Last year we returned after 6 weeks to a defrosted freezer, on opening the freezer door we were near knockedout by the pungent smell of decaying flesh! I had to start the freezer to refreeze the meets so that I could dispose of it more easily,.
The smell of the freezer was awful, we put the offending article in the garden and tried everything from bi-carb, lemon, and charcoal to rid the smell, even steamed cleaning and jet washing, all to no avail, the smell had got into the casing, no shifting it.
We ended up buying a new one, :-(
For some reason I have no idea why, before leaving the house I (yes me) turned it off at the switched!!!! Gordon was so happy, and so pleased to have to spend £500 on a new one.