But this determined mom was about to get her answer from a neighbor… literally.
While chatting over coffee one morning, Sandra mentioned to her neighbor, Marie, a professional chef who ran a catering business from home, that she was struggling with constant food spoilage and mysterious stomach issues in her family.
She asked Marie, "How do you keep your fridge so fresh? Everything in mine goes bad in days. My family keeps getting sick and I can't figure out why!"
Marie's eyes went wide. "Wait here," she said. "I need to show you something."
A few minutes later, Marie came back holding a small stainless steel cylinder. And that's when Sandra noticed it was barely bigger than a salt shaker.
"Trust me," said Marie. "This is what commercial food warehouses use to keep produce fresh for weeks. I put one in every fridge in my catering kitchen.
"It doesn't just hide smells, it actually destroys the bacteria and mold that cause them. And it never needs replacing. Just set it and forget it for ten years."
"She wasn't kidding," said Sandra. "That evening, I placed it on the middle shelf and closed the door. I was skeptical at first, but when I opened the fridge the next morning, I literally gasped.
"That sour, embarrassing smell was completely gone. Not masked, gone. Even the air felt different, like opening a brand-new refrigerator."
Sandra didn't realize how bad their fridge air was until Marc's stomach issues cleared up and the food stopped spoiling weeks ahead of schedule.
For the first time in months, she wasn't anxious about what her family was eating, and Marc finally stopped reaching for the antacids after every meal.
Their kitchen felt different, and Sandra felt like she could finally trust her own refrigerator again… as if the invisible threat had been eliminated for good.
The small stainless steel device had a label that read: 'Noova'
"I had no idea how it worked at the time, but I was thrilled," Sandra recalls. "I immediately grabbed my phone and ordered two more, one for my garage fridge and one for my daughter's house so Emma could eat at mom's again."
"The best part is," said Sandra. "This thing is completely silent, needs zero maintenance, and works automatically 24/7 so Marc and I never have to lift a single finger to keep our food safe.
"I ordered 4 more since I noticed they had sold out a couple times before!"
It's called Noova, and the way it targets and destroys dangerous fridge bacteria and mold is surprisingly simple yet shockingly effective.