Whyfore the pleasant odor of refrigerators?

February 11, 2008 12:20 AM

I really like the smell of the inside of refrigerators and freezers. Why on earth is this?

This is a weird question, but isn't that (at least partly) what AskMeFi is for?

Ever since I was little I can remember liking the way that the inside of freezers (and to a lesser degree, refrigerators) smell. It's most obvious in industrial-sized, walk-in coolers and freezers (I guess because there's more, um, freezer-air in there), but sometimes I can pick it up in any old household fridge/freezer too. I cannot describe the smell as anything other than... the inside of a freezer. It's not the same as, say, outdoors on a snowy day. It's distinctive to appliances. It has nothing to do with what's actually inside the freezer, and it's not a chemical smell, and if there's a fan in the freezer (like at the top in a walk-in one, or at the bottom in an upright one) it's usually strongest in that area.

I know I'm not totally insane because in high school, when I worked in an ice cream store where we had a large walk-in cooler, I remember one other kid saying once something like "I love the way it smells in here", but other than that I've never heard of anyone else acknowledging this.

So, I mean, I recognize that this is rather vague and totally off-the-wall, but does anyone know what the heck I'm talking about? And if you do, what is it that gives it that smell? Am I crazy?

posted by Quidam to grab bag (13 comments total)

Is this the same smell as in a skating rink? Because if it is, I know exactly the scent you're talking about. And you're right, it isn't the smell of the outdoors on a snowy day. My guess is that it is ozone. Google came up with nothing for me, but to me, ice rinks and freezers have the same smell as after a storm--and that is supposed to be what ozone smells like.
posted by hurdy gurdy girl at 12:57 AM on February 11

I always assumed it was the smell of the coolant, or rather the coolant-scented air after it had been through the condenser and evaporator or whatever that magic icebox process is.
posted by DarlingBri at 2:42 AM on February 11

The air never comes in contact with the coolant; if it did, the coolant (a gas) would escape the same way the air does and your freezer would no longer function. The air just passes over the pipes that the coolant flows through.
posted by bizwank at 3:08 AM on February 11

Seconding the ozone comments. Be careful, ozone is lethal in large doses, so don't go finding purer sources of it to huff! Hahah.

Also, FYI, "wherefore" = "why"
"Wherefore art thou, Romeo" has to do with asking why he is Romeo Montague and not some other name that would be an acceptable family for the Capulets....not where he actually is.
posted by Grither at 5:00 AM on February 11

Probably because it's 0 humidity air that, since it's cold, has a higher concentration of oxygen (and other gases) per volume than room temperature air. That coupled with 0 humidity means that you get a very fantastically head-clearing lung full of oxygen rich air when you breath from inside one of these things.

To get a whiff of ozone, create a spark at a battery or wall socket. Like, plug in something high load and unplug it real fast. That's ozone.
posted by TomMelee at 6:31 AM on February 11

I've always thought that it was that the air is clean. As the air runs over the col coils, all the stinky smells get pulled out in the dehumidification process and go down the drain.

Old laser printers smelled of ozone, which to me isn't the same smell. Also, I see no reason why the refrigeration process would cause ozone.
posted by gjc at 8:03 AM on February 11

I have associated this aroma with the smell of wool mittens that have been in the snow, then brought inside. I kind of like it, too.
posted by Goofyy at 9:30 AM on February 11

I used to love melting the ice from the periodic defrostings of our old fridge in the sink when I was a kid because of this smell. I do smell it from the frost-free models when I open the freezer and the fan is running.

I also smell it a bit in clean steam from irons, or milk steamers on espresso machines.

I don't think it's ozone, I think it's the smell of negative charge on ice crystals, in the case of freezers, or negative charge on tiny water droplets in the case of steam or melting ice. But charge has to come from somewhere, and I think it comes from piezoelectric effects of temperature stress on ice crystals melting in the case of freezing and forming in the case of fans, or from friction with metal nozzles in the case of steam.

Ozone is very often experienced in a negatively charged state, and I imagine that's why people associate it with ozone.
posted by jamjam at 10:16 AM on February 11

I never thought of it as a smell before. I thought it was the feel of really cold air...but only occurring in freezers. Large, industrial freezers. I have no answer, but it's definitely something real.
posted by darksasami at 11:40 AM on February 11

It's probably unrelated but I really like the smell of new tires.
posted by wfrgms at 12:05 PM on February 11

I've never noticed it in a home refrigerator, but I do love the smell of the freezer cases at the supermarket. I'm glad to know it's not just me. No idea what it is, though.
posted by hades at 12:07 PM on February 11

It's possible there is no actual smell there, and what we are "smelling" is our noses detecting cold?
posted by gjc at 4:08 PM on February 11

Haha. You got schooled by Grither.
posted by thebrokenmuse at 4:19 PM on February 14