How long does baking soda take to get rid of fridge smells?
Baking soda typically needs to stay in the refrigerator for about 30 days to absorb moderate odors, but persistent smells can linger for a week or longer. If the baking soda is old or the source of the odor hasn't been cleaned out, the smell will remain despite leaving the box in the fridge.
What the numbers show
Counted from the threads quoted below. How we count
- The most recent one is from October 2026.
- This comes up 18.4× more often in r/CleaningTips than across the site as a whole.
What people tried
Every workaround mentioned in the threads below. We haven’t tested any of them — and nobody here is claiming they worked.
Found another way around this?
Share your steps and trade-offs so fellow engineers don't have to reinvent the wheel. No account required.
- 1Using Odoban charcoal bags2 people mentionedDid this help you?
- 2Keeping an open box of baking soda in the fridge full-time and replacing it every 1 to 3 months.Did this help you?
- 3Removing and replacing all foodDid this help you?
- 4Thoroughly cleaning the interiorDid this help you?
- 5Using fresh baking soda and bowls of vinegarDid this help you?
- 6Cleaning dust from behind and underneath the unitDid this help you?
- 7Checking and adding bleach to the drain panDid this help you?
- 8leaving an open container of baking soda insideDid this help you?
- 9cleaning the refrigerator with bleach or a favorite cleaner and leaving the door openDid this help you?
- 10discarding current food that has likely absorbed the odorDid this help you?
- 11throwing out suspected itemsDid this help you?
- 12Wiping down the interior with vinegar and waterDid this help you?
- 13Spraying a mixture of white vinegar, warm water, and dish soap, letting it sit, and airing it outDid this help you?
- 14Buying takeout food and DoorDash instead of groceriesDid this help you?
- 15Putting an open box of baking soda in the fridge to absorb odorsDid this help you?
- 16Using white vinegar and cold water to soak the machineDid this help you?
- 17Leaving the washing machine door and detergent dispenser tray open between washesDid this help you?
- 18Finding and cleaning the appliance filterDid this help you?
- 19Avoiding fabric softenerDid this help you?
- 20Running monthly cleaning tablets through a tub clean or regular wash cycleDid this help you?
- 21Physically scrubbing the rubber gasket and sealsDid this help you?
- 22Wiping surfaces down with a mixture of water, white vinegar, and vanillaDid this help you?
- 23Leaving the refrigerator door open for an extended period (e.g., 2 weeks) and using a cooler in the meantimeDid this help you?
- 24Leaving a bowl of vinegar or coffee inside the fridgeDid this help you?
- 25Lining the fridge with newspaper and changing it frequentlyDid this help you?
- 26Using a cut lemon filled with saltDid this help you?
- 27Placing a UV light inside the fridge to kill bacteriaDid this help you?
- 28Cleaning the refrigerator drip trayDid this help you?
- 29Scrubbing shelves, drawers, and insulation with vinegar water, baking soda, and bleach waterDid this help you?
- 30Inviting the landlord over to smell the refrigerator in an attempt to get it replacedDid this help you?
- 31Running boiling water down the drainDid this help you?
- 32Cleaning with baking soda, dish soap, and essential oilsDid this help you?
- 33Placing plates of charcoal briquettes on each shelfDid this help you?
- 34Pouring bleach inside to sanitizeDid this help you?
- 35Using coffee grounds or baking soda to absorb the odorsDid this help you?
- 36Washing the interior with soap and hot waterDid this help you?
- 37Leaving the appliance open in a well-ventilated areaDid this help you?
- 38Switching to a different brand of rinse aid without certain scentsDid this help you?
- 39Switching from detergent pods to plain powder or gel detergentDid this help you?
- 40Checking the bottom filter for trapped construction debrisDid this help you?
In their words
Unedited, grouped by where they were said, most upvoted first within each place, each linked to the thread it came from.
“How get off smell fridge”source ↗
“I left to go on a trip and when I came back, I found out that the power had gone out.. all of the food (especially meat) in my fridge was rotting.”source ↗
“I've tried cleaning it over and over, but for some reason, the rotting meat smell still lingers and won't go away.”source ↗
“I can't replace the fridge and it doesn't have a water dispenser, so I have no idea what else to do..”source ↗
“hard to describe - it kinda smells like construction. no mold smell or anything like that. but it almost smells like a pack of fine wood chips r getting mixed in every wash. i’ve ran the finish dishwasher cleaner every month for 5 months and i still can’t get rid of the smell.”source ↗
“So my landlord lets me rent a room in his house and he’s a 80 y.o man and he likes to keep things past expiration date until it’s like no longer deemed eatable and sometimes it rots in his fridge and makes the fridge smell, I’m stuck buying take out food and DoorDash instead of groceries because it makes all food smell bad through packing and even leftovers smell sometimes and I don’t wanna hurt his feelings because he’s noticed and fixed it before but it’s repetitive and he doesn’t think about it .”source ↗
“We recently moved into a new home, and the rotting stench from the refrigerator/freezer makes it unusable.”source ↗
“After the bleach fumes cleared, the smell remains triumphant.”source ↗
“How long should I leave baking soda in the fridge to get rid of bad smells ?”source ↗
“Now everything in there smells like it and affects the taste. I'v tried backing soda, but it hasn't helped.”source ↗
“Stuff it never touched tasted like it enough you noticed.”source ↗
“Same happen to me, Mix equal parts white vinegar and warm water in a spray bottle with a drop of dish soap.”source ↗
“This just happened to me too! I cleaned it with mr clean Then bleach spray several more times... But I had to leave the door open for 2 weeks to get the smell out fully.”source ↗
“Spilled citric acid down kitchen sink and it smells like rotten eggs. Help!”source ↗
“I've tried leaving it in the sun for a few hours, putting plates of baking soda in there to soak up the smell, spraying vinegar in there and spraying regular cleaner in there, nothing has worked.. the moment it opened it just smells terrible”source ↗
“The freezer still reeks of rotten meat a day later, and I’m a little nervous that the freezer will have serious bacteria that shouldn’t be messed with still inside.”source ↗
“Where do I go from here? (We don’t have a place where it can be open for more than 6 hours or so in a well ventilated area for more than 5-6 hours, it would get stolen) Should I place some coffee grounds/baking soda in it for a few days and let the smell evacuate and then wash out with soap and hot water, then bleach or should we try something else?”source ↗
“We've always had a strange fishy smell in our dishwasher. It didn't matter which brand of detergent I used or whether I used Cascade or finish rinse agent.”source ↗
“i feel like ive tried everything and my machine still smells off after a wash.”source ↗
“looked it up and theres like a million different methods and products and i genuinely dont know whats worth trying.”source ↗
“I pulled the gasket/seal thing off my front loaded and soaked it in vinegar, then bleach, then that mold killer stuff in the green bottle that is amazing on showers. Plus physical scrubbing in between. Looked 99% when i was done, but it made it obvious that the idea of running some magical combo of cleaners for a cycle or 3 ain’t gonna do shit for actual buildup.”source ↗
Where this came up
People with this problem also raised
- 9Why does a spoiled food smell linger even after cleaning?
- 4Why does my hall closet smell like cat pee on certain days?
- 19Why does my house smell like cat urine when there is no visible mess?
- 7How to get rid of a strong strange odor inside a vintage chest
- 4How to get freezer smell out of silicone
- 2Why does my electric toothbrush smell bad?