How do you keep odor out of the fridge?

Odor in the fridge usually comes from a single source and is not solved by wiping down the whole fridge. The real answer is to find where the smell is coming from and remove that source.

How does the smell spread?

A fridge is a closed box and the air inside it circulates constantly. An odor coming from an uncovered container reaches every shelf with that circulation and passes into other foods.

The items that pick up odor most easily are those high in fat. Butter, cheese and nuts take on the smell around them within a few days, and that cannot be undone.

So the odor problem runs in two directions. One item gives off a smell, several items take it on; when the source is not found and removed, the number of affected items keeps growing.

How do you find the source?

The first place to look is containers forgotten in the back rows. When you notice an odor in the fridge, the most productive thing to do is pull the containers forward one by one and check them.

The second place to look is the crisper drawer. A single vegetable that has started to spoil here can produce an odor that spreads through the whole drawer and in time through the fridge as a whole.

The third is spilled liquid. A liquid that has run under a shelf or into the corner of a drawer is not seen until the containers are lifted, and does not come to mind as a source.

How much do lids matter?

Every container left open is a potential source of odor. A container with a lid both holds in its own smell and does not take on the smell around it; this single arrangement prevents most of the problem from the start.

Sharp-smelling items such as cut onion, garlic and pickles need extra attention. Stored under two layers of covering, their smell drops noticeably.

Covering with plastic wrap is a partial solution. Because it is not fully airtight, it does not work as well as a lidded container for longer storage.

Not using containers that have no lid is also a choice. Containers whose lids have gone missing can be taken out of storage duty and used for prep instead; they have no place in the fridge.

When is cleaning needed?

Even after the source is found and removed, the smell can linger for a while. In that case wiping the shelves and airing the fridge for a while finishes the job.

The wiping is not done with strongly scented cleaning products. The smell of those products stays in the fridge too, and one odor simply takes the place of another.

Odorless solutions such as baking soda or water with vinegar suit this job better. Drying the shelves after wiping prevents moisture from building up.

Do odor absorbers work?

Baking soda, coffee grounds or similar items left in an open container absorb odor to some degree. They help, but they do not stand in for the source.

So odor absorbers are not a solution but a complement. As long as the source is still there, no absorber gives a lasting result and the smell comes back within a few days.

Regular checking is the most effective odor absorber. A short weekly look removes the source without waiting for a smell to appear.

Is it different in the freezer?

In the freezer odor spreads more slowly, but once it settles it is harder to get out. Items that absorb odor also work less effectively at low temperatures.

So sealing matters even more in the freezer. Packages with the air pressed out and closed tightly prevent both the passage of odor and the forming of ice on the surface.

Labeling reduces the odor problem indirectly as well. Packages whose contents are known get used in good time; forgotten packages stay a long while and turn into a source of trouble.

Emptying the freezer completely now and then is necessary for the same reason. When packages that are iced over and no longer recognizable are cleared out, space opens up and old packages that could be a source of odor disappear.

In the end, odor has less to do with whether the fridge is clean than with whether you know what is in it. In a fridge whose contents are known, an odor problem rarely appears; because no container is forgotten for long.