Freezers house a fair amount of unpleasant smells from spills and liquid leaks to pungent aromas from the goods themselves. With little chance of ventilation, freezers can get a little smelly, and mine is no exception.
Beyond the usual cleaning, there is a simple baking staple that can leave your freezer smelling divine. I decided to try using vanilla to deodorize, and found it works, but quality matters.
There's a lot of ways to get rid of fridge smells, but I'm glad to now have a solid option in my arsenal to naturally deodorize my freezer, too.
How to make your freezer smell like vanilla
Di Ter Avest, a professional organizer and the owner of Di Is Organized, told me earlier this year about a nifty little hack involving vanilla extract that will leave your freezer space smelling 'good enough to eat'.
'I first heard of this from family members in Brazil, but I only tried it once I had my own house,' says Di. 'There's minimal risk of the vanilla affecting your food too, so long as it's properly sealed and you don't use excessive amounts.'
I've been saying for a while that I would try Di's tip out, so here's what I did and how you can do it too for a freezer that delights, rather than horrifies the senses.
Step 1: Clean out your freezer
It's important to clean out your freezer before attempting this hack to rid the space of bad smells. If you don't make use of cleaning tips to freshen your appliance, it won't take on the full freshness that comes from the vanilla.
'I recommend starting off with a clean freezer,' says Di. 'Do this by removing unwanted and expired food items in the first instance.'
Wipe stains and give the inside of the doors, shelves and drawers a clean with a neutral-smelling cleaning solution, such as a 1:1 water and vinegar spray. You can buy cleaning vinegar from Walmart cheaply.
Avoid strong-scented cleaners which may later mask or mix with the vanilla to create something unpleasant. Don't worry about pungent vinegar, the smell disappears as it dries.
This is the perfect time to organize your freezer before returning your items to the space as well.
2: Dampen a cotton ball with vanilla extract
'Next, dampen a cotton ball with a few drops of pure vanilla extract,' says Di. 'If you don't have cotton to hand, you can use a folded up piece of paper towel as a substitute.'
I used Dr Oetker's Madagaskan Vanilla Extract which I had in my baking supplies, and cotton rounds.
A potent extract of quality vanilla will work better for this hack. If you have vanilla pods, even better for the cotton round of vanilla you leave on a plate or in an open container.
3: Rub vanilla onto your freezer's walls
Gently rub the vanilla-dampened cotton onto the walls of your freezer.
'Don't worry – this won't cause any yellowing or staining of the surfaces,' says Di.
'You can stop here but if you'd like your freezer to experience longer-lasting freshness, place another vanilla-soaked cotton ball in an open container or on a plate in the back corner,' says Di.
Leave the vanilla in your freezer for one to two days before removing it from the space.
My verdict
The hack was very simple to execute, only taking around two minutes to complete. However, I learned that the quality of the vanilla I used was the key to success.
My Dr Oetker vanilla extract quickly dissipated when rubbed on the walls and when I put some extra on a cotton round in the freezer, it did not make any difference to how long the smell lasted.
I let a couple of days pass so the freezer smell could reset and tried the hack out again. This time though, I left a cotton round with a smear of premium vanilla paste on it sitting on a plate in my freezer.
I noticed the aroma difference immediately. As the days passed, I was genuinely surprised how much better this hack was working. I didn't rub the vanilla paste onto the freezer's walls as it was dark and had pieces of vanilla pod in it, but it worked incredibly well on the cotton round.
When I opened the freezer the following day there was a noticeable waft of vanilla coming from it, which lingered for days, becoming gradually more subtle. After five days the vanilla needed replacing to continue the hack.
The Taylor & Colledge Organic Vanilla Paste With Seeds from Target or the Vanilla Bean Store Paste from Amazon would be good dupes for the vanilla paste I used here in the UK. Having vanilla seeds from the pods still in the mixture bolstered the staying power of the heavenly scent.
My rating
Does it work? Yes. But quality matters.
Being quick to execute and creating no mess in my freezer makes me personally like this hack, especially with the holidays approaching. It would be a great touch to your pre-guest cleaning checklist if you're expecting visitors and they might be helping you out in the kitchen.
Overall, I rate this an 8/10 for deodorizing my freezer, but reckon it's a necessity to invest in good quality vanilla, otherwise the hack will not have staying power.
This hack is amazing, but only if you clean your freezer first to free the area of bad smells. Working to neutralize bad kitchen odors is a must before implementing good smells, otherwise their scents will be competing, which won't bring you the result you're hoping for.
