Refrigerator problem
Bad Smell in the Refrigerator
A smell that survives cleaning usually has a physical source you have not reached yet.
What this usually means
Most refrigerator smells are food, and cleaning ends them. A smell that comes back after a thorough clean is telling you that something is in a place cleaning does not reach — spillage under the crisper, water standing in the drain pan, or a drain that has blocked and gone stagnant. A burning or chemical smell is a different matter and should be treated seriously.
Five observations that narrow it
Answer these before anyone visits. Each one removes a whole branch of the diagnosis, and they cost nothing.
Does the smell survive a thorough clean?
Is it a food smell, a musty smell, or a burning or chemical smell?
Is there standing water under the crisper drawers?
Is it stronger in the fresh-food side or the freezer?
Is there anything behind or under the appliance that might have spilled?
Causes, cheapest first
In roughly the order a technician rules them out. The expensive answer is at the bottom because it is usually the last one true, not the first.
Spillage under the drawers
noneThe most common source of a smell that survives cleaning, because the drawers have to come out to reach it.
Stagnant defrost pan or blocked drain
lowWater standing in the pan underneath, or in a drain that no longer clears, goes musty and the smell is drawn back into the cabinet.
See water collecting inside the refrigeratorGasket and door channel
noneThe folds of the gasket hold spills and are easy to miss when cleaning.
Failed food in a rarely used corner
noneDoor bins and the back of the freezer are where this hides.
Burning or chemical smell
variesThis is not a cleaning problem. Unplug the appliance and have it looked at before using it again.
Check these before you book
- Remove every drawer and shelf and clean the surfaces underneath them.
- Clean inside the folds of the door gasket.
- Pull the unit out if you safely can and check the drain pan underneath.
- Leave an open box of baking soda in the cabinet after cleaning.
- Treat any burning or chemical smell as a reason to unplug rather than to clean.
How urgent is this?
Food smells are not urgent. A burning or chemical smell is: unplug the appliance and do not run it until it has been checked.
Back to your everyday
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