You open your refrigerator door only to realize all too quickly there is an odor problem. Here is what you can do to fix an odor problem with your Hotpoint refrigerator.
If your Hotpoint refrigerator has an odor problem, check the internal temperature of the refrigerator. Hotpoint refrigerators need to maintain an internal temperature between 2 and 5 ℃. If the temperature is warmer than 5 ℃, bacteria will start to grow.
Another common reason why your Hotpoint refrigerator has an odor is if the drain hole is blocked. If the hole is blocked or clogged, any accumulating moisture inside the refrigerator will start to grow bacteria and this will cause the refrigerator to have an odor.
Use the drain hole unblocking tool that came with your Hotpoint refrigerator to unclog the drain. If you do not have this tool, you can use a small straw, a pipe cleaner, or even a Q-tip to unclog the drain.
Top 5 Reasons Why Your Hotpoint Refrigerator Smells Bad
There are few things worse than opening your refrigerator door and getting hit in the face with an odor that you do not know where it is coming from. Is this happening to you? Are you wondering why your refrigerator smells bad?
Your refrigerator will smell bad when mold and bacteria are growing. This will happen if there is spoiled food in the refrigerator, the air filter and water filter are dirty, the seal along the refrigerator door has mold, or the drip tray has mold growing in it.
Discovering the reason why your refrigerator smells bad takes some detective work but it’s not impossible. There are a variety of reasons why a refrigerator will smell. Oftentimes the reason behind the smell is something that has been overlooked and is easy to fix.
Here are the top 5 reasons why your refrigerator smells.
1. Spoiled Food
This is typically the number one reason why refrigerators smell. Food that has expired and begun to mold will put off an odor, especially dairy products and meat.
Another culprit is if any liquid has spilled or leaked. The liquid will make its way into small crevices inside the fridge and begin to start molding.
2. Mold and Bacteria In Door Seal
The perfect breeding ground for mold and bacteria is a location that is dark and moist. This is not something we like to think about when it comes to our refrigerator but, sadly, our refrigerator provides the perfect breeding ground for mold and bacteria -the door seal.
The seal along the refrigerator door is often the most overlooked part of the refrigerator. Food, moisture, and even dirt easily accumulate inside the seal. As mold and bacteria continue to grow, they will put off an odor.
3. Dirty Drip Tray
Most refrigerators have a drip tray underneath them. The purpose of the tray is to collect moisture from the defrost drain. If the drip tray is not cleaned, the accumulating moisture will start to grow mold.
When the condenser fan turns on, the odor from the mold inside the drip tray is then pulled upwards by the fan and circulated around the outside of the refrigerator, causing the odor to seem as though it is coming from inside the refrigerator.
4. Clogged Filters
Refrigerators that have a water dispenser will also have a water filter. It’s important that this filter be replaced every six months, or sooner if the dispenser is used frequently or if you live in an area with hard water.
Using the water filter past its expiration date will cause mold and bacteria to grow inside the filter. This will not only cause your refrigerator to smell but can also cause some serious health problems if mold and bacteria are ingested.
5. Moisture or Temperature Issue
Keeping your refrigerator at the optimal temperature is crucial to keeping food at a safe temperature. But regulating the temperature is also how you control moisture inside the refrigerator.
The temperature inside the refrigerator will rise if the thermostat inside the refrigerator is not working properly or if the refrigerator is stocked too full. Air needs to circulate through the refrigerator.
A warm fridge will cause food to spoil more quickly and it will create moisture. The moisture has nowhere to go so it will start to accumulate. And since mold and bacteria love warm, dark places, mold and bacteria will start growing unnoticed until you notice a smell coming from the refrigerator.
Copyright article owner is ReadyToDiy.com for this article. This post was first published on February 22, 2023.
Deodorize Your Smelly Hotpoint Refrigerator
A refrigerator that smells bad is an unpleasant thing in the kitchen. Fortunately, deodorizing a refrigerator is a simple task. You can use common household items to take away the stink.
There are several things around the house that you can use to remove smelly odors from a refrigerator. Try using baking soda, coffee grounds, or activated charcoal to soak up the smells. Put any of these items in a bowl and leave inside the fridge for several days.
Wipe and rinse clean any surfaces and dispose of spoiled foods before placing these items in the refrigerator. Often, it’s strong odored foods that produce the odor molecules that stick to the plastics, shelves, and racks inside a refrigerator. Without dealing with these first, the smell will continue to be there.
Baking Soda
Baking soda is a versatile cleaning product. It is also a great deodorizer. Baking soda does its work on the molecular level, neutralizing acidic and basic odors. It is a pH neutralizer. Pour a cup of baking soda into a small bowl or container and leave in the refrigerator.
Activated Charcoal
Activated charcoal is often used to trap odors. It has a large surface area as well as pores that absorb odor molecules. Pour some in a bowl and leave it in the refrigerator.
Coffee Grounds
For many, coffee grounds smell great. So why not put it inside a smelly refrigerator to overwhelm what foul odor might be inside? While that is a solution in itself, the fact that coffee grounds can absorb other odor molecules is the main reason why people put them inside a fridge.
Oatmeal
Not only is oatmeal good for you, but it’s also a good cleaning product. Oatmeal is often used to soak up oils and liquids, but it can also be used to soak up foul smells. Put a bowl of uncooked oatmeal inside the fridge overnight to reduce the bad odors.
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ReadyToDIY is the owner of this article. This post was published on February 22, 2023.