the fridge and freezer. The coil, along with the fan that distributes the air, are typically located on the back wall of the freezer.

In the video above, we show you how to clean the evaporator on a top-freezer refrigerator. Start by removing the screws that anchor the panel. Next disconnect the plug for the electronic controls and icemaker. Remove and wash the panel. Use a spray bottle to apply warm soapy water to the coils, capturing the dirty water runoff with an old rag; repeat the process with fresh water to rinse. Allow the coil to air dry completely before replacing the panel.

This job is definitely easiest on a top-freezer, since you have plenty of room to maneuver. But you should be able to access and clean the evaporator on any refrigerator; check your user's manual for specific instructions.

Note that if you have a newer refrigerator with dual evaporators, you will have two sets of coils—one for the freezer and one for the fridge. But if the odor is only in the fresh food compartment, you'll only have to clean that coil.

[Anonymous]

??? Was it rotting? Cauliflower usually doesn't smell that bad.

If the smell doesn't go away, it could be due to something else. I'd take everything out, investigate and do a deep clean.

[Anonymous]

An open bowl of vinegar or coffee grounds will absorb odors

[Anonymous]

Find the rotting veggie hiding in the back of the fridge. The cauliflower is throwing you off.

[Anonymous]

I've often wished I could by fresh cauliflower at Costco (I only see big bags of cut broccoli, have never seen fresh cauliflower there). But now I'm less interested.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:??? Was it rotting? Cauliflower usually doesn't smell that bad.

If the smell doesn't go away, it could be due to something else. I'd take everything out, investigate and do a deep clean.

+1 small piece of rotting poultry??