The refrigerator is supposed to keep everything inside it smelling nice and fresh. However, every now and then, you'll open the fridge only to be greeted by a less than pleasant odor. The usual cause of this smell is that something has gone bad in the fridge or something wasn't stored properly. Unfortunately, this smell is unlikely to just go away on its own.

There are a number of steps you can take to rid your refrigerator of these odors and also prevent a recurrence in the future.

Clean Out the Fridge

A bad smell can really set in in a closed fridge. Therefore, after you've identified the cause of the odor, it's a good idea to take out everything from the refrigerator and clean it. You may realize that some liquid from the offending food may have seeped into some of the other foods in the fridge. Therefore, you'll have to get rid of these, as well. Air out the fridge after cleaning it.

Use Baking Soda to Deodorize

Baking soda can be useful in two ways when it comes to fridge odors. For starters, if you place a container of baking soda in a fridge with a bad smell, it will absorb the smell. Leave it in there for around 24 hours.

Baking soda can also be a good preventive measure. Having baking soda in the fridge will prevent the issue of strongly scented foods giving a funny taste to other foods in the fridge.

Preventing Fridge Odor

There are several ways that you can stop bad odors coming from your fridge. These include:    

• Setting the fridge to the right temperature: The fridge temperature should be in the range of 37 to 41 degrees Fahrenheit. Any higher could result in faster spoilage of food.    

• Ensure there is adequate circulation of air inside: With adequate air flow in the fridge, the cold air will get to all the food and prevent some of it from going bad due to inadequate temperatures.     

• Store food properly: Properly storing food in airtight containers helps to keep strong or bad odors at bay and can also help to keep your food fresh for a longer period. Use the fridge sections properly. These sections are designed to preserve the freshness and flavor of foods for longer.

Sometimes, the bad smell might be due to the smell permeating the evaporator coil. Ask for sub zero repair services if you don't know how to deal with these components.

For more information, talk to companies like Sub-Zero Affordable Repair.