Black stuff in the frig

[flyguy]

I have a question about some black stuff that I found in my frig. We have a 2006 Bambi that had to have some repair work done and it sat for about 3 months while the repairs were being done. I went to check out the frig in preparation for an upcoming weekend trip and in the freezer I found this black stuff. The stuff was also found on the plastic that seals the door. It looked like mold and possibly aspargillus(sp). If anyone knows how I can clean this stuff off and not wreck the inside of the freezer I'd appreciate any suggestions. Also is there a way to help prevent this stuff from coming back again. I thought about using bleach but I'm afraid that it will eat up the seal.

Thanks Flyguy

[ROBERTSUNRUS]

Hi, I had a touch of this once; I would start with windex or dish soap first. Then I would go to simple green and finally bleach. After each trip I remove everything from the fridge and then wipe it all clean and dry useing windex or dish soap. My one mistake was to close the doors thinking everything was bone dry; I was wrong. Now I use a bungee cord hooked on the top door handle of the fridge and wrap it around the bathroom door handle once and then back ro the lower fridge door; This holds the two doors open, [about three inches] but prevents them from swinging around freely. [your floor plan may need a different way to hold the fridge doors open] There is a gadget made for holding the fridge doors open or should I say prevent them from closeing all the way, but since I have to move my trailer with the door not accessable I have to do it my way or chance breaking the fridge door hinges or whatever the doors hit when swinging around. In other words, I can't park my trailer and get into it. [See my Avatar]

[elolson]

Yep, gotta leave those doors open until 100% dry. We use a spray bottle with a bleach solution. That gets the cooling fins clean where you can not scrub. Bleach will not hurt anything in your fridge, just make sure you do not dribble on the carpet while cleaning or it will bleach out the color.

Good luck. A good long air drying afterwards will help and will keep future occurrences at a minimum.

[Silverhobby]

Originally Posted by elolson

Bleach will not hurt anything in your fridge

Pure bleach undiluted is corrosive.

[elolson]

I use a capful per spray bottle as opposed to the straight 5% solution that would come out of a standard for home use jug. Bleach is corrosive to metal. Concentration, exposure time, temperature are all factors.

After several years of use we have observed no ill effects of the solution on any interior components in the fridge, only a nice clean antiseptic smell and no mold.

[wheel interested]

After turning off the fridge we leave the doors open to warm and then dry, wipe out the defrosted water, occassionally use a rag with dish detergent to wipe out the interior and always keep fridge-its inside, one for the freezer and one for the fridge. More time than not the doors are closed but we never have had a problem with mildew. Before using fridge-its we used a box filled with charcoal. There are even refrigerator fans that utilize charcoal pieces. In all the years of rving we have never had to use anything more than that to keep the fridges clean and sweet.

$2.49 at Camping World, date (I use a marker) and replace as necessary.
Fridge-It Deodorizer - Camping World

[flitzwhopper]

presuming you had some black (maybe fungus) mold...
bases are really good to kill the mold off (windex with amonia). the problem is that you really need to have an aerosol that will penetrate cracks and crevices. because the mold moves about in the air it can go anywhere.
most of the time, if I want to use an acid, I use vinegar. vinegar is less corrosive and still has the ph necessary to disrupt the cell membranes. the mold can still be able to come back even if it has been completely dried out. the only option is to get it all out. one thing that i have done which i wouldn't advise others to do is to put a pan of amonia in - for me the shower - and pour very hot water in it and then stay away for awhile - then air out the area real well. that seems to work.
if you want the professional solution - Dettox Mould & Mildew Remover. It definately works with repeated applications - acid solution with mildew remover. I can't find any. leaving the solid residue in cracks and crevices prevents regrowth

[TBRich]

Yup, the black muck...clean it up using one the suggestionss above...then when you turn the frig off while waiting for your next trip, just prop the door open somehow...and everything will be fine...and it will be good to go when you are!

[NevadaGeo]

I put ammonia in a pan in the fridge to keep the bears out of there. I've been told the bears don't like ammonia. Bought my trailer with bear claw marks on the refrige door. So far so good.

[Wayne&Sam]

To prevent it from happening again, I made this gizmo out of velcro. Glue some of the hook side to the door and some to the refrigerator. Use a piece of the loop side to hold the door ajar.

[Silvertwinkie]

I leave the door(s) open all the time when unit is not in use. To date, I have had no mold. Cleaning that will take some degree of diluted bleach to totally kill off the mold.

[SilverCottage]

Our fridge has 2 shelf dividers that unsnap and then clip onto the edges of the doors to hold them slightly open. We have not had any issues and I didn't have to fabricate anything since it came with the Dometic fridge.

I am sure all newer Dometic fridges have the same system. Take a look in your manual on how to snap them on the door to hold it open.