To contain the picnic, go camping, or take some cold drinks to the beach, having a cooler can always come in handy. However, like the fridge, it can quickly become a breeding ground for bad odors. Plus, if a drink spills or a jar breaks, you may end up with unidentified stains and sticky residues. To be able to slide your food in it without defying all hygiene laws, discover your grandmother’s tips on how to clean and deodorize a cooler with natural household products. Follow the guide!
How to clean your cooler
Ideally, it would be best to perform a cleaning after each use. This will help eliminate bacteria and dirt, as well as limit the formation of unpleasant odors. To do this, a simple soapy water (for example with black soap or dishwashing liquid) will be more than enough. For a very dirty cooler covered in stains or mold, on the other hand, you will need to step up your game.
What cleaning products for a more thorough cleaning, stain removal, and degreasing?
– White vinegar: This multi-purpose cleaning product allows you to remove stains, descale, disinfect, and deodorize all surfaces in the house… and the cooler too! Dilute three parts of vinegar in one part of warm water and scrub the dirt with a clean, lint-free cloth.
– Baking soda or even more powerful, washing soda: Their uses are very similar to vinegar. Dilute the powder in water and apply with a microfiber cloth or sponge. If necessary, let it sit for a few hours before rinsing with clear water.
– Lemon: It helps degrease, whiten, and remove stains from the inside of the cooler. Squeeze the juice of half a lemon and dilute it with hot water. Be sure to scrub vigorously before rinsing and drying.
Otherwise, easy to find in supermarkets or hardware stores, clay stone is also a good option.
Cleaning your cooler is great! But how can you deodorize it?
– Place pieces of activated charcoal inside to absorb and neutralize bad odors.
– Otherwise, use a white or green clay bowl. Like in the fridge or at the bottom of the trash can, this will help disinfect the cooler while providing a deodorizing and absorbing effect.
– If you don’t have any of that, simply placing oat bran at the bottom will be more than enough.
– Last idea: use a cloth soaked in vinegar or lemon juice. Let it sit for 20 minutes in the closed cooler. Then, ventilate the cooler well.
