Nasty Reach-In cooler smell.

[270wsm]

Does anyone know what causes most reach in coolers to have a nasty onion smell? You know, the smell that wont wash off no matter how many times you wash your hands. I know its not really onions because I have smelled it in coolers that never had onions in it. If anyone knows what to use to get this smell off my hands please let me know.

[k-fridge]

Try lemon juice

[gas1]

place a cup of fresh coffee grinds in cooler replace every 2 or 3 weeks

[freezerfixer]

i hate that smell. especially when its your first call in the morning and then i smell it the rest of the day.

[Makinice]

place a cup of fresh coffee grinds in cooler replace every 2 or 3 weeks

Does that work?

[phosgene]

disposable nitrile gloves

[Makinice]

disposable nitrile gloves

Those gloves do help, but it seems like that onion/garlic smell gets into the skin pours throughout the body.

Just sticking your head inside the cooler will make you stink all day.

[phosgene]

I know the exact smell you speak of and it is awful. Like you said, if its the first call of the day and the smell gets a foothold in your clothing - the day is ruined.

[the mojo]

That smell lingers on you what seems like forever. Carry a bottle of lemon dishwashing soap on the truck. So on your next call you don't smell like a billy goat. Now the ohfishall term shall now and forever will be called,drum roll please...... THE FUNK:D

[Trublshter]

I've got that smell on my hands every time I worked on a reach in or walk in box around the evaporator. I got my hands really loaded with it when handling expansion valves or replacing coil defrost heaters and drains. I wonder if the odor comes from onions and stuff adhears to the copper in some way since vegtables sort of breathe. I can't think of the term of the top of my head. Has a part to do with establishing heat load calculations for refrigeration. I remember reading it in the old Althouse-Tournquist book.

[300 Win Mag]

It must be a mold of some type, if you bleach the inside of the unit, it kills it for a while. I walked into the supply house the other day, the counterman said "who was working on a cooler? I'll never for get that smell!" Yeah, it was me.