If the harsh temperatures of a walk-in fridge aren’t enough to deter your employees from wanting to go in there, the funky smells will be. Fortunately, you can eliminate the walk in smells in the fridge using these tips and tactics:
1. Get dressed in the proper PPE
You must always use personal protective equipment when working in low temperatures or dangerous situations. Thus, you’ll need a coat or jacket to keep yourself warm and protective gloves so that you won’t freeze your hands while cleaning.
2. Grab all your cleaning products
The next step is gathering all the items you’ll need for cleaning. Vinegar, baking soda, dish soap, and a sponge should be enough to do the job.
3. Clear the shelves and dispose of spoiled items
You can only eliminate bad smells if you get to the root of the problem. That means you should remove all items from the shelves and thoroughly review them to look for spoiled leftovers. Sometimes, clearing away sour liquids and spoiled foods solves the problem immediately.
4. Wipe down all surfaces twice
Take your rag and wipe down all the surfaces to remove crumbs, dust, and any other debris that may have accumulated on the shelving. Next, go over all the surfaces again with a rag or scrub brush dipped in baking soda and vinegar mix.
These items are effective at cleaning surfaces and ridding them of harmful bacteria. You will only need to use a stiff scrub brush if you cant get freezer clean. Otherwise, a wet rag will perform perfectly.
5. Rinse the surfaces
Take your time and clean the surfaces until you feel you’ve done a satisfactory job. The next step is to use a rag with warm water to rinse every area where you did the cleaning.
6. Put the food back
Once the fridge returns to its original temperature, you can return the food. Your cleaning process will then be complete.
7. Put baking soda down for odor control
You can take an extra step to ensure that you keep foul smells at bay. Put baking soda down in empty shelving areas to neutralize the odors, and leave it overnight to enhance the effect.
8. Repeat the process once a week
The most important part of eliminating bad smells is frequently performing maintenance tasks on your fridge. Checking the items in your cooler every couple of days is good practice, as it will help you to spot rotting things before they make a stink.
Regular fridge and freezer cleaning should be done at least once a week to keep the unit fresh and preserve the integrity of the food items. You can keep up with these tasks yourself or delegate them to workers.
The walk-in freezer no longer has to be a dreaded place for your workers to visit. Use some of the steps mentioned above to clean out a walk in and give it a fresh smell every time the door opens.