Kitchen Stink

October 26, 2020 4:32 PM

Well, really just Freezer Stink. I have a refrigerator/freezer with the freezer on top. When I open the door to the freezer, an unpleasant smell wafts out. It smells like spoiled food, mostly like spoiled milk.

This is not a smell coming from the refrigerator. The refrigerator has no stink and no stinky, excess, or old food, and I cleaned the shelves on Friday in case they were causing a stink.

Nor is the smell originating in the freezer -- when the door has been open more than a few seconds, the stink dissipates. Plus believe me, all that's in the freezer is ice (cubes), a pint of ice cream, and a cold pack.

Where is the stink coming from? Any ideas?

Thank you!

posted by janey47 to Home & Garden (2 answers total)

Have you tried cleaning the seals around your freezer door? If something spilled and got caught in the seal it can mold/smell something awful.

Worth taking a look, and scrubbing with hot soapy water and seeing if that helps....
posted by larthegreat at 4:45 PM on October 26, 2020

Move all the contents to a cooler or insulated bag for an hour. After an hour, check the freezer for the stink, and check the cooler/bag for the stink. Whichever stinks contains the source. Could be a funky pool of fat or oil that fell/dripped off something.

Got an ice-maker in there? Possibly the ice-supply line is funky. let some ice melt in a covered glass, uncover, see if it stinks.
posted by Sunburnt at 5:10 PM on October 26, 2020