Fridge Smells Bad? From Spoiled Food to a Burning Smell

When a fridge smells bad, the cause is almost always food: something spoiled, spilled or stored uncovered, often out of sight in a crisper drawer, under a shelf or in the ice bin. A thorough cleaning fixes those, and USDA and the manufacturers lay out how to do it safely. A few smells are different: a burning or electrical smell, or a sharp chemical smell that does not come from food or new plastic, can mean a part is failing.

If you smell burning, unplug the refrigerator or switch off its breaker, if you can do it safely, and call for service. Do not plug it back in to see whether the smell returns. If you see smoke or flames, get everyone out and call 911.

Fridge smells bad? Checks you can do yourself

1. Find where the smell is strongest: the fresh-food section, the freezer, the ice bin, or down at floor level.
2. Empty it and throw out anything questionable. USDA suggests making a weekly habit of throwing out perishables that should no longer be eaten. Its rule of thumb is about 4 days for cooked leftovers and 1 to 2 days for raw poultry and ground meat.
3. Unplug it and pull the crisper drawers and shelves. Wash them by hand in warm water with a mild detergent, rinse and dry them, and check the floor of the fridge under the drawers for liquid.
4. Wash the inside, gaskets included. USDA's odor procedure is to wash the interior, including the door and gaskets, with hot water and baking soda, then leave the door open for about 15 minutes.
5. Dump the ice and let the ice maker start fresh.
6. Check the drain pan under the refrigerator, as described below.
7. Deodorize. An opened box of baking soda on a shelf helps keep the fridge smelling fresh; for a stubborn smell, Whirlpool puts one box in the fridge and one in the freezer.

What to clean with, and what to avoid

Warm water with baking soda or a mild detergent is the safe choice. USDA warns against solvent cleaners, abrasives and any cleanser that could give food or ice cubes a chemical taste or damage the interior finish.

Whirlpool's list of things to keep off plastic parts, liners and gaskets is longer: no window sprays, scouring cleansers, flammable fluids, cleaning waxes, concentrated detergents, bleaches or cleansers containing petroleum products.

That bleach warning matters, because USDA's procedure for a badly spoiled refrigerator includes a rinse with a dilute bleach solution. Check your owner's manual before any bleach touches the liner, and if it says no, skip the bleach rinse and rely on baking soda and vinegar.

Crisper drawers and spills

Whirlpool lists the usual suspects: forgotten produce, drips from meat or sauces, and strong foods such as onions, garlic, fish and robust cheeses. Keep food wrapped or covered, wipe spills right away, and clean both sections about once a month. If you keep finding water under the crisper drawers, that is usually a clogged defrost drain, and the standing water will keep souring. See why is my fridge leaking water.

Drain pan smell under the fridge

A frost-free refrigerator sends its defrost water down a tube to a drain pan underneath, where it evaporates. Anything that washes down with it can sit in the pan and grow mold, and that smell comes out at floor level. Unplug the refrigerator, remove the kick plate and look with a flashlight. Whirlpool's odor-prevention tips include routinely cleaning under the refrigerator. On some models the pan slides out for washing in warm, soapy water. On many others it is fixed in place or reached only from the back, so check your manual and do not force it. A cracked or overflowing pan is a repair.

Ice that smells or tastes bad

Ice picks up odors. Whirlpool notes that improperly stored, rotten or strong-smelling foods such as fish or coffee can leach into the ice and water; throw the ice out and allow 24 hours for a fresh batch. If new ice still tastes off, replace the water filter, which is due about every 6 months.

Two other causes come from the plumbing. New connections such as PVC pipes and fittings can give ice an off flavor at first, and softened water can leave the ice tasting salty or chemical. Our ice maker guide covers the ice maker itself.

A stubborn smell: the deeper routine

If a basic cleaning does not do it, Whirlpool's stubborn-odor routine is worth the effort, ideally with the refrigerator empty:

• Wash the removable parts in 1 part vinegar to 1 part warm water, then rinse them in 1 part lemon juice to 1 part warm water and dry them.
• Set out activated charcoal in a paper bowl and an open box of baking soda in each compartment.
• Add loosely rolled balls of newspaper on paper plates, with a drop of cooking vanilla on each ball.

Whirlpool says a strong odor can take several weeks or even months to fade, and suggests repeating the routine every week or two until it is gone.

Freezer smells

A freezer that smells usually has food that was not sealed, old ice, or food that thawed and spoiled, often during a power outage. Here is USDA's odor procedure, with the bleach rinse left to your manual:

• Throw out any spoiled or questionable food.
• Wash the shelves, bins and ice trays in hot water and detergent. Wash the interior, door and gasket with hot water and baking soda, then leave the door open for about 15 minutes.
• If the smell remains, wipe the inside with equal parts vinegar and water (USDA notes the acid destroys mildew) and let it air out for several days, or fill it with rolled newspapers for several days, then clean again with vinegar and water.
• Set out fresh coffee grounds or baking soda in a shallow container, or a cotton swab soaked with vanilla, close the door for 24 hours, and check.

USDA says these steps may have to be repeated, and that a unit that cannot be deodorized may need to be discarded, with the door taken off first so a child cannot get trapped. The full guide is on USDA's website. To get a refrigerator running again after a storm, see appliances not working after a power outage, and if the freezer itself is warm, see freezer not freezing.

New fridge smell

A new refrigerator can smell of plastic for a while, since most of the parts inside are plastic. Washing the inside with warm water and a mild detergent before you load it, then leaving the door open for a few minutes, is a sensible first step, and the smell usually fades with use.

Fridge smells like chemicals

A chemical smell usually has an everyday source: new plastic, a cleaner that was not rinsed off, a new plastic water connection or softened water feeding the ice maker. A strong chemical smell that does not fade after cleaning, especially one coming from the back or bottom of the refrigerator, is not something to diagnose by nose. Air out the kitchen, unplug the refrigerator and have it checked. If a technician finds a refrigerant leak, that is sealed-system work, and under EPA rules technicians who service equipment that could release refrigerant must hold Section 608 certification.

Fridge smells like burning

A burning, hot-plastic or electrical smell is never normal. It can come from an overheating compressor, a fan motor, the start relay, the defrost heater or a wiring connection, most of which sit at the bottom back of the refrigerator. Unplug it, keep it off and book a check through our refrigerator repair page. If the outlet or the plug looks scorched, have a licensed electrician check the outlet too.

What usually fails

When cleaning does not solve it, the cause is usually one of these:

• Clogged defrost drain. Water under the crisper drawers and a sour smell that keeps returning.
• Drain pan. A cracked, overflowing or moldy pan and a smell at floor level.
• Door gasket. A torn or hardened gasket that traps spills and will not come clean.
• Water filter. Ice and water that still taste off after the old ice is gone.
• Electrical parts. A burning smell from the compressor, start relay, fan motor, defrost heater or wiring.

What it costs in Atlanta

The diagnostic visit is $80, and it is waived when you approve the repair. Repairs start at $180 labor plus parts, and you get a written flat-rate estimate before any work begins. On standard brands, most refrigerator repairs run $250 to $500 in total; defrost parts, fans and relays sit at the low end, and premium brands run higher. See the typical totals on our pricing page. Every repair carries our 60-day parts-and-labor warranty.

Schedule a visit or read about our refrigerator repair service. Prefer to talk? Call (470) 778-4087.