It is needless to say that a fridge is responsible for preserving the food items for a longer time period, and for that, it needs to work well. That being said, people need to maintain the fridge properly, and regular cleaning is critical. Still, some people complain about weird smells coming out of the fridge. So, if you are wondering, “why does my fridge smell like garbage?” we are here with the solutions and more factors!
Why Does My Fridge Smell Like Garbage?
1. Old or Spoiled Food
In the majority of cases, the fridge smells like garbage when you haven’t cleaned the fridge for a long time. For this reason, you need to empty out your fridge and dispose of the old food items. We suggest that you use high-quality and durable trash bags for dumping out the old food, particularly the leftovers. In addition, when the trash bags are full, you need to throw them out immediately to make sure the smell is not dispersed in your home.
2. Old Stains On The Drawers & Shelves
When you have cleared out the leftover food, you need to clear the drawers and shelves of the fridge. You need to put these drawers and shelves on the kitchen floor or counter to make sure they reach the room temperature. Once they are at room temperature, you need to wash them with the help of warm and soapy water, and once washed up, they must be dried up properly. Keep in mind that you shouldn’t put the cold drawers and shelves under the running water because it can result in cracks.
3. Unsuitable Disinfectant
A disinfectant is essential for cleaning out the germs and contaminants because such buildups can also result in weird smells coming out of the fridge. That being said, you need to clean the interior side of the fridge with the help of a disinfectant. However, you should use a kitchen-grade disinfectant to make sure it doesn’t damage the fridge’s components. Also, when the interior side is cleaned up, you need to let it air out to ensure the fridge is ready to put in the food.
4. Old Stains On Containers’ Bottom
Once you have cleaned everything in the fridge and it’s time to put everything back inside, you must clean the bottom side of the milk cartons, juice bottles, and condiment jar. This is because if there was dirt or gooey mess in the fridge, there are high chances that the bottom of the containers are dirty as well, which means a proper cleanup is required.
5. Cleaning Agents Need Care
When it comes down to preventing the weird smells from coming out of the fridge, you need to use baking soda. For this purpose, you must use the open box that’s full of baking soda because it does a great job are neutralizing the smells. The baking soda container should be replaced every month to make sure it keeps doing the job. Baking soda is used because it can absorb the pungent smells.
6. Fridge Needs Regular Cleaning
In addition to the fridge, you should also clean the freezer because if you freeze the food items for too long, they also end up developing smells. In fact, ice also has the ability to absorb odors from the food, hence the smell. So, switch off the freezer compartment to remove the ice buildup and clear up everything.
Additional Tips
Now that we have shared the tops to clean the fridge, it is pretty evident that you need to keep the fridge smelling alright, right? We have already suggested the use of baking soda, but you should also ensure proper ventilation in the kitchen. For this purpose, you need to keep the windows of the kitchen open to make sure the bad smells are aired out. Moreover, opening the windows will ensure that the air pushes out the weird smells.
Secondly, it is needless to say that the power outages have become quite common, and the fridges often develop bad smells whenever there is a long power outage. So, if you experienced a power outage as well, we suggest that you mix the warm water with one teaspoon of bleach to clean every surface of the fridge. Keep in mind that you should rinse all the fridge’s surfaces properly with the help of a damp and clean sponge. Once the surfaces are cleaned, just use a clean towel to dry up the fridge.