Troubleshooting Old Refrigerator Odors

Turn off your refrigerator and unplug it.

Remove all food from the refrigerator. Place frozen food in plastic totes, and then fill the totes with ice. This will help to keep the items fresh until you finish cleaning the refrigerator.

Throw away all expired food and anything that smells rancid.

Remove all shelving units and drawers from the fridge. Wash them in your sink with hot, soapy water using a sponge and mild dish detergent.

Add 2 tablespoons of baking soda to a quart of hot (not boiling) water and then mix the solution. Dip a clean cloth into the solution and then scrub down the inside of the refrigerator with it, including the door seams.

Rinse down the inside of the refrigerator when you're finished scrubbing away all stains. Dry with a clean towel.

Remove the bottom panel of your refrigerator and slide out your drain pan. Clean this drain pan in your sink with a sponge and mild dish detergent. If you've never cleaned the drain pan before and it looks extremely dirty, clean it with commercial kitchen cleaner and paper towels. Rinse it clean and dry it off before reinserting it beneath your refrigerator.

Slide your refrigerator out so that its back is no longer against the wall. Brush away -- or vacuum -- all dust and lint from the coils (the bent metal tubes) located on the back of the refrigerator.

Insert a shallow baking ban into the bottom of your freezer if it's not a self-defrost model. Put a large pot of hot water on one of the freezer's shelves in order to defrost the ice that's stuck to the freezer's walls and ceiling. Close the door, and allow the ice to melt. Remove the pot and pan after an hour and empty them. Wipe down the freezer's walls.

Reinsert all of your drawers and shelving units back into the fridge. Put nonspoiled food back in its place.