Posted by Marty (MO) on July 13, 2007 at 07:11:55:
do the homes stay level with the blocks just on dirt?
I’m out of the MOM loop at the moment… When and where is the event
gonna be?
it’s REAL BAD. rotten food in the fridge… - Posted by Marty (MO)
Posted by Marty (MO) on July 07, 2007 at 13:41:32:
this is the worst one I’ve run across… any ideas to reduce the smell? First time I’ve gagged in over 15 years!
I owe beer to anyone with an idea that helps!
Marty
Re: it’s REAL BAD. rotten food in the fridge… - Posted by TeddyB_SC
Posted by TeddyB_SC on July 08, 2007 at 18:34:08:
I prefer Vicks Vapor Rub smeared under the nose with a small, cheap mask.
When going thru hell, don’t slow down… - Posted by Tony Colella
Posted by Tony Colella on July 08, 2007 at 11:27:30:
That song plays in my head during moments like the quality time you find yourself facing with this fridge.
“If you’re going through hell,keep on going, don’t slow down.”
My handymen and workers still puke when they think about the maggot infested possum I pulled out of the underbelly of the handman’s trailer. Half skeleton, have convered in my own blood as I sliced my hand trying to get to it. (The good news is I can now play dead very convincingly!)
There is no clean way to solve your problem with this fridge. As bad as that possum was, I have had fridges as bad. I buy mostly foreclosures and repos and most of them have the fridge full of rotten meet with power off for months by the time the foreclosure goes through.
The only way to do it is to not think and just do. I guess after all the death scenes I supervised and worked on as a police officer I got somewhat better at it but two things I learned then were one… call the fire dept and borrow their ventilation fan for the really bad stinkers. The fire dept will be glad to drop it off, although they won’t stick around while you use it! TWO, just get to doing what you have to do.
In your case I just ventilate, get rubber gloves on and a large, commercial style trash bag then take a deep (clean) breath and go in.
Golden rule here is WAIT UNTIL TRASH DAY. Timing is everything. Do this not too long before they arrive. If trash day is too far off, then do what I do… put it in Scott’s dumpster.
It only takes a second to sweep the old food and meat into the trash. Tie it off and get it out of there.
NEXT. I use a garden sprayer filled with 1/2 water, 1/2 commercial (also called outdoor) bleach. Hose everthing inside the fridge down and be sure to spray into the drains, nooks etc.
Close door with power off for a couple of days. Come back and hose out. You could re-use this unit if you had wanted to, the bleach is that good. No odor, not residue, just neat and clean.
Tony
Sunshine and maggots’ll do it - Posted by John Merchant
Posted by John Merchant on July 08, 2007 at 11:10:19:
I once had a stand-alone freezer unit I kept in garage, go bad while we were on vacation.
Hot summer-time when it happened.
After emptying it of a lot of spoiled meat (ugh!)I tried every known chemical without much success, trying to kill the odor.
Then I hauled it outside to a secluded spot in my back yard and turned it on its back, with door open and just let the maggots go to work without interruption…and in 3 or 4 days there was nothing left of spoilage,maggots or odors.
Re: it’s REAL BAD. rotten food in the fridge… - Posted by Bart (FL)
Posted by Bart (FL) on July 08, 2007 at 10:11:03:
1-Leave closed
2-Duct tape fridge so it can’t accidentally open
3-Put on back of pick-up truck
4-Take to dump
5-Kick the whole thing off the back of truck
Bart (FL)
get the trash grabbers - Posted by Brenda (OH)
Posted by Brenda (OH) on July 08, 2007 at 07:07:43:
I have a set of those long handle picker-uppers, our Walmart stocks them now, and I have used them to pick up all kinds of things I either could not reach or did not want to touch!
I have even found them extremely cheap at flea markets.
you may want to remember that the freon has to be removed from the fridge before disposal in most states, and you have to get it to the point some HVAC guy will be willing to get next to the fridge…
Brenda
Re: it’s REAL BAD. rotten food in the fridge… - Posted by Ed C - So Calif
Posted by Ed C - So Calif on July 07, 2007 at 22:34:35:
After 25 years of rehabing places, you would think I would learn NOT open a refrig/freezer in empty houses/mh/apts! But no way, I SEEM TO BE DRAWN by some invisible rule of the Universe to open everything. Teaching a class on Rehabing 101, I make a point that if you feel a real need to look inside, DO IT OUTSIDE!
Re: it’s REAL BAD. rotten food in the fridge… - Posted by Wayne (ID)
Posted by Wayne (ID) on July 07, 2007 at 22:11:48:
Here’s what I did with one not to long ago.
-
Empty fridge
-
Use a couple of bowls that you don’t mind throwing out when your done.
-
Pour Kitty litter into each bowl. (about a cup)
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Pour about a 1/4 cup of chlorine bleach into each bowl of kitty litter.
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IMMEDIATLEY put dishes into both compartments of the fridge and close the doors.
6)Let set for a couple days then open fridge and remove the bowls and dispose of them.
7)Leave fridge doors open a couple days to air out.
By putting the chlorine into the Kitty litter I understand that you are making Chlorine gas.
DISCLAIMER: This is probably not OSHA Approved. I only did it because I was not going to be working in the home for a while.
Worked like a charm and this fridge had been without power for 2 months with meat in the freezer.
Wayne
Re: it’s REAL BAD. rotten food in the fridge… - Posted by RoyD(Al)
Posted by RoyD(Al) on July 07, 2007 at 14:58:50:
I think it was Tony, @ boot camp, that said spray the inside down with the outdoor bleach, close it back up and leave it a few days. It kind of liquifies everything and you can wipe it out. We had a real nasty one last year. Cleaned most of it up, then found out the thing didn’t work anyway.
dump the fridge - Posted by Steve-WA
Posted by Steve-WA on July 07, 2007 at 13:43:58:
Alaskan Stout, please
What do you mean? You eliminate the source, and if that means a new fridge, then so be it. Is the fridge gone, and the smell remains?
you have some LOW standards workers… - Posted by Marty (MO)
Posted by Marty (MO) on July 08, 2007 at 14:46:10:
ugh. dry floaters. the ONLY thing I’ve found worse than this mess I had
to clean up today. I’ll try the outdoor bleach next time, that sounds
effective. I’m sticking with my SCBA or a charcoal mask from now on!
I’m getting soft in my old age!
Thanks for the tip…
Marty
Re: Sunshine and maggots’ll do it - Posted by Marty (MO)
Posted by Marty (MO) on July 08, 2007 at 14:47:45:
I guess that applies to politics, too- hence the ‘sunshine’ laws!
were you able to use it again?
won’t work here… - Posted by Marty (MO)
Posted by Marty (MO) on July 08, 2007 at 10:50:56:
I could dump it in someone’s yard I don’t like, though!
Landfills won’t accept fridges at all… scrap metal places make us
remove the condenser… the recycling center will take it, but we have to
get the food out.
this would definitely be my first choice, though!
Re: get the trash grabbers - Posted by Marty (MO)
Posted by Marty (MO) on July 08, 2007 at 10:39:07:
our recycling center charges $15 and they’ll take care of the freon.
I used a rake and snow shovel for all the nasty little presents they left… I
can see a benefit for the picker-upper thing, also.
THANKS.
Re: it’s REAL BAD. rotten food in the fridge… - Posted by Marty (MO)
Posted by Marty (MO) on July 08, 2007 at 10:52:43:
I’m getting older faster than I’m getting smarter…
Maybe we all need to write these rules down and laminate 'em!
funny stuff- thanks!
what I ended up doing… - Posted by Marty (MO)
Posted by Marty (MO) on July 08, 2007 at 10:36:26:
I used an scba. WONDERFUL. I’m sure the charcoal cannister idea
would’ve helped, also.
I used a bunch of kitty litter and bleach in the fridge. I also used kitty
litter and bleach on the spilled contents in the home. This absorbed
enough of the smell to make it easily manageable. I left things open to
ventilate it for a while…
I can’t imagine OSHA thinking the rotten food is better!
Thanks for all the input! I’ll be at the Dog Prairie Inn tonight to pay up
on all that beer debt I have…
Marty
Re: it’s REAL BAD. rotten food in the fridge… - Posted by Marty (MO)
Posted by Marty (MO) on July 07, 2007 at 15:04:58:
Roy!
That sounds like a good idea, but I’m not even considering saving it. I just wanna be able to get the food out and get it to the recycling center. I gotta have it done tomorrow, so sitting for a few days isn’t an option. I think I solved my own issue, though. I’m gonna steal an air tank and mask from work and get it done like that.
How’s everyone in Roy’s world? You still doing deals with your son?
Thanks for passing along the tip! I’ll use it next time.
Marty
Re: dump the fridge - Posted by Marty (MO)
Posted by Marty (MO) on July 07, 2007 at 14:53:13:
I gotta get the food out of the fridge before I can dump it…
this is the worst I’ve come across… The home is being hauled off, but the appliances have to be taken out. I’d pay someone to do it (my first and favorite choice), but a person willing to do the job hasn’t materialized. It’s down to me.
I’m wondering if anyone’s heard of something I can dump on it, spray on it, etc that will help knock down the smell a bit. I’ve seen some nasty fridges and all kinds of other nasty things, but this is… special.
If I was working, I’d wear my air tank. hey… that’s an idea that might work…
I’ll buy you an Alaskan Stout, even if you aren’t helpful!
Re: Sunshine and maggots’ll do it - Posted by John Merchant
Posted by John Merchant on July 08, 2007 at 18:40:17:
LOL, love it!
But I observed that the good ones, the little guys, didn’t much care if it was bright or dark, while the phonies don’t like the light.
Yep got it to the repair shop and they fixed and we continued to use it for several years…but I did have them install a bright red indicator light that told me when it was operable or not