What Should I Do If The Refrigerator Has A Peculiar Smell

No one likes a smelly refrigerator. Or worse still, having a smelly refrigerator and being unable to work out what’s causing the stink. You’ve probably already thrown out potential foods that could be causing the issue, so why does the odor remain?

If expired food isn’t causing the issue, probably some hidden mold or bacteria is lurking inside, perhaps in the door gasket or the drain pan, causing the smell. Getting rid of the smell is important because if you leave it, it can seep into the plastic lining inside the refrigerator. Once the plastic starts smelling, the odor becomes harder and harder to remove.

If your refrigerator smells, it’s most likely because of mold or bacteria. Typically, food or drink has spilled and the spill hasn’t been cleaned up, or food has expired to cause the smell.

Refrigerators are prone to mold and bacteria because of moisture from spills, condensation, and humidity from the outside. The refrigerator also has a lot of nooks and crannies where mold and bacteria can grow without being seen.

If you thought bacteria couldn’t grow in cold temperatures, that’s a myth. Cooler temperatures slow the growth of bacteria but they can still grow.

There’s one other reason why your refrigerator might be smelling—a failing compressor or a Freon leak. If the smell is a pungent chemical, burning, or ammonia smell, you should seek professional advice because the refrigerator could be leaking toxic gasses.

Removing refrigerator odors means giving it a deep clean. You need to remove all the items from the refrigerator and if the smell is really bad, you need to air it out for 24 hours.

If the smell is coming from underneath the refrigerator, you might want to clean out the drain pan first and see if it removes the odor