Have you been smelling something less than pleasant from your refrigerator. Depending on the nature of the smell, where it originates from, and if temperatures inside the appliance are still normal, this can be a simple issue to resolve. However, if this odor is electrical in nature or smells like something burning, if it does not originate from inside either the fresh food or frozen compartments, or if the appliance temperatures are warmer than normal, then you should seek help from a qualified, professional local refrigerator repair service company. If the fridge has developed a chemical smell, or just a foul odor originating from inside the appliance, it is likely a food item, or even residue from a food item, is somewhere you cannot see. Since you will be removing all food for inspection purposes, it is a good idea to clean your refrigerator out at this time. There are two schools of thought as to how to proceed, the first being to do one shelf at a time, the second is to empty the contents entirely all at once. We will discuss both briefly here.If you are going to do one shelf or section at a time, start at the top and work your way downward. It is a good idea to cover the all of the food below with hand or bath towels, to prevent any drippings from landing on food. Remove and inspect the food on the top shelf, remove and clean the shelf and any drawers using ONLY a mild soap and water solution*. Make sure to clean and dry the side walls and eventually the floor and ceiling. When done cleaning, reattach the shelf, and return the food items. Repeat this process with each section or shelf of food until you find that spoiled food item or residue, but be sure to remove and check the rest of the food, and clean the remaining shelves too, so that any other spoiled food is removed as well. If you decide to remove all the food at once, check all the food as you are removing it, and dispose of whatever spoiled food you find. Again, using a mild soap and water solution, remove and clean all shelves and drawers, clean and dry the side walls, ceiling and floor. Its also a good idea to wipe down the rubber door gasket seals, and the corresponding cabinet face of any possible residue. Once you are done with the fresh food compartment, follow the same pattern with the freezer compartment When cleaning the fresh food door, you might find it easier to clean one rail at a time, don't forget that butter dish. Some door shelves are removable making this job even easier. When the cleaning is done, you might still need to remove odors even though the fridge is clean. There are refrigerator fresh air devices that you can purchase from an appliance repair service company like A Fast Local Refrigerator Repair that can remove odors, and these work much better at removing odors than those boxes of baking soda that we always see inside a customer's fridge.
If you still notice an odor coming from the refrigerator 24-48 hours after doing all of the above, or if you did not find any spoiled food in either compartment or the door, our inexpensive house call will get a technician to your home, and we will inspect your refrigerator, putting our nose to the grindstone until we find the source of the odor. If you live in Chicagoland, check our service area to see if we travel to your city.
*Be sure to avoid using strong scented soaps, such as bleach, since the food can absorb the stronger odors.
