A GE GSS25GYPFS that smells when you open the door has a source you can find, and the right way to deal with a refrigerator odor is to look for the cause before you reach for baking soda. This is a 25.3 cubic foot side-by-side with an external water and ice dispenser, a freezer on the left and a fresh-food compartment on the right, and each part of that design has places where odors begin. A smell is rarely the refrigerator itself; it is something inside it, or something in the water, the drain or the filter.
The checks in more detail
Begin with the food. Take everything out of the fresh-food side and look for spoiled items, spilled liquid, a leaking container or something that has fallen behind a shelf. Check the crisper drawers and the door bins for sticky spills, and remove the shelves and drawers to wash them in warm soapy water. Wipe the inner walls and the gasket with a solution of a spoonful of baking soda in warm water, which neutralizes many odors, and dry thoroughly.
Strong foods, cut onions and fish should be in sealed containers because the cold air carries their smell round the cabinet. Then the hidden places. The fridge has a drain at the back of the compartment that carries condensation to a pan under the unit; if the drain clogs with food debris, water stands and smells. Flush it with warm water, as the manual describes. The drip pan under the refrigerator, which collects that water, can grow a film of mold, so slide it out and wash it.
A water filter that is overdue can give water and ice an off taste and smell, and a stale ice bin can pass its smell to new ice; empty the bin, wash it and discard the old ice. Keep the unit's temperature at the recommended setting, since too warm a fridge speeds spoilage. Clean the condenser coil below, where dust can heat and smell. If the odor continues from an empty, clean refrigerator, contact GE with GSS25GYPFS and the serial number.
Differential
Likely causes of “GE GSS25GYPFS side-by-side refrigerator smells bad inside”, and how to tell them apart
- 1
Spoiled or leaked food
What separates it A sour or rotten smell on opening
How to confirm Remove and clean the shelves
- 2
A clogged defrost drain
What separates it Water stands at the back of the compartment
How to confirm Flush the drain
- 3
A dirty drip pan
What separates it A musty smell from below
How to confirm Slide it out and wash it
- 4
An overdue water filter or stale ice
What separates it Water, ice or the dispenser smells
How to confirm Change the filter and empty the ice bin
- 5
Strong foods in open containers
What separates it The smell clings to everything
How to confirm Seal strong foods
Before you touch a setting
Record this first — changing settings destroys the evidence
- Where the smell is strongest
- Whether water stands at the back
- Whether the water or ice also smells
- When the filter was last changed
Try in this order
0 of 6 completedEmpty and inspect
ReversibleThe fresh-food side.
Wash shelves and drawers
ReversibleIn warm soapy water.
Wipe walls and gasket
ReversibleWith baking soda solution.
Flush the drain
ReversiblePer the manual.
Wash the drip pan
ReversibleAnd the ice bin.
Change the filter
ReversibleIf it is overdue.
Model-specific
What is true of this model and not of its siblings
- Find the source
- Odors come from something inside, not the cabinet itself.
- The drain
- A clogged drain leaves standing water.
- The drip pan
- It grows mold if not washed.
- The filter
- An overdue filter gives off-tastes.
- Sealing
- Strong foods spread their smell.
- GE help
- Quote GSS25GYPFS and the serial number.
Stop boundary
When this stops being a self-service repair
- !Discard food that has been warm for hours
- !Unplug before cleaning behind the unit
- !Call GE for a smell from an empty, clean unit
Evidence ledger
Sources behind this answer
Exact questions
Common questions
Why does my refrigerator smell?+
Spoiled food, a clogged drain or a dirty pan.
Does baking soda help?+
It neutralizes some odors, after the source is cleaned.
Can the filter smell?+
An overdue one can.
Can ice smell?+
Stale ice absorbs odors.
Is a smell a fault?+
Rarely.
When do I call GE?+
If an empty, clean unit still smells.