Moldy freezer - help!

I recently defrosted a freezer unit in an apartment I don't live in. I unplugged it and laid down towels to catch the runoff, but since the tenants haven't bothered to check on the place, it sat there long enough to grow mold and develop a revolting stench. I have tried scrubbing it multiple times with vinegar and lemon juice, and I even tried burning sage inside to absorb the odor, but nothing works. My brother suggested leaving a sliced apple inside, but that hasn't helped either. Currently, I've applied some menthol essential oil and hope it masks the smell, though I am skeptical. Does anyone have any actual solutions? Please help; the smell is unbearable.

Look, you have to actually kill mold, not just try to mask the stench with lemon scents. Those scented candles aren't absorbing anything; that's just marketing fluff. They just mix with the oxygen and turn into smoke.
Grab some bleach or a heavy-duty cleaner like Clorox in a spray bottle—basically anything with sodium hypochlorite in it. Just make sure you rinse the area thoroughly several times afterward.

I finally killed off the mold. I couldn't stand the smell anymore. I'm going to try washing it with an unknown cleaner; hopefully, it won't be as bad so I can let it air out for another three days.

Ashley Chase92 said:I finally killed the mold. I couldn't stand the smell anymore. I'm going to try scrubbing it down with some Clorox, maybe if it doesn't smell too funky, I'll just leave it out to air out for three days again.

You have to kill it immediately, rinse it off a few times, and then dry it fast with a clean towel—don't just let it sit there and evaporate. Once that's done, turn on the cooling. That way, you don't give any lingering spores a chance to take hold. Leaving it to air out for three days is basically just an open invitation for it to grow back.