With enough use, all walk-in coolers are going to get dirty eventually. It’s important that you keep up with your general maintenance and cleaning to make sure that any spills or other issues that occur don’t lead to persistent, unpleasant issues, such as odors that linger all the time in the space.

While unpleasant odors can simply be the result of regular use or spills that haven’t been properly cleaned up, they could also be a symptom of a much larger problem, such as a mold or bacteria growth somewhere inside your walk-in. Considering the fact that most walk-in coolers are used for food and beverage items, these types of issues need to be corrected immediately, or else you run the risk of having products that get contaminated, ultimately costing you a significant amount of money in lost inventory. This is a problem many small businesses simply cannot afford to have.

Here are some issues to consider when you begin to notice unpleasant odors lingering around your commercial walk-in coolers in Eugene, OR.

Steps to take

If your commercial walk-in cooler is more than two or three years old, it becomes easier for odors to get trapped inside the walls and flooring. This isn’t necessarily symptomatic of trouble—a little bit of odor is going to be natural, especially if the cooler gets a lot of use and houses a lot of food or other fragrant items. However, if bacteria gets trapped in these areas, then you could be looking at some trouble, as it can grow and multiply, resulting in these odors becoming stronger and fouler over time.

So what should you do if you notice odors starting to form in your cooler? The best thing you can do is thoroughly clean it out.

First, empty out all of your inventory into another cooler—you might not have another walk-in cooler available, but portable coolers with ice will do in a pinch. Remove all the shelves, bins and containers from the walk-in to clean those separately. Simple soap and water will be a good cleaner—you don’t want to use harsh chemicals, as they could damage the walls and surfaces of the unit. Baking soda and white vinegar are also effective cleaners, because vinegar is a great agent to fight against mildew and odors. Clean off the surfaces as soon as you spray your cleaner (whichever cleaner you decide you’ll use), and allow all surfaces to completely dry before you bring back in all the shelves and products.

Another good way to absorb odors in your walk-in cooler is to set out a bowl of charcoal briquettes, fresh coffee grounds or baking soda. All of these are natural odor fighters and can help you keep those unwanted smells at bay.

For more tips and information about what you should do if you start to have unpleasant smells lingering in your commercial walk-in coolers in Eugene, OR, contact the team at American Refrigeration Inc. today and we’ll be happy to assist.