Got My Edgestar 28 Today

sounds like you got all your bases covered. I bought mine a year ago and the interior is all plastic. took a few scrubs with dawn and thorough rinses, followed by a couple weeks of just leaving baking soda in the fridge while it ran, to get the smell pretty much gone. what got it completely gone was time and filling it with cigars.

I just plugged my hole with duct tape on the inside and outside. works fine.