When a major storm warning appears on your phone, you probably think about flashlights, batteries, and filling up the bathtub with water. You might even set your fridge to the coldest temperature and stock up on ice. But there’s one simple trick that most people miss, and it could save you from dealing with one of the worst parts of losing power: the smell of spoiled food that seems to stick around forever. A basic kitchen sponge placed in your fridge before the storm arrives can help control the awful odors that come with food spoiling during extended outages.
A sponge absorbs the moisture that spreads bad smells
When your power goes out and your fridge starts warming up, food doesn’t just spoil quietly. Bacteria, yeasts, and mold begin breaking down your groceries, releasing chemicals that create those terrible smells. What makes it worse is that these odor molecules spread more easily in damp environments. Without power, condensation forms inside your closed fridge as the temperature changes, creating excess moisture that gives those smell molecules a highway to travel throughout your entire refrigerator. That’s why the stench seems to get into everything, even items that are still sealed.
A dry sponge naturally absorbs moisture from its surroundings, which helps reduce the humidity inside your fridge. When there’s less dampness, odor molecules can’t spread as freely, and the smells don’t become as overwhelming or persistent. This won’t stop your food from spoiling if the power is out long enough, but it can make the aftermath much less miserable to deal with. Cleaning experts recommend using a completely clean, dry sponge for this purpose, since a dirty or damp sponge could introduce additional bacteria or smells into your fridge.
This trick can help your produce last longer
Beyond controlling smells, that sponge in your fridge might actually buy you a little extra time before your fruits and vegetables turn into mush. Many types of produce deteriorate faster when they’re sitting in humid conditions. Think about how quickly lettuce gets slimy in a plastic bag with condensation, or how strawberries seem to develop mold overnight when they’re damp. The moisture speeds up the spoiling process, which is especially problematic during a power outage when your fridge can’t maintain its normal dry, cool environment.
By soaking up some of that excess dampness, a sponge creates slightly better conditions for your produce to survive. This doesn’t mean your food will stay fresh indefinitely without power, but it might give you an extra day or two with some items. According to food preservation experts, reducing moisture is one of the key factors in slowing down spoilage. Just remember that this is a damage control measure, not a magic solution. You still need to follow official food safety guidelines about throwing out perishables that have been in a fridge warmer than 40 degrees for more than four hours.
Adding baking soda makes the sponge work better
If you want to boost the effectiveness of this trick, sprinkle some baking soda onto your sponge before placing it in the fridge. You’ve probably seen boxes of baking soda sitting in refrigerators for years, and there’s good reason for that old-school habit. Baking soda is a natural desiccant, meaning it absorbs both moisture and odors. When you combine it with a sponge, you’re getting double the protection against the damp, smelly conditions that develop during a power outage.
The combination works because the sponge handles the liquid condensation while the baking soda tackles the odor molecules directly. You don’t need to drench the sponge in baking soda, just a light sprinkle across the surface will do the job. Some people even use this method year-round in their produce drawers to keep fruits and vegetables fresher longer. When the sponge becomes saturated or the baking soda gets damp, you’ll want to replace it with a fresh setup. Just be careful not to open your fridge too frequently to check on it during an outage, since every time you open the door, you’re letting cold air escape and speeding up the warming process.
Multiple sponges provide better coverage throughout your fridge
One sponge is helpful, but if you really want to protect against odors and excess moisture, consider placing several sponges in different areas of your fridge and freezer. Put one on the main fridge shelf where you keep dairy and leftovers, another in the produce drawer where fruits and vegetables release moisture, and even one in your freezer. The more coverage you have, the better your chances of minimizing the damage from a prolonged power outage.
Your freezer might seem like an odd place for a sponge, but it actually makes sense. Freezers can stay cold for up to 48 hours without power if they’re full and you keep the door closed, but condensation still forms as temperatures fluctuate. Having a sponge in there helps control that moisture and prevents the development of ice crystals and freezer burn on your frozen items. Plus, if your freezer does eventually warm up enough for food to start thawing, the sponge will help manage the water that accumulates. Just make sure all your sponges are clean before the storm hits, so you’re not accidentally introducing any unwanted bacteria into your food storage areas.
Paper towels work as an alternative option
What if you don’t have clean sponges available when storm warnings start popping up? Paper towels can serve as a substitute that works almost as well. They’re designed to absorb liquid, which is exactly what you need during a power outage. You can spread paper towels across your refrigerator shelves, place them in produce drawers, or even stuff them into salad containers that tend to accumulate moisture. They won’t last quite as long as a sponge before becoming saturated, but they’ll still help control dampness and odors.
Paper towels are especially useful in salad bags and containers with leafy greens, which release a surprising amount of moisture as they sit. Opening up a bag of salad and tucking a folded paper towel inside can extend its life by several days under normal conditions, and this same principle applies during power outages. Some people keep a roll of paper towels in their fridge year-round for this exact purpose. The downside is that paper towels can fall apart when they get too wet, so you might need to replace them more frequently than sponges. But in a pinch, they’re a solid backup option that most households already have on hand.
Proper cleanup after the power returns is still essential
Even with sponges working overtime in your fridge during an outage, you’ll still need to do a thorough cleanup once the electricity comes back on. The first step is getting rid of all the spoiled food, which can be a painful process when you’re staring at groceries you just bought. Any perishables that sat in a fridge warmer than 40 degrees for more than four hours aren’t safe to eat, regardless of how they look or smell. This includes meat, dairy, seafood, eggs, leftovers, and most condiments.
After tossing the spoiled items, wipe down every surface inside your fridge with a kitchen cleaner or a mixture of vinegar and water. Don’t forget about the door seals, drawer bottoms, and any shelves where spills might have occurred. These hidden spots can trap smells and keep them circulating long after you think you’ve cleaned everything. Once you’ve scrubbed everything down, dry all surfaces completely with paper towels or a clean cloth. Any remaining moisture can continue to spread odors, so this step is important. Finally, place an open box of baking soda or odor-absorbing gel crystals like OdoBan Gel Crystals in your clean fridge to catch any lingering smells that might still be hiding in the plastic interior.
Preparing your fridge before the storm matters just as much
While the sponge trick is helpful, it works best as part of a larger strategy for protecting your food during power outages. Before the storm hits, set your fridge and freezer to the coldest temperature settings they have. This gives you a buffer of extra cold time before things start warming up dangerously. You should also avoid buying fresh groceries right before a storm if possible, since you’ll just end up throwing them away if the power goes out for more than a few hours.
Loading your freezer with ice packs, frozen water bottles, or bags of ice can help keep temperatures down longer. A full freezer also stays cold much longer than a half-empty one, so if you have empty space, fill it with containers of water that you can freeze. Consider moving your most perishable items to a cooler with ice if you know the outage will be prolonged. And here’s something most people don’t think about: group your cold food together in the fridge. When items are clustered, they help keep each other cold through shared thermal mass. These preparations, combined with strategic sponge placement, give you the best chance of minimizing food loss and avoiding that terrible spoiled-food smell that can linger for weeks.
Keeping your fridge closed is the most important rule
This might be the hardest part of dealing with a power outage: resisting the urge to open your fridge and check on everything. Every single time you open that door, cold air rushes out and warm air rushes in, dramatically reducing how long your food will stay safe. A closed refrigerator will maintain safe temperatures for about four hours after losing power, but opening it even once or twice can cut that time significantly. Your freezer can last up to 48 hours if it’s full and you keep it shut, but again, opening the door ruins that protection.
This is where having shelf-stable snacks and meals prepared ahead of time becomes critical. Stock up on foods that don’t require refrigeration, like crackers, peanut butter, canned goods, granola bars, and bread. Having these options readily available removes the temptation to peek into your fridge for something to eat. If you absolutely must get something from the refrigerator, plan ahead so you can open it once, grab everything you need quickly, and close it immediately. Think of your fridge during a power outage like a cooler on a camping trip. The less you open it, the longer everything inside stays cold and safe. This simple rule, more than any other trick or hack, will determine how much of your food survives an extended outage.
Freezing perishables beforehand gives you more time
If you know a storm is coming and you have warning time, one of the smartest moves you can make is freezing as many perishables as possible. Meat, dairy products, seafood, and leftovers should all go into the freezer before the storm arrives. These items spoil quickly at room temperature, but they can last much longer when frozen, even if your power goes out. Once frozen, they’ll help keep your freezer cold through thermal mass, and they’ll take much longer to reach unsafe temperatures than items sitting in your regular fridge.
Not everything freezes well, of course. Leafy greens, cucumbers, and some fruits get mushy when thawed. But many foods freeze better than you might think, including milk, cheese, bread, and most cooked meals. If you’re worried about texture changes, remember that slightly mushy produce is still better than completely spoiled produce that you have to throw away entirely. You can use previously frozen vegetables in soups, smoothies, or cooked dishes where texture matters less. The key is acting early, before the storm hits and stores run out of ice. By the time everyone else is panic-buying bags of ice, your freezer should already be packed with frozen items and homemade ice blocks ready to keep everything cold for as long as possible.
A simple sponge might not seem like much when you’re facing down a major storm, but these small preparations can make a huge difference in how you handle the aftermath. Nobody wants to deal with the smell of spoiled food on top of everything else that comes with power outages, and this easy trick gives you one less thing to worry about. Stock up on sponges, grab some baking soda, and set them up in your fridge before the next storm warning appears on your phone. Your future self will thank you when you’re not scrubbing mystery smells out of your refrigerator for days after the power comes back on.
