eli5: why does a fridge smells like a fridge?

Question

A new fridge doesn’t smell like a fridge and later doesn’t smell like food, so why does it smell the way it does?

In: Chemistry

Answer 1

The smells comes from the plastic, adhesives and disinfectants used in the fridge. The materials is chosen to work well with the cold and damp environment and to discourage the growth of mold. This is why a fridge usually smell differently from most other plastic products. However you still get other plastic products that smell like fridges.