Fridge odor Frozen food thawed and leaked behind freezer. Odor remained despite cleaning several times

Remove all the food from the unit and clean it with a diluted chlorine bleach solution and let dry and then do it one more time. Also get a box of baking soda and put it in the fridge to absorb odiferous smells odors

A quick phone call to Sears or a local appliance service center may be in order. Since the evaporator that cools everything is located inside or very near the back of the freezer and the freezer has the lowest air circulation of the entire refrigerator, I would suspect a small refrigerant leak. Many refrigerants have strong odorizing chemicals added for just this purpose. Natural gas for heating has these same chemicals to warn us of the danger if a leak occurs. If it is a leak it's not dangerous, but very soon you will come home to a warm fridge and thawed food. Prior to that you'll hear the fridge running constantly as it tries to maintain the proper temp.

Hi,
The smell could either be the fan motor or the defrost heating coil...
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You have a bad main control board problem . Stuff a shelf in the refrigerator section with crumpled up newspaper and leave running ( the ink in the paper absorbes odor . Takes several days to eliminate .

can you verify the odor. Does the odor smell like burnt wire insulation or of that of burnt meat?

I was just recently having this problem myself (and I'd also encountered it long ago as well). Fortunately, I live in an apt. for the time being, so it was exchanged with another fridge after persistent complaints to the management. However, I did do a little sleuthing before the exchange ... and I did read something online where someone said (and pretty definitively too) that oftentimes "chemical smells" occur as a result of a coolant leak. Despite the fact that I did not physically see a leak, this explanation still made the most sense to me given the character of the smell.

So, your problem, like mine, is more than likely caused by an internal, occult leak. Also, not to worry you, but I would advise you not to consume anything else from your fridge/freezer until this is resolved since your food is being constantly permeated with this noxious gas circulating around it (and yes, even through the containers' small crevices). I ended up pretty much throwing out everything :( I am an RN, BSN by the way - we nurses usually have some pretty sound advice (even when it's bad - sorry).

Sounds like mold.  I'd try Lysol or one of the other products that claims to treat the odor cause in the air.  Spray a quantity into the empty fridge and freezer and turn it on.  Let the fans spread the stuff around. Try to find the internal vents which seem to pull air into the coils to spray into.

To remove odors:
1. Remove all items from refrigerator or freezer. Throw
out any spoiled foods. Take out removable parts and wash
them and door gasket with mild detergent in warm water.
Rinse well and wipe dry.

2. Wash interior walls and door liner with solution of 1-2
tablespoonsful of baking soda to 1 quart warm water, and
wipe dry. Leave door open and let it air out well, with a
fan directed toward inside, and opened windows if climate
permits.

3. If odor still remains, try one or all of the following
means of odor removal.

a. Spread baking soda out on shallow pans (like shallow
glass casseroles, pie plates, or jelly roll pans lined
with foil) and put pans on shelves to absorb odors, or on
the bottom and in baskets of chest freezer. Leave open
and unplugged.

b. Buy activated charcoal (which is specially treated to
remove odor molecules from air) at some department store
housewares sections, appliance store, or pet shop. Spread
out on shallow pans and put on shelves of refrigerator.
Turn refrigerator on low setting and run empty a few days
so odors will be absorbed.

c. Spread cat litter in shallow pan in cabinet, turn on
and run empty a few days. If odor is disappearing but is
not all gone, replace old litter with fresh litter.

d. Pour several ounces imitation vanilla (not pure
extract) in a shallow saucer, put on shelf and let run
empty a few days.

e. Put fresh ground coffee in cereal bowls inside the
refrigerator and let run empty several days. A slight
coffee odor may remain, but will disappear after washing
again with baking soda solution.

f. Pack each refrigerator shelf with crumpled newspaper.
Set a cup of water on the top shelf or sprinkle the
newspaper lightly with water. Allow refrigerator to run
for approximately 5-6 days. This method takes a bit longer
but has been effective in removal of strong odors.

g. Buy a commercial odor remover, and follow instructions
exactly. Several companies manufacture a liquid
concentrate which sells for about $3.00 for 1/4 to 1/2
ounce. A couple drops are put on a piece of cotton and
placed in the area to absorb odors, in the cabinet or
in a room.

Three of many brand names are: "Odor-Away" by Wrap-on
Co., available at hardware and hospital supply stores,
"SuperCD" IBL Household Products by Crackerbarrel Sales,
Avenal, New Jersey, available in pet supply department
or special products in grocery, or "Clean-Air" at some
appliance repair shops.

Hospital supply stores carry Dow Chemical Hospital
Disinfectant and Deodorant Spray. Spray into cabinet and
quickly shut the door. Repeat.

4. If none of these methods removes all the odor, then it
has probably penetrated into insulation. Contact an
appliance service company for an estimate on cost of
removing the liner and replacing the insulation. If cost
is too high you may prefer to get a new appliance. It
could be used for occasional cooling of soda pop where
the odor will not get into the beverage.

Probably getting a new Fridge-mother doesn't want to continue to deal with repairs. Thanks anyway.

I believe that you might have a coolant leak causing the chemical odor. You really should get it checked out by a fridge repair-person because it's not healthy to breathe in the fumes.