Home to the contrasting smells of fruit and vegetables,
leftovers, eggs, meat, milk and more, it's no surprise that sometimes our
refrigerators begin to smell. If you open the doors to some surprising refrigerator
odor, it might be a case of simply finding the offensive item, whether that is a
rotten onion or what was previously a delicious homemade dinner, gone bad. However,
if you have rid your fridge associated with a obvious culprits and the refrigerator odor
persists, it's time for a deep clean and several extra steps to eliminate the smell
from your stinky refrigerator.
Cleaning a Stinky Refrigerator
A deep clean will go a long way to resolving your
refrigerator odor issues. Here are a few suggestions to help make this process
successful.
- Ensure your fridge is at the correct
temperature, typically between 35°F and 37°F. This will be significant for preventing
refrigerator odors. - Get rid of old food. Really check out
what's in your refrigerator and get rid of anything that is beyond the point of
being eaten, whether or not it seems likely to be causing the refrigerator odor. - Clean every surface with a non-toxic cleaning
solution. Some people opt for water with vinegar, lemon juice or baking
soda to eliminate refrigerator odor absorbed by plastic. - Start using the refrigerator doors, where sauces
often spill. - Remove shelves, scrub them down and leave them
to soak. - Remove vegetable drawers, scrub and permit to
soak. - Keep an open box of sodium bicarbonate in your fridge
to continuously absorb refrigerator odors moving forward. - If you still have a stinky refrigerator, it
might be due to the drip pan. The drip pan collects condensation from the
refrigerator. Check in your manual or online to find out if your fridge has a
drip pan and the way to access it. Turn off the power and unplug your fridge before
removing the drip pan, then clean the drip pan and replace. - Move your fridge aside to clean underneath your
stinky refrigerator, if you believe old food and dirt on the ground below could
be the cause of the smell. - If you have the opportunity to do so, leave your
fridge to air out for 24 hours, unplugged and without any food inside. - Change the refrigerator air filter.
Replacing the Refrigerator Air Filter
Once the refrigerator deep clean is complete, it's a good idea
to use this opportunity to replace the refrigerator
air filter as well. Your refrigerator circulates air which has passed
through the refrigerator air conditioning filter. The refrigerator air filter traps smells
of rotting food, keeping the air inside your fridge clean.
The first step towards replacing your refrigerator air
filter is to buy a new refrigerator air filter that best matches your
refrigerator make and model. Popular brands include Whirlpool
Fresh Flow Hvac filters, Kenmore
refrigerator air filters, and LG
refrigerator hvac filters.
Replacing the refrigerator air filter is a straightforward ten minute
task. Simply discover the location of the refrigerator air conditioning filter, replace old with
new, and press the reset button. Aim to replace your refrigerator air conditioning filter
once every 6 months, or when your refrigerator air filter monitor tells you to.
Find Refrigerator Air Filter Parts with Repair Clinic
To find the right refrigerator air filter or other parts for the refrigerator, simply type your refrigerator model number into our website search bar. Also explore Whirlpool Fresh Flow Air Filters, Kenmore refrigerator air filters, and LG refrigerator air filters.
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