I need help urgent

[nonibbles]

Someone accidently knocked the plug out of the upright fridge/freezer didn't they?! :-/
It happened probably a day or so ago and went unnoticed (while at work etc.) until the smell got bad enough to smell upstairs. The fridge sits downstairs in the family room on carpet and now the carpet stinks from the juice of 2.5kg of squid bait and pilchards. There is a thin underlay then concrete.
I know a chest freezer in the workshop would be the answer in future. But for now...How the hell am I going to get the smell out of the family room?

[Steven78]

The only way you will get the Smell out is to Clean the carpet many times or just burn it.
Sorry. :(

[nonibbles]

Gee I feel better already. #Thanks. #:'(
I've done a few searches on the net now and most cleaning groups seem to recommend using a "biological enzyme digester" from the pet shop. Apparently you absolutely soak the effected area first then try and mop up as much as you can. Then put this stuff on it and cover it with plastic to keep it moist (cos it takes a while to work fully). Apparently it works on all sorts of animal odours.
Hope it works because if it's gotta sit for a while and doesn't work it'll be even harder to get out later.
Any other advice?

[gazza76]

Hi
I am a carpet cleaner so i will help
The underlay area that has been affected will need to be cut out you will need to do this straight away and put it in the bin
replace later.

Just lift the carpet up at a corner carefully and peel the carpet back till you see the end of the wet underlay, use a stanley knife and cut the wet underlay out, try to cut it in a square or rectangle so you can fit a new piece later.

The reason the underlay has to go is because it will hold the moisture and smell in and damage your carpet and you will find the smell will come back if it is not removed.

Use a dry sponge and soak up as much of the liquid as you can and then use a wet sponge and damp it down dont rub pat it till it is wet then soak it up as much as you can and repeat till dirty liquid is gone.
Then get it as dry as you can and sprinkle Bicarb soda over it so you have a nice little mound on top of the wet area and leave it.

Once the Bicarb soda is dry vaccuum up and replace the underlay piece you cut out and lay the carpet back down Depending on the size of the area you may need someone to do this for you.

Once the carpet is layed back down get a carpet cleaner to come in and clean the room this will save you a lot of money.
If that is to tricky just call a carpet cleaner but make sure they cut out the underlay as to many people leave the underlay there and the problem returns
if you soak a piece of underlay in water you will see it is like a sponge and hiding under your carpet will take a couple of weeks to dry.

if you have any problems PM me
Cheers
Gary

[Punkin]

Btw, throw the fridge away too... :'(


The smell ain't never comin out :-[

[familyman]

If its gone through onto the slab I'd be doing the bi-carb thing on that too,its porous and will retain the odour :(mmmmmmm off bait, lovely
not.
cheers jon

[Feral]

how many days were you in hospital after yer missus found out?

[catchy_fishy]

depending how moist the acrpet got you may find that a fan / industrial blower will help to dry out the carpet too - - a friend of mine had to do this after a mud slide ruined his carpets

[maztez]

I can remember my younger brother and I (back in the 50s) leaving pippies in a drawer in our room at our house at Mermaid Beach.We commuted between our house in Bris and the coast so you can imagine the stench when the house was opened after a week or two shut up ..copped a doozy of a flogging :'( :'( :o :o and never did do that again ...lesson learnt
cheers Terry ;D

[nonibbles]

how many days were you in hospital after yer missus found out?

funny you should say that - I work in one.
The "someone" was the mysterious Not Me

Oh, and thanks Gazza.

Thank God I've got today & tomorrow off work

[frankj]

Nonibbles, are you insured?
I would imagine this would probably fall under accidental damage.
When we lived in Darwin, I remember my sister going on holiday and leaving me the key to her house. Every few days I checked around the house, no problems, until one day I noticed a lot of flies in the window. So in I go and nearly died with the smell. The circuit breaker had tripped, and in Darwin's climate things went off pretty quickly. When I opened the fridge freezer it was putrid. Somehow some of the contents had become fly blown, there were maggots everywhere. This was a big upright double door fridge freezer. I dreagged it outside and cleared everything out hosed it out, filled it with bi-carb, but nothing worked. The smell would not go. Anyway the end result was that on their return, the insurance company bought them a brand new fridge freezer and the old one went down the dump complete with smell.
How did the flies/maggots get inside? Through the defrost drain tube.

Might be worth a phone call.

Good luck
Frank

[MulletMan]

There is also a product on the market called PHEW GO that is an enzyme killer and doesn't just cover up the smell.
Can be bought at a Vet's practice for about $35 a litre.
Brilliant stuff and no after smell to contend with.

[nonibbles]

Lesson learnt: #fridges do not go on carpet. #When kids move back home get 'em to sell their fridges before you're tempted to use them.
Went to pet shop after vet said they didn't have any enzymatic stuff. #Got some stuff that they assured me does the same thing (I always get worried when I hear that) anyway I'll give it a go and see how it ends up.

If the house burns down when I burn the carpet, am I still insured? (that's a rhetorical question in case anyone has difficulty with my humour) ;)

The wife was nearly in tears when I told her we'll have to take up the underlay and outright refuses to do so. #I told her to expect me to say I told you so in a few months when it's not completely gone. #Couldn't change her mind. #I guess we can take it up when it happens hope the carpet doesn't rot there... #I tried. #:-*

[Hoges]

The wife was nearly in tears when I told her we'll have to take up the underlay and outright refuses to do so. I told her to expect me to say I told you so in a few months when it's not completely gone. Couldn't change her mind. I guess we can take it up when it happens hope the carpet doesn't rot there... I tried. :-*

gazza76 was 100% right about cutting out the underlay. If not you will have no hope what so ever of eradicating the smell!
Hell it is not a big deal just lift the carpet, cut out the old underlay and replace with same size piece. Should be able to p/u a piece from your local flooring shop or off a local floor layer.

:o
IT MUST BE DONE! :o
Or put up with the smell.

[StevenM]

Samething happened at home and pumpkin is right, that bloody smell stays in the fridge. Lucky mine is slowwwwwly going and the fridge lives in the shed.

[choppa]

great way to get fresh crab bait,,,,,cats adore rotten bait smell,,,,just leave your back door open abit,,,,and wait,,,,,when one comes in,,,,,,slam door closed,,,then you get crab pot and,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,i'll finish later for you,,,, catch cat first

[toadie]

how many days were you in hospital after yer missus found out?

funny you should say that - I work in one.
The "someone" was the mysterious Not Me

Oh, and thanks Gazza.

Thank God I've got today & tomorrow off work


When or if you catch that Not Me bugger handcuff him/her and send him/her my way.He/she has quite a bit of explaing to do with a few broken things and drawings on the walls. LOL

Good Luck at trying to get rid of the smell.

[nonibbles]

Hoges & Gazza, I know your right. #Unfortunately, for the sake of matrimonial bliss one must do the "told you so" exercise first (you know when you get to the point in an argument where it doesn't matter what you say...). #I have managed to remove the smell (for now) from the carpet. #The fridge is another matter and after the battle with the carpet I honestly don't give a rats anymore.




I always get the last say around here, and its "Yes, dear" :-X

[Hoges]

Hoges & Gazza, I know your right. Unfortunately, for the sake of matrimonial bliss one must do the "told you so" exercise first (you know when you get to the point in an argument where it doesn't matter what you say...). I have managed to remove the smell (for now) from the carpet. The fridge is another matter and after the battle with the carpet I honestly don't give a rats anymore.




I always get the last say around here, and its "Yes, dear" :-X

Mate for the sake of your marriage you had better win this one and stand up to her!
Because believe me that house will smell like the bilge of a fishing boat forever if that underlay is left down.
I could tell you a story and will if this still does not convince the Hand Brake. At the moment I can't be bothered.
One thing you will always be trying to mask that smell and after a while all you get is a combination of horrible aromas.



“According to a new study, 63% of men surveyed said they like to settle an argument by having sex. The other 37% of the men said they would never want to get into an argument with those men”

[nonibbles]

She understands fully that the underlay has to come up but preferred to try other means first due to amount of furniture etc that needs to be moved to get access to the edges of the carpet. This is main thing that is upsetting her. Tommorrow morning the insurers will know about it, the pros will come in, tell us what we now know and the underlay will come up.
Thanks everyone for your help. I think I'll keep my marriage out of the forum in future (message to self - remember to cool off before writing anything!).

[trueblue]

Use vanilla spray for the smell. Talk to the local butcher, and ask what they use commercially... Vanilla fridge wipe spray is about the best I have come accross for masking smells. Can get lower grade types of the same stuff at the supermarket.

Mick