Our refrigerators are constantly running, keeping our food and beverages nice and cold. And yet, have you ever noticed that your fridge sometimes smells weird? I did and finally found a way to remove it after several failed attempts. Like the solution for keeping your laundry smelling fresher, this solution might surprise you.
The problem
It’s not a bad smell, but…
The smell I’m talking about isn’t necessarily bad, but it’s certainly not great. The last time I smelled it, I first thought it was some leftover Chinese food that had no doubt turned green at the back of the fridge. When that was removed and the smell remained, I turned my attention to the still-good sushi I had purchased the night before. The smell remained, even after I ate my California rolls. I then turned my attention to the leftover turkey slices I brought home from my parents. Again, even when these were removed, the smell remained.
And then the light bulb in my brain went off. In hindsight, this smell—remember, not one that’s bad or good—only occurs when I have a lot of food in the refrigerator. As such, I concluded that the annoying fragrance was from all those things combined.
The solution
Not what you might think
To remove the smell, I tried several methods I thought would work. This started with adding a fresh box of baking soda to the fridge. When that didn’t work, I added some charcoal, known for its odor-absorbing properties. After another strikeout, I cut up an orange and added a few of its peels. This also didn’t work.
Then I remembered a trick my mom had taught me many years ago. To keep homemade cookies fresh, you should add a piece of bread to the mix. The bread, as I was told, contains a lot of moisture. As a result, when you store your cookies in an airtight container with a slice of bread, the bread’s moisture evaporates into the enclosed space, creating a humid environment.
Adding a slice of bread also solved the smell problem in my refrigerator for a slightly different reason. Bread is porous. In turn, those air pockets can trap smells in enclosed spaces, as long as you replace the bread regularly.
This did the trick. The smell went away after a few days simply because I added a piece of Italian bread.
This doesn’t mean you always need to have bread in your icebox. What I now do is always leave an open box of baking soda at the back of my fridge. Baking soda, as you might have learned in your middle school science class, is known for chemically neutralizing odors through acid-based reactions. When a smell gets too bad, I add another piece of bread, which seems to take things a step further in neutralizing the odor.
Further steps
You can’t count on bread alone
Not every smell inside your refrigerator is going to be removed by a piece of sliced bread. It won’t, for example, have much of an effect on leftovers that have been inside since spring. It also won’t help neutralize the smell of rotting fruit or vegetables. To remove these odors, you have to be a little bit more proactive and pitch these items into the garbage after they expire.
Regular cleaning is also essential to prevent odor buildup. If you don’t remember the last time you cleaned the inside of your fridge, it’s probably wise to do so now. When cleaning, use warm water and dish soap, and go over areas like door seals, shelves, and drawers where nasty things like to grow.
Beyond this, set the refrigerator temperature to 4°C-5°C to slow bacterial growth and keep food fresher longer. Additionally, if your refrigerator has an air filter, replace it according to the manufacturer’s recommendations. It’s also a good idea to replace the water filter regularly. They expire after months of use and eventually become ineffective.
Finally, be sure to cover your leftovers and keep the seals on food containers closed. These will reduce the amount of smells floating around inside, so they are less likely to cause problems. Ideally, I prefer plastic wrap to cover my leftovers, though I understand it isn’t eco-friendly. Instead, use aluminum foil and make sure it’s properly sealed.
Now, enjoy the air
The solution to refrigerator odors does not require complicated methods; basic household solutions can effectively eliminate them. A simple bread slice proves to be an effective solution for odor removal when baking soda and charcoal do not work. The combination of regular cleaning and proper food organization with this simple solution will keep a fridge fresh without requiring expensive devices or prolonged experimentation.
If you’re looking for other ideas to try around the home, I recently figured out how to remove streaks when cleaning the mirrors in my house. I also ditched my junk drawer for better organization.