RefrigeratorRepair.center (844) 681-4650Mon–Sat, 8am–8pm Book a visit
Crisper drawers lifted out onto a worktop while a gloved hand wipes the empty cavity beneath them clean.

Bad Smell in the Refrigerator

A smell that survives cleaning usually has a physical source you have not reached yet.

(844) 681-4650

Mon–Sat, 8am–8pm

  • 5 checks before you book
  • 5 questions that narrow it
  • 5 causes, cheapest first

Book a visit

Three short steps, about a minute.

or call (844) 681-4650

What it
usually means.

Most refrigerator smells are food, and cleaning ends them. A smell that comes back after a thorough clean is telling you that something is in a place cleaning does not reach — spillage under the crisper, water standing in the drain pan, or a drain that has blocked and gone stagnant. A burning or chemical smell is a different matter and should be treated seriously.

The 5 causes, cheapest first

Answer these first

01

Does the smell survive a thorough clean?
02

Is it a food smell, a musty smell, or a burning or chemical smell?
03

Is there standing water under the crisper drawers?
04

Is it stronger in the fresh-food side or the freezer?
05

Is there anything behind or under the appliance that might have spilled?

Check these
before you book.

Bad smell in refrigerator: 5 checks, and none of them costs anything.

01

Remove every drawer and shelf and clean the surfaces underneath them.

02

Clean inside the folds of the door gasket.

03

Pull the unit out if you safely can and check the drain pan underneath.

Also worth checking

  • Leave an open box of baking soda in the cabinet after cleaning.
  • Treat any burning or chemical smell as a reason to unplug rather than to clean.

How soon does it need a visit?

Food smells are not urgent. A burning or chemical smell is: unplug the appliance and do not run it until it has been checked.

The causes,
cheapest first.

5 things bad smell in the refrigerator turns out to be, from spillage under the drawers to burning or chemical smell.

The cost guide
  1. 01 no repair

    Spillage under the drawers

    The most common source of a smell that survives cleaning, because the drawers have to come out to reach it.

    No repair: check it yourself
  2. 02 no repair

    Gasket and door channel

    The folds of the gasket hold spills and are easy to miss when cleaning.

    No repair: check it yourself
  3. 03 no repair

    Failed food in a rarely used corner

    Door bins and the back of the freezer are where this hides.

    No repair: check it yourself
  4. 04 low

    Stagnant defrost pan or blocked drain

    Water standing in the pan underneath, or in a drain that no longer clears, goes musty and the smell is drawn back into the cabinet.

    Fixed by drains and leaks See water collecting inside the refrigerator
  5. 05 varies

    Burning or chemical smell

    This is not a cleaning problem. Unplug the appliance and have it looked at before using it again.

    Book a diagnostic visit
  6. What it costs

    Every repair on the site's cost scale, side by side

    Open the cost guide

The makes
it happens on.

31 makes on this site; bad smell in the refrigerator can show up on any of them. Each mark opens that make's own page.

All 31 brands

Bad Smell in the Refrigerator,
where we come out.

9 metros, each with its own page.

All service areas

Tampa BayFL · 31 areas

OrlandoFL · 30 areas

Miami / South FloridaFL · 47 areas

New York MetroNY · 75 areas

HoustonTX · 36 areas

ChicagoIL · 50 areas

Los AngelesCA · 95 areas

San DiegoCA · 31 areas

San Francisco Bay AreaCA · 74 areas

A family preparing a meal together in their kitchen
For the heart of your home.

Questions about
bad smell in the refrigerator.

Does baking soda actually remove the smell?
It absorbs some odor but does nothing about the source, so it only helps once the cabinet has been cleaned. Activated charcoal works faster on a strong smell. Replace either one every few months.
What should I clean the inside with?
Warm water with a little dish soap, followed by a wipe with water and baking soda, handles most smells. Avoid strong or scented cleaners inside the cabinet: they leave their own odor in the plastic and can damage the liner.
The smell started after a long power outage. Where is it coming from?
An outage long enough to thaw the freezer lets juices from meat and fish drip into places cleaning does not reach, especially under the freezer drawer and into the drain. After a long outage, clean the freezer floor and check the drain as well as the fresh-food shelves.
Can the ice and water pick up the smell?
Yes. Ice stored in the bin absorbs freezer odors, and a filter past its life gives water a stale taste. Empty the ice bin after cleaning, throw away the first batch, and change the filter if it is due.

Back to your everyday

Still seeing bad smell in the refrigerator?

Book with what you checked above — 5 answers save the technician the first part of the visit.

Schedule a repair Call (844) 681-4650
(844) 681-4650 Schedule a repair