Content creator Lucy Kalice is one of Ideal Home's Open House contributors, sharing her thoughts on cleaning, home decor and making the most of small spaces. See the rest of her articles here.
My fridge smells but there’s no mouldy/old food in there! Help, what can I do?
A smelly fridge does not make for a happy home does it…
If there’s no mouldy or old food in there like you say or even a smelly cheese in there (these can sometimes be the culprit), I’d recommend doing a big deep clean of the fridge.
I’m not just talking a quick spray here and there, I’m talking all the shelves out, taking the shelf trims off, the full works. You’d be surprised at how even the tiniest of food spillage in the fridge can really make a bad odour. So here’s my step by step way to do it:
Empty the contents of the fridge, including whatever is in the door shelves. All the food needs to come out.
Take the shelves out and put them to one side.
Now this part's important, fill your sink with warm soapy water. DO NOT (and I repeat) DO NOT fill it up with hot water. If you do this you are at risk of cracking the glass shelves which will be cold. Trust me, I’ve accidentally done this before when the water was too hot…oops!
One at a time wash the shelves, taking off the shelf trims too and washing those in the water.
Once you’ve washed all the shelves, let them air dry and now it’s time to clean the inside shell of the fridge.
Use a disinfectant spray, such as Zoflora, and wipe down the inside.
Once everything’s dry, put it all back together again.
This should solve the smelly fridge issue, but if you want to go the extra mile, you can put in a fridge deodoriser. I use the Croc Odor one which you can buy online or in supermarkets.
