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Cleaning Up:  Thoughts for cleaning freezer  |
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PJJ
True Blue Farmgirl
95 Posts
Paula
Bristow
OK
USA
95 Posts |
 Posted - Aug 11 2005 : 12:58:20 PM
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Nasty, nasty freezer!
Left ajar by the little boy next door (not *so* little - 3rd grader), who was helping himself to ice cream bars. Of course, figuring out how to keep him out of my garage without keeping it closed and locked all the time is another story ... :)
Anyway, when I discovered it everything inside had thawed but, luckily, hadn't rotted or anything. I allowed it all to re-freeze, then threw it out just before the trash truck arrived. The biggest challenge has been, of course, cleaning out all the juices from beef and chicken. I had 1/4-side of beef in there, along with nearly 20 pounds of chicken necks I was flash freezing for the dogs. All thawed and dripped over everything else, rendering everything in the freezer useless.
After throwing everything away, I mopped up what I could, turned the temps to low so the collected juices would melt slowly, cleaned those up, and so forth. I now need to make sure the cracks and crevices are cleaned out, and try to get any remaining odor out. Also disinfect, just to be on the safe side.
I would prefer not to use bleach, although I did break down and use it on the garage floor underneath the freezer. That was how I orginally discovered the problem -- smelly chicken juice dripping on the floor -- yuck!
Would vinegar, maybe mixed with an essential oil like ecualyptus or grapefruit do the trick?
Thoughts? Suggestions? Any BTDT?
And let's not even discuss the "somewhere in the neighborhood of $750 worth of food" I lost ... :(
Paula J.
Paula J., with Ty, Cara, Brody, Blue, and Fidget |
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littlehippiechick
Farmgirl in Training
19 Posts
Tina
Bloomsbury
Canada
19 Posts |
Posted - Aug 11 2005 : 6:50:50 PM
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OUCH! What a nasty little kid! If I were you, I'd make him come over and clean it up for you, teach him a lesson...don't let him get away with it! I would have ripped his head off!!!
Anyway, I am new and have found that vinegar works for pretty much anything. When it dries, it doesn't smell. Also, I've found that baking soda takes away the smells.
I'm just learning about Borax, but someone mentionned that it is a degreaser, etc. Look under the homemade diswasher detergent posting.
Hope that helps! And most of all good luck!
No man is ever worth crying over, and the one that is...won't make you cry!!! |
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sleepless reader
True Blue Farmgirl
1022 Posts
CA
USA
1022 Posts |
Posted - Aug 11 2005 : 7:07:43 PM
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Oh, Paula! Have you talked to his parents yet? Also, you amy not want to deface your freezer,but you could put a hasp and lock on. You are WAY NICER than I would have been in that situation! There are usually other things we keep in garages that could be harmful or deadly to a child and I'd worry that he could get into that stuff too...and the liability would (sadly) fall on you!
Anyway, about the smell, I second the use of vinegar. It kills germs and I'd rather my garage smell like vinegar than chicken juice!
Good luck to you!
Sharon |
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Alee
True Blue Farmgirl
22941 Posts
Alee
Worland
Wy
USA
22941 Posts |
Posted - Aug 12 2005 : 12:21:58 AM
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Vinegar is derived from old Wine and so is disinfectant. I would suggest spraying the inside down with undilluted Vinegar until you have drenched the entire thing. Then close it up over night to let the vinegar completely work its magic. The next day I would wipe it out and then before you put food in it again, I would put a box of the baking soda in. Baking soda works even when frozen so it is a great addition to any freezer.
That should disinfect your freezer and loosen any more dried on yuckies left over and it should easily wipe clean. Oh and I would leave the lid propped open for the day following the drenching so the Vinegar smell can disipate.
Good Luck
Alee |
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Fabulous Farm Femmes
True Blue Farmgirl
792 Posts
Diane
Lakebay, Tacoma
WA
792 Posts |
Posted - Aug 12 2005 : 08:30:55 AM
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I'll bet if you hosed down Junior the neighbor boy in vinegar too, next time he'd stay out of things that don't belong to him!!  |
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PJJ
True Blue Farmgirl
95 Posts
Paula
Bristow
OK
USA
95 Posts |
Posted - Aug 12 2005 : 10:10:54 AM
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Would love to do that! Unfortunately, I have to actually *live* in this neighborhood <g> and, since he and his parents live on one side of me, and his grandparents on the other side ...
He's just spoiled. He's an only child and an only grandchild -- and gets away with murder!
Of course, I'm not sure his parents are the sharpest knives in the drawer either.
And their young cat (maybe 8 months old now) is going to end up getting killed if she doesn't stay out of our yard. It's all we can do to control the dogs when we take them out, and she's nearly always in the shrubs, playing in the birdbath, or teasing the dogs through the front door or window.
Once our back fence goes in and the dogs can be out on their own, I'm truly worried about that stupid cat. I've mentioned it (several times) to the people, but they just say something like, "Oh, she just does what she wants." Not something that goes over well with a person who did animal (dog) rescue for years ...
Paula J.
quote:
Originally posted by Fabulous Farm Femmes
I'll bet if you hosed down Junior the neighbor boy in vinegar too, next time he'd stay out of things that don't belong to him!!
Paula J., with Ty, Cara, Brody, Blue, and Fidget |
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Alee
True Blue Farmgirl
22941 Posts
Alee
Worland
Wy
USA
22941 Posts |
Posted - Aug 12 2005 : 5:34:25 PM
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| Sounds like an "interesting" situation. Are you just house sitting or something since you said you don't really live there? |
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Fabulous Farm Femmes
True Blue Farmgirl
792 Posts
Diane
Lakebay, Tacoma
WA
792 Posts |
Posted - Aug 13 2005 : 12:59:40 AM
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awwwwwww, you're NO FUN!!  |
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WisGal35
True Blue Farmgirl
99 Posts
Cathy
Kenosha County
WI
USA
99 Posts |
Posted - Aug 15 2005 : 10:23:12 AM
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Ouch on the freezer & contents (your homeowners/renters ins. might cover).
We thought ours was broken, but it turned out our 3-year-old was unplugging it...
Baking soda/warm water works great for stains, etc. Then I'd spray on the vinegar to make sure it's disinfected properly.
If you can't lock the freezer against the neighborhood menace, can you lock the garage?
Cathy |
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greyghost
True Blue Farmgirl
650 Posts
Lynn
Summerville
Georgia
USA
650 Posts |
Posted - Aug 16 2005 : 05:52:28 AM
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Wow, I think I would be fit to be tied if that happened to me! You are far more patient than I am.
Now I'm wondering why my grandma's freezer has a loop in it for locking, if she had problems with kids leaving it open. Never thought about it before.
As for your neighbor's cat - my dogs have often chased a cat back out of our yard. They've never managed to catch one. If your neighbor's cat isn't declawed, your dogs may get swiped (ouch!)but the cat will learn to stay out of the yard too.
Housecats are fine. The ones allowed to roam everywhere drive me crazy - I find their leavings in my tomato patch (where the dirt is nice and loose) and have lost carrots due to their digging and covering their waste. I'll admit I've hauled off many a cat like this to animal control, and nobody's ever bothered to get them back. |
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WisGal35
True Blue Farmgirl
99 Posts
Cathy
Kenosha County
WI
USA
99 Posts |
Posted - Aug 16 2005 : 07:58:27 AM
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Hi Paula-
I thought of an alarm system for your freezer, though likely to work better with stand-up.
Stack a few empty pop cans or pie tins at the spot where the freezer door would open. When the neighborhood Dennis the Menace opens, cans will come crashing down. :)
B/T/W, don't use bleach on the inside of your freezer -- it will break down the seals.
As for the cat, like Greyghost says -- let the dogs chase the cat. If she does what she wants, then she'll have to learn about neighbor dogs. She's old enough to get away safely.
Cathy |
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Cleaning Up: Thoughts for cleaning freezer |
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Thoughts for cleaning freezer
