Stinky Refrigerator? Some Tips to Keep It Odor-Free

Nothing turns your appetite off or embarrasses you in front of your guests more than when you open up the refrigerator and get a big whiff of stink. If you have a busy refrigerator, then chances are that at some time, you will experience strong smells coming out of it when you open the door. These smells infiltrate other foods and drinks in the refrigerator as well and influence their taste.

Getting rid of refrigerator odor is often hard, but not impossible. Here are some tips to tackle bad smells in your refrigerator as well as prevent them in the future.

Identify Common Culprits

While any type of food can cause a bad smell, usually rotting foods jammed into the back of the refrigerator or in the vegetable bins are common culprits. Other problem foods that cause refrigerator odor include expired meat products.

Natural foods and baked goods without preservatives tend to rot a lot sooner and more easily than processed foods. Food that already have a strong odor, such as onions, will also permeate your refrigerator.

Find the Hiding Places

In addition to food in the back of the refrigerator and the vegetable bins, food stored inside the doors can also be easily forgotten, begin to rot, and emit odors.

Smells can also emanate from food pressed between rubber seals or even under the vegetable bins. If you have a drip pan, mold can form and cause odors. In some cases, food substances may even fall underneath the unit.

Clean Thoroughly

Start by clearing everything out of the refrigerator and cleaning all the shelves and bins by hand. Use a combination of baking soda and water (about half to one full cup baking soda per gallon of water) to clean the inside walls and floor. Be careful with abrasive cleaning pads as they could scratch or damage the paint inside your refrigerator.

Check and clean out the drip pan by emptying the water and washing it with the cleaning solution. If practical, turn off the refrigerator and leave the door open for the day to make sure all the odors have disappeared.

Deodorize Hard-to-Remove Smells

If you’ve thoroughly cleaned out the refrigerator and you can still smell odors, then the plastic and rubber seals may have absorbed the odors. In addition to using baking soda for cleaning, you can also wipe down the interior with white vinegar to further remove the odors.

Another cleaning tip is to use a bowl of oatmeal and coffee grounds to further absorb the odors. Toss those items once the smells are gone. Activated charcoal is also another excellent deodorizer, and you can get small containers for it that are specially made to work in the refrigerator.

Prevent Future Smells

You can prevent smells from forming in your refrigerator by keeping everything in airtight containers. Check for expired and rotten food at least on a weekly basis, especially in hidden areas. If you know you are someone who often forgets about fruits and vegetables in the bin, then don’t store them there. Instead, place produce in plain view where you can see them if they go bad.

If you find, clean, deodorize, and prevent future smells, your refrigerator should stay relatively smellfree for a long time. Make it a point to check those hidden places now and then for rotting food that could cause an odor problem in the future.

If you are unable to get rid of the smells or you can’t figure out where they are coming from, then it’s time to call in the professionals at Art Adams Appliance Repair. A repair technician can come out and check your refrigerator for mechanical problems as well as help locate any hidden rotting food. Call us today for more information.