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Why Does My Fridge Smell

5 main reasons your fridge smells bad

When it comes to keeping food fresh and protecting it from bacteria, the fridge is one of the most important appliances in our home. If you notice an unpleasant smell coming from your appliance, you may wonder what is causing it. The answer is quite simple, and there are several reasons why your fridge smells bad.

Reason #1: Dirty coils

The coils on the back or bottom of a refrigerator help keep it cool by circulating air around the interior space and removing any heat build-up from inside the appliance. However, these coils can become clogged with dust and dirt over time, leading to bad odours in your fridge.

Be sure to clean your refrigerator’s heat exchangers at least once every six months using a vacuum cleaner, brush or compressed air vacuum cleaner, which will help you quickly and easily get rid of accumulated dirt or debris without damaging the delicate components inside the appliance.

Reason #2: Mold and Mildew

These are two of the most common causes of a smelly fridge. Not only do they have a strong, musty odour, but left unchecked, they can also cause serious damage to your refrigerator. Fortunately, it’s relatively easy to identify the source of the smell and take steps to prevent mold and mildew from forming in your fridge.

Mold is usually caused by food exposed to too much moisture. It is important to regularly check all food items stored in your refrigerator for signs of spoilage, such as discolouration or bad smells. Additionally, make sure that all spills are cleaned up immediately and that you keep condensation levels low by keeping vents open or running fans on a regular basis.

Reason #3: Old food

Another reason for an unpleasant smell is old food that has been stored there for too long. Even if you think something looks or smells fine, if it has been in the fridge for more than 6 months, it is probably time to throw it away. Regularly check your fridge for expired food that needs to be disposed of properly to avoid the build-up of unpleasant odours over time.
how to get smell out of fridge

Reason #4: Poor airflow

Poor airflow prevents air from circulating inside the appliance, causing odours to become trapped inside and grow stronger over time. This can happen if you keep opening and closing the fridge door constantly throughout the day. This interrupts the airflow, causing air to stagnate in the interior, causing odours to build up quickly and not be released until you open the door again (defeating the purpose).

To prevent this from happening, try not to open your refrigerator door too often as this will help maintain good airflow throughout its interior space, ensuring that smells don’t have a chance to build up inside your appliance too quickly or too easily!

Reason #5: Fridge seals

A damaged or worn-out seal around the refrigerator door may allow warm air to enter from outside, causing moisture to build up inside and creating a perfect environment for bacterial growth. This can result in foul smells throughout your kitchen and living spaces. Additionally, if you’re noticing condensation or water build-up around your fridge door, this could be an indication that there are existing seal issues at play.

How to clean a refrigerator that smells?

The first thing to do is to remove all the outdated products that are not supposed to be there. If you removed everything that may stink but didn’t help to eliminate the smell in your refrigerator, move to the next step.

The second step, remove all products from the refrigerator and clean all shelves. It sounds easy, but many people do not do proper cleaning but fast. Remember that all shelves, crisper boxes, and containers are removable from the fridge. Some Samsung fridges have glass shelves that can be fully disassembled, including separating glass from its plastic case.

Sometimes food particles can fall into the drain line. They may rot and emit an unpleasant odour if stuck there too long. It usually happens when your drain system is exposed. Take some wire and straighten it out, then push through the drain hole, trying to clear the inside. You can also pour hot water into the drain hole but don’t overfill it.

There is another remedy that can help you remove the smell from your fridge. Namely, Zeolite is made out of a mineral; being an excellent absorbent, it captures foul odour. The effect lasts for some time.

If your refrigerator is still emitting an unpleasant odour after all these tips, you should call in a technician. To prepare your unit for the service, open back plastic/metal panels. They are usually secured with screws and covered with an evaporator/condensate fan panel. Ensure that the drain and coils are clean. Do the same after removing the whole compressor panel.

REFERENCES

  1. James, Stephen J., and Christian James. “Chilling and freezing of foods.” Food Processing: Principles and Applications (2014): 79-105.
    https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/abs/10.1002/9781118846315.ch5
  2. James, Christian, Bukola A. Onarinde, and Stephen J. James. “The use and performance of household refrigerators: A review.” Comprehensive Reviews in Food Science and Food Safety 16.1 (2017): 160-179.
    https://ift.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/abs/10.1111/1541-4337.12242
Author: Jacob Dillard
My name is Jacob Dillard, and I am the author of articles at Appliance Repair Expert. Since childhood, I have been fascinated by technology and spent much time reading different books and trying to repair my first CD player. Then, I graduated from the University of Toronto with a degree in Applied Science and Engineering. In a year, I got my first job as a technician at an appliance repair company. After years of practice and working with professionals, I decided it was time to share my knowledge and experience here at Appliance Repair Expert. I want to help you understand everything related to appliance repair, maintenance and installation in the simplest way possible. It will be fun, believe me!
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