Odor in Refrigerator

I saw on one of those "house was unbelievably dirty" shows the host used coffee grounds to get rid of the smell. This was a refrigerator that was completely packed with decomposing food, so bad I would have thrown the thing out. They cleaned it out, then put the coffee (fresh) on newspaper and let it sit for a few days.

Otherwise, maybe something got inside and died, or maybe there was a leak or something. I would pull it out, clean all around it, take off any panels you can, and clean.

After all of that, if it is still bad, then get rid of it.

Have you removed the back panel? It's possible something entered underneath / behind and died. If you have an ice maker, does the ice or water taste weird? It may be associated with the water line.

I had the same problem a while back and I thought I had cleaned it good but then I found an old onion in the bottom under the drawer way in the back that I had not seen before. good luck

I don't know if this will work for your fridge, but it saved me from throwing out my microwave, so it's worth a try.

Take a lemon, cut in half, & rub all surfaces inside with it. Close the fridge and leave the lemon halves inside for 1/2 hour. When I did the microwave, I turned it on for a few minutes - but since you can't do that in a fridge, I hope that's not the part that made it work. I learned this from my British Mum-in-law & it really works :)

Good luck to you :))

Do a thorough cleaning - take everything out and remove any vents and stoarge containers
we had a vent in the freezer that something fell down into - and it stunk up the entire office.
good luck

Try unused coffee grounds. It has worked for me.

I had the same problem and it was because there's a hidden tray under the frig. You have to take off the grill thingy at the bottom to get to it. It also could be that to access your's you would have to pull out the frig and get to it from the back. After I emptied mine and cleaned that tray, the bad smell/taste was gone. I had to soak the tray in bleach though and clean my floor under the frig with bleach too. I was told after the fact that your supposed to do this anyway every month or so. Who knew? Hope this helps.

charcoal in a tray. yes, the kind you cook with-it will absorb the smell.

Did you check the freezer portion of the fridge? If not, the problem is most likely in there. I'm not sure what type of fridge you have or how old, but most refridgerators share the same air from the freezer into the fridge portion. I had this same problem , until I cleaned out the freezer portion and I found my problem, it surprised me. Good luck, let us knows what happens.

Amonia is what I used. You also need to make sure that there is nothing old trapped under the bins and shelves that may be holding the oder. Wipe and clean it out with Amonia. Then sit a bowl of amonia in the fridge and leave the door open for an 8-10 hour period with the fridge unplugged.

Most frige's have a 5 yr warranty now a days and someone will come out free opf charge to look. Also, call and ask the store/manufacturer.

I would use vinegar. It disinfects like bleach but is safer for you and for your fridge. It also eliminates odor. Wipe down all the walls, not just the shelves. Pull out any drawers and wipe underneath them too. Don't forget to do the freezer too. Pull it out and check behind any panels. Clean/vacuum the coils. Check underneath the fridge. Is it a musty odor? = water/wet issue
Is it a foul odor? = something dead Or does it just smell like old food /gassy odor?

Also, put a cup of vinegar inside and let it sit for a day or two. Then replace it with new vinegar as needed. Charcoal and baking soda all help as well.

I had this to happen to me. I thought it was bad food for months. Only to find that it was coming from the pan under the refrigerator. There is a pan to catch the water from the freezer it evaporates so you will never see it; but if something like blood from meat or anything like spoiled food or liquid from it, it dries and stays there until you clean.

Now to clean it, you have to pull the refrigerator out and you should find a small pan. It may be hard to reach but it can be done. I washed mine with clorox water.
Did fine after that.

Glad I could help. This was a long time pain for me.
I hated to cook because of the smell.
Let me know how it turn out.

Check the drip pan under the fridge. Make sure it's empty and bleach it also. If that's not the problem, you may need to pull the entire unit out to check under it.

A lot of refrigs have a plug at the bottom of the inside of your refrig. It is for overflow of water etc. See if yours has one and if so, pull that out as food and stuff can get in there as well and cleaning outside of it instead of inside that plug can keep the odor from going away. Also instead of bleach you might try a vinager solution. I read that somewhere once and supposedly it works. I haven't tried it. Let it dry real good and let that smell settle out before putting stuff back in there. You might also call the manufacturer and tell them since it is only 3 years old. They may have a solution. Good Luck.

I agree with the others, pull all your drawers out and wipe down the area under and the areas they slide on (in case milk may have spoiled there). I also believe in the old Baking Soda trick... just get a cheap generic brand and pop the top open and stick it in the back of one of the shelves or on the door! Good luck.

i think you are wise to follow your instincts and get a new one if the odor is permeating the food. SAFETY first. Whatever the brand of the old one (maybe it could hang out in the garage for proof in case you can get compensation from the company?), go to consumeraffairs.com or similar sites and see if anyone else has had similar issues with this brand/model. Send an email/write a letter to the manager of Customer Service and if you get put off or it takes too long to get action, write the CEO of the company and describe the problem, detailing/copying your efforts to resolve the problem with the fridge and with management. Put the ball in their court. Good luck!

Hey L.,

Try putting an opened box of Arm and hammer in the back of the fridge, that works wonders.....if that doesn't work at Bed, Bath and Beyond they sell little hanging cartridges that are made out of charcoal and those although a little pricy they work great.....hope this helps your problem.

I had this same problem. Under your fridge there is a drain pan, I am pretty sure if you pull that pan out you will find the source of your smell. Just clean it with a little bleach water and the smell should be eliminated. Hope this helps!

Set a bowl of vinegar in the the fridge.

Check to see if there is a drain pan underneath the fridge. It might need cleaned out.

make sure something did not die underneath the fridge, or food rolled under there. have you tried vinegar? http://www.vinegartips.com/scripts/pageViewSec.asp?id=7
also cleaning the door seals...they get crumbs and black meldew from time to time. good luck.

Drip pans are the worst for odor. Bleach the heck out of it and schedule it for a twice a year wipe down. That should fix the problem. If not, sell it to a fisherman and buy a new one. I hate bad smells too!

Have it serviced. There may be something wrong that is not on the surface. If that doesn't work, then it's time to throw in the towel. Especially if it's making your food taste bad.

A bowl of charcoal also absorbs odors, as does newspaper.

There is a tray under the refrigerator that can get stuff in it and stink. See if you can find that and wash it.
Something may have leaked into the lining somehow??
Put an open box of baking soda, but look for that tray. One time I got some blood from yucky hamburger somehow in it and stunk.

Before you go to throw it out check your manual and see if there is a drip tray,they are normally at the bottom just under the kick plate. It may be that something got spilled and has grown something,of course it is also possible that something got under there and did not make it out.