Refrigerator has odd smell

Dusty smell-ozone?

Do you guys eat a lot of Indian food?

A dusty odor would not be a problem with the fridge systems, it would be, as others have suggested, mold, Mildew or well.. DUST.

Ammonia smell (Very nasty odor, sharp, and I night add not good to breathe) is a sign of a failing cooling unit.

I once had lunch at an eatery that had a failing cooling unit on a cooler and thsu smelled of ammonia, Low level per my nose (I have sniffed much higher concentrations over the years, but never for 30 minutes,, Or for that matter 30 seconds.. Closer to 1/30 second) I was sick for 2 days. That is the sign of a failing cooling unit,

Dusty is .. Well Dusty.

The refrig. has a drain tube on the back is yours running out the out side vent to drain the water out. Could it be draining inside the rear vent and getting the wood wet. If you add a 12volt muffin fan to the back of the refrig. blowing up over the coils it will help keep the refrig. cooler. You will have 12 volt for the fan right at the back of the refrig.

We just had a hell of a dust storm and noticed when I opened the freezer I get a pronounced "dusty" smell. I do not know why but this is on a home compressor refrigerator.

Dusty...

I s'pose it's a long shot, but could there be actual "dust" heating up on the cooling tubes and fins behind the refrigerator? Heated dust does have a distinct smell, as anyone who's driven down a dusty road in high summer can attest.

All good suggestions, thanks. Removing the odor is not the main concern, as I know we can. I really am concerned that the odor is a sign of a mechanical problem.

And it is dusty, not musty.

Another thing that works to remove refrigerator smells is a pie tin with coffee grounds (unused).

I believe another member had this problem some time back and they put charcoal briquets (sp) in the refrigerator and freezer to remove the odor. Worked for them. Couldn't hurt to try.

Cat Lady

"Dusty" or "musty"?

FYI:
Vinegar isn't effective against spores. Try wiping all accessible surfaces with a bleach solution (1 tbsp. bleach per gallon of water). Allow surfaces to air dry since kill depends on contact time.

After drying, any lingering bleach odor can be removed by wiping surfaces with plain water.