In our two-sided (also called French Door) refrigerator. So weird that Bar insisted the smell had permeated leftovers under seal. So I, who also smelled it, and thought it was sort of a paint-thinner smell, but wasn’t particularly bothered by it, called for repairs.
And got one guy who couldn’t smell the smell and so didn’t charge us anything but also left without doing anything. The smell seemed to intensify so I tried a new repair outfit. Which charged $95 for a variety of tests, the use of some specialty electronics, and some disassembly (and reassembly) but the guy couldn’t find the source–or smell it, either, for that matter.
Fortunately the daughter/step-niece thought she smelled it. So we weren’t crazy. Maybe.
After a brief debate over the idea of selling the fridge and buying a new $700 one, I read some posts on Google that said fruit could emit a sharp, chemical smell when it decayed. Remove anything with fur on it, joked one poster.
Sure enough I found two large oranges covered with white fur in one of the crispers (the see-through plastic drawers) and put them in the trash. Soon enough the trashcan developed the paint-thinner smell. So I took them to the dumpster outside.
And with the help of the step-daughter cleaning out the fridge the smell has dissipated. I only mourn my missing $95. But with gratitude that it wasn’t $700 plus tax. So far.
UPDATE: Six plus weeks later, the smell has dissipated but still remains. We’re putting up with it for now.
THE TEXAS SCRIBBLER 