What’s Really Causing That Bad Smell In Your Fridge?
I know exactly how maddening it is to deep clean your entire refrigerator only to realize it still smells weird. You throw away the old leftovers and wipe down the shelves but that funky scent just refuses to leave. It makes you feel like you did all that hard work for absolutely nothing. But don’t worry because you are not going crazy. There are actually a few hidden spots that are most likely causing the problem.
The Hidden Drip Pan
Most of us have no idea that our refrigerators even have a drip pan. It usually lives all the way at the very bottom underneath the machine. Its job is to catch condensation but sometimes small bits of food or spilled milk trickle down there too. Over time that stagnant water turns into a smelly breeding ground for bacteria. You usually just have to pop off the bottom grill and carefully slide the pan out to wash it.
Invisible Spills Under The Drawers
We are usually pretty good about wiping up messes inside the fridge that we can see. But liquids have a sneaky way of running down the back wall and pooling underneath the bottom crisper drawers. Out of sight means out of mind. A tiny spill of meat juice or sticky fruit syrup can sit down there for months quietly creating a terrible odor. You actually need to pull the drawers completely out of the fridge to find and scrub where these puddles might be lurking.
A Clogged Defrost Drain Tube
Right behind those crisper drawers you will often find a tiny little hole in the back wall. This is the defrost drain and it is meant to carry extra moisture away. Sometimes crumbs or stray pieces of lettuce get sucked in there and create a nasty blockage. When the water cannot drain it just sits there and gets funky. Gently flushing the little tube out with some warm water and baking soda usually clears the smell right up.
Plastics Absorbing Old Odors
The inside of your fridge is basically just a giant plastic box. While plastic is easy to wipe down it is also porous enough to absorb strong smells over time. If you left a chopped onion in there uncovered for a few days the walls might literally hold onto that scent. Washing the inside walls with a mixture of white vinegar and warm water helps get rid of those trapped odors much better than regular dish soap ever could.
The Neglected Water Filter
If your fridge has a water dispenser or an automatic ice maker it also has a filter hidden somewhere inside. We are supposed to change these every six months but life gets busy and it’s easy to forget. An old filter stops doing its job and can actually start holding onto bacteria or mold. That moldy smell can easily drift into the main compartment of the fridge. Swapping it out for a fresh one is a very easy fix.
The Expired Box Of Baking Soda
We all know the classic trick of keeping an open box of baking soda in the back corner to absorb bad smells. It works wonderfully for a while. But that little box has a limit to how much it can hold. After about three months it stops absorbing anything and just sits there taking up space. If you cannot remember when you put that box in there, it is definitely time to toss it and start fresh.
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Tracking down a weird smell can feel like a frustrating game of hide and seek. But once you check these forgotten areas you will almost certainly find the culprit. It is such a relief to open the door and just smell clean cold air again. Taking an extra ten minutes to check the drip pan or swap out a filter makes a world of difference. You deserve a kitchen that feels completely fresh and welcoming every single day.
Bliss Donahue-Power
