How do you get rid of the dead fish smell in your swamp cooler?

Usually this happens towards the end of the summer season. The only sure-fire way to get rid of it is to get new pads, replace all the usual things and clean it out. The question is, is it worth that much money when there's only a little longer left in the summer. Also leaving the cooler off while you're out of the house (esp. during the day) will dry out the stinky pads and should help.

Otherwise you can probably find like powders or something at Home Depot that will neutralize it a little. In the mean time, I'd recommend some scented candles or the glade plug in air fresheners.