Imagine coming home after a long vacation with friends and family only to discover a pungent choking odor all over the kitchen, like that of dead rats. Suppressing the urge to vomit, you take a quick stroll around the kitchen for further investigation. Finally, you realize and sigh to yourself, “Good Lord, this stench is coming from my fridge…my fridge smells like death!”
While you’re wondering why my refrigerator smells like dead animal, some people may not be able to tolerate this stinking smell. They’ll just puke and leave the house immediately to call for help. But hey, if you’re a strong one, you’re probably looking for solutions to eliminate this stench as quickly as possible on your own merit.
Well, you are in the right place indeed. Sit tight and continue scrolling to know more.
Table Of Contents
Why does my Refrigerator smells like Dead Animal?
If your fridge smells like dead animals, you may wonder, “Did someone just fit a corpse inside my fridge or something?” No, no, relax, that’s definitely not the case. This stench could be caused by any of the following reasons:
- A build-up of mold by increasing the growth of bacteria and fungi.
- Date-expired dairy products like cheese inside the fridge.
- Spoiled raw meat.
- Dead mouse somewhere nearby the fridge.
- Dirty and moldy gaskets that haven’t been cleaned in years.
If you are unsure why your freezer smells like a dead animal and if you aren’t able to figure things out yourself, you should contact a professional refrigerator mechanic to come over and look at the situation. However, if you have successfully figured out the source and the reasons behind the foul smell, coming up in the next are some things you can try to eliminate the issue.
What should I do when my Fridge smells like Death?
You shouldn’t be lazy and spray air fresheners all around the house to eliminate the stench. You need to take things seriously before the odor gets more unbearable.
#1. Throw away any Expired Food
Check the dates of all the processed foods like frozen sausages or store-bought yogurt. Examine if any fruits have got rotten and become moldy. Throw away spoiled date-expired foods immediately and deodorize the fridge.
#2. Thorough Cleanups
Take out all the stuff from your fridge, unplug the refrigerator, remove the strays and thoroughly clean everything with soap and water. You can mix two tablespoons of baking soda with some water, spray the solution on the moldy areas, and rinse it. Afterward, wipe over with a dry washcloth.
#3. Lower the Temperature
Bacteria thrive in humid and warm temperatures. If you have been leaving the refrigerator door open for too long lately, warm air and moisture got into the fridge from outside. Guess who became happy? Well, bacteria because now they can breed and multiply more. The only way to not let them survive is to lower the temperature by 4-5 degrees because micro-organisms like bacteria denature in cold temperatures.
#4. Clean Filthy Door Gasket
Every time we wash our refrigerator, we often neglect the thin gaskets, which keep the door airtight and sealed. Food crumbs sometimes fall in there and keep piling up over time. If not cleaned, they start to rot, become moldy and cause a stench.
Cleaning the refrigerator door gasket is easy peasy. You can use a paper towel and an old toothbrush to swipe over the gaps. You can use soap and water or go for a bleach solution too. You should clean the gaskets regularly, at least once in two months. You can also use a vacuum cleaner to keep them clean.
#5. Clean Refrigerator Condenser Coils
Honestly, there is very unlikely mold build-up on the inner surface condenser coils. However, still, you should check it out, just in case the back of the fridge smells like dead animals. If you spot anything suspicious, you should clean the condenser coils just how you cleaned the gaskets.
#6. Stop Insect infestation
The back of your fridge could be incredibly dirty and attract bugs, roaches, and other insects for a hangout party. After these insects die, if their dead bodies are not thrown away, they can stay there and start to get decomposed by bacteria. Suppose you don’t want this funeral thing at the rear of your fridge. In that case, you should regularly clean the area and spray insecticides if needed.
#7. Clean The Drip Pan
The drip pan is where the evaporating water droplets collect. There can be food particles in the pan as well. You should regularly empty the drip pan and clean it at least once a month.
Final Thoughts
You should clean the inside of your refrigerator with soap and water or Clorox wipes every three to four months. Otherwise, the dirtier it gets due to grime, dirt, and mildew, high the chances are your fridge will start to smell like dead animals in no time. Thanks for reading, and I hope this article has helped you get rid of the dead animal smell from your refrigerator.
