If you forget what’s in your fridge and how long it’s been percolating in there, no doubt you’ll open the door someday soon to find a very pungent smell. Even if you get rid of the offending culprit, the stench can still stick around for weeks afterward. In addition, food that hasn’t gone bad can still offer up an odour that seeps into your fridge. Same goes to restaurant fridge. If there were spoiled or staled ingredients being stored in the fridge. The odours stay or even affect other ingredients in the same compartment. Here’s some simple tricks to tackle and eliminate refrigerator odour.
1. Baking soda
Spread a layer of baking soda on a cookie sheet and place it in the refrigerator overnight or until the refrigerator odours are gone.
2. Fresh coffee grounds
Spread a layer of fresh coffee grounds over the bottom of a cookie sheet and place in the refrigerator overnight. A coffee smell will linger but will disappear quickly.
3. Activated charcoal
Activated charcoal is available at most pet stores. Spread a layer of activated charcoal over the bottom of a cookie sheet. Place the cookie sheet in the refrigerator for a few days, until the odours are gone.
4. Essential oil
Douse a few cotton balls with vanilla essential oil or extract and put them in the refrigerator. Close the door for 24 hours.
5. Newspaper
Stuff wads of newspaper in the fridge’s drawers and shelves and keep the door closed for a few days. Then remove the paper and wash the fridge down with a mixture of 1 cup white vinegar per 1 gallon of water.
6. Contact the manufacturer
If your fridge is fairly new and has a manufacturer’s warranty, you might be able to get assistance from the company. Contact them and have the fridge’s model number handy. If the odours is due to a product defect, free repair or replacement might be in order. For instance, if the fridge’s dual-evaporator system isn’t working, which keeps odours from transferring between compartments, you might have bad smells in various places.
Cause of fridge odour:
1.
The fridge has absorbed the odour.
Refrigerator odours come from either bacteria or mold, often from food spoilage or moisture build-up in the wrong places.
2.
Clogged filters.
Many modern refrigerators have an air filter that cleans the circulating air. Mold and foul odours can accumulate in these areas, and a refresh could save you from a nasty fridge smell.
3.
Mold in the drip pan.
Few people remember the hidden drip pan when they do a refrigerator deep clean. The pan sits under the fridge, catching moisture from the condensate line. Over time, that moisture can create a perfect breeding ground for mold.
