topic Re: Stinky fridge. Help! in Home

Stinky fridge. Help!

SahmIam — Tue, 20 Mar 2018 16:06:40 GMT

Gads. My fridge stinks. Nothing was spilled, nothing leaking, no water/ice maker. Took everything out, took out what can come out, washed it all down, aired it out. Did the same thing with the freezer. It's getting worse!

I have a french door fridge with freezer on the bottom. When I open it...it hurts my eyes and makes me sick...I'm the ONLY one that can smell it- maybe because I have asthma. Don't know. I've read on google about the coils in the back? The pan in the back? What?!

Help me here, please. I've NEVER had to deal with a stinky fridge beyond spilled milk, old cheese or a cabbage dish. *sigh*

Re: Stinky fridge. Help!

tends2dogs — Tue, 20 Mar 2018 16:18:04 GMT

@SahmIam It sounds as if you have done everything possible that YOU can do. You may have to call in an appliance repairman that can pull it out and check it from the back.

Is it possible that a mouse or something may have died underneath it?

I hope you get this taken care of ASAP for your sake. It is odd that no one else can smell this???

Re: Stinky fridge. Help!

SahmIam — Tue, 20 Mar 2018 16:24:58 GMT

@tends2dogs Yeah, the menfolk in my house can't smell anything except food when it's cooking, lol. I swear they can sleep in their own filth and be happy. That's why I'm not surprised they can't smell anything. I also have been told that those with respiratory issues can smell things sooner and are more sensitive to scents because our bodies are tuned into things that can affect our ability to breathe; I definitely believe it.

I read that mice like to drink from the pan due to the water so....you never know. We're going to pull it out when DH gets home. I'm hoping it's the coils (?) needing to be cleaned. Again, clueless here. First time for everything!

Re: Stinky fridge. Help!

chrystaltree — Tue, 20 Mar 2018 16:26:35 GMT

Baking soda. They sell special boxes of Arm & Hammer baking soda that are specifically meant for fridges and freezers. I put a box in the fridge and a box in the freezer monthly and no more odors.

Re: Stinky fridge. Help!

OKPrincess — Tue, 20 Mar 2018 16:26:40 GMT

@SahmIam Do you smell it on the outside of fridge too? I would get someone out immediately.

Re: Stinky fridge. Help!

Allegheny — Tue, 20 Mar 2018 16:30:53 GMT

@SahmIam

Google stinky refrigerator drip pan, also look up refrigerator clogged drain hose.

When my drain tube gets clogged water will back up under my vegetable bins. Sometime my drain hose will freeze up not allowing the water to drain down. I also pull the frig away from the wall and check the drain/drip pan (unfortuately on mine it is not supposed to be removable. But a company tech told me it is possible.) It will give the refrigerator a musty odor. If milk ever spilled there is a possibility some went down the drain hose and is lying in the drain/drip pan.

The water that condenses in the refrigerator is supposed to evaporate, but I still clean the drain hose periodically.

Re: Stinky fridge. Help!

Ms tyrion2 — Tue, 20 Mar 2018 16:35:28 GMT

When I was young and very dumb, I put a chicken in its wrapper on a shelf to defrost. I didn't put it on a plate. It leaked (of course) and i wiped down the shelf.

What I didn't realize was the juice had run down the back of the shelf and pooled under the vegetable bins. It took several days to develop the odor and it wasn't until I took everything apart that I found the problem.

Re: Stinky fridge. Help!

Alison Wonderland — Tue, 20 Mar 2018 16:40:01 GMT

When I moved into my new apartment, the freezer smelled like that. It only smelled when the door was open and it smelled like rotten food. Baking soda didn't work, neither did some heavy duty deodorizer tubs I put in there. But the outside didn't smell at all and the fridge section was fine, it was just the freezer.

My last ditch effort before calling maintenance was to turn the freezer section off, add more baking soda and deodorizers, and then leave the door open for two days with the windows open while I was at work. (I closed it when I came home at night because it made everything around it smell foul the first day.) That did it and I haven't had any smell issues since. It just needed to be aired out and that wasn't happening with the door always closed.

I know you said you cleaned and aired it out, but you didn't mention for how long. I tried an hour and it didn't work - it needed the two days before it was gone for good. I'd just moved in, so my fridge and freezer were both mostly empty at the time and it was easy for me to leave it off for 2 days. I just used powdered creamer and ate out during that time. If that's not feasible for you, you may want to call a repair person, instead. If you do try letting it air out for more than 24 hours and it doesn't seem to get better, I think calling in a repair person is the only option left.

Re: Stinky fridge. Help!

Allegheny — Tue, 20 Mar 2018 16:45:58 GMT

@SahmIam Gosh one can learn something new everyday. I wasn't aware that some refrigerators have an air filtration system that can require filter change periodically. Perhaps you can look up your particular model and see if you have a built in filter.

I know calling in a repairman is just easier. I am just one those curious people who like to "monkey around" with stuff until I can find a solution. Sometimes it works for me, other times not.

Re: Stinky fridge. Help!

Annabellethecat66 — Tue, 20 Mar 2018 16:41:30 GMT

I just googled, "How do I get rid of a smelly refrigerator and all sorts of reason why and ideas came up.

I have a deodorizer I bought from HSN that sits in the refrigerator. It really works well.

A cheaper way is to just put some baking soda in the refrigerator. It will absorb the smell. One person in the video I watched mentioned cat litter (that's a new one).

Anyway, one thing I found interesting is someone suggested that your refrigerator might not be cold enough (thus causing food to smell). That can be dangerous and everyone should check the temp periodically anyway, just to be sure.

Sometimes if the fridge isn't defrosting correctly the water left in the defrost mode will sit and not dissipate. This will cause it to stink.

Often food falls down in the back of the fridg where we can't see it.

Just google and look at some of the ideas, but even then be sure to get some baking soda to absorb smells. It is great for many things (like cleaning the microwave) absorbing tennis shoe smells, etc.

Please come back and let us know what's working for future reference for others. Thanks. Annabelle.

Re: Stinky fridge. Help!

StraytoStay — Tue, 20 Mar 2018 16:52:37 GMT

When I lived with my parents, they had a couple of charcoal brickettes in their fridge. I don't remember it ever smelling so it must have worked.

Re: Stinky fridge. Help!

SahmIam — Tue, 20 Mar 2018 17:38:34 GMT

Hey Everyone;thanks for the tips!

What' I've done up till now:

* Place the Arm and Hammer box of baking soda in fridge (one meant for fridge) every 30 days. Placed a new one 2 weeks ago.

* Removed ALL food (shopping is this weekend, so it's not super full).

*No spilled food, no spoiled/old food.

*Removed all shelves and drawers, washed them. Washed inside of fridge.

*Placed a new box of baking soda in.

*Did the same thing with freezer.

Aired out fridge for 5 hours. Freezer for an hour. Still stinks when you open it up; mainly in fridge.

Tonight we'll pull it away from wall and see what we see. If we can't figure it out, I'm calling the repair guy. I HATE things that smell off/odd.

Re: Stinky fridge. Help!

shaggygirl — Tue, 20 Mar 2018 17:44:35 GMT

Hubby when he was alive went crabbing a lot. He'd clean them and store them in upright freezer in the basement. Freezer smelled after crabs were long gone. Washed out with lemon juice, vinegar, baking soda.....nada. Got a plastic container with charcoal in it from Amazon. VOILA! About once every couple of months I put it outside in sunshine for a couple of hours, that recharges the charcoal action.

Re: Stinky fridge. Help!

Elri — Tue, 20 Mar 2018 17:50:18 GMT

@SahmIam

You can soak a sponge in lemon juice and then put it in refrigerator, also.

I have one of those microfiber cleaning cloths that fit on a plastic handle (like a paint stirrer, but longer) that really gets underneath the frig . Maybe you can rig something up to fit underneath.....

Re: Stinky fridge. Help!

homedecor1 — Tue, 20 Mar 2018 17:58:40 GMT

@SahmIam

about 30 years ago I was visiting my in-laws in FL. Omg I opened the fridge thought I'd die...of course, they and my spouse didn't smell a thing!!!! I am like you I have a very sensitive nose & cause me asthma or choking spells.

I cleared it out (freezer & Fridge) wiped down with a mild vinegar/water solution...nothing killed the smell.

After much complaining I called a repairman because my husband moved it out nothing visible.

He (repairman)found a dead mouse in the hose (cooling system). Not to mention food under there in the pan area. Yikes!!!

Of course, eventhough the inside was clean the odor continued once the compressor came on -- we ended up airing out fridge for days BUT sadly, the odor was embedded in the cooling system. We went out & had to buy a new fridge.

This maybe where the odor is coming from mold or something infiltrating the compressor unit. I wonder if it is something under or in the cooling unit.

Good luck!

Re: Stinky fridge. Help!

SahmIam — Tue, 20 Mar 2018 17:58:18 GMT

@homedecor1wrote:
@SahmIam

about 30 years ago I was visiting my in-laws in FL. Omg I opened the fridge thought I'd die...of course, they and my spouse didn't smell a thing!!!! I cleared it out (freezer & Fridge) wiped down with a mild vinegar/water solution...nothing killed the smell.

After much complaining I called a repairman because my husband moved it out nothing visible.

He (repairman)found a dead mouse in the hose (cooling system). Not to mention food under there in the pan area. Yikes!!!

Of course, eventhough the inside was clean the odor continued once the compressor came on -- we ended up airing out fridge for days BUT sadly, the odor was embedded in the cooling system. We went out & had to buy a new fridge.

This maybe where the odor is coming from mold or something infiltrating the compressor unit. I wonder if it is something under or in the cooling unit.

Good luck!

You have just posted my worst fear: the smell is in the system and will always be there due to a dead creature/something else and we'll have to buy a new one. I NEVER remember my parents having these issues with their appliances.

Re: Stinky fridge. Help!

queendiva — Tue, 20 Mar 2018 18:35:32 GMT

In my experience the water line to the ice maker had a slow leak. It went under the tile floor and rotted a section of the plywood sub-floor. What the whole kitchen smelled like? mold. No mice, but carpenter ants!

Good luck and keep us posted. Time to call in professional help.