I've noticed it in stores, but not really after installation. As you said, it probably is outgassing. Maybe also whatever they pack the works with for transport.

Rancid oils can bond with plastics. I don't know if other food odors do. Did you try airing out the old fridge for a few days? Maybe wash down well with baking soda?

Every refrigerator I've ever had or been around has had a Firdge smell when new and sometimes when moving. They tell you )and my dad alwas did before I read any instructions) to make a baking soda solution and wipe it down before using. Did you clean the one you were moving, wash it down with a baking soda solution and make sure to it was room temp and good and dry before closing it up?

With our current refrigerator, it was a worst case scenerio. They gave us two days to pack, move and report for new job 7 hours away. My DH was on his own for that and let's just say I was mortified how he handled it but what's done is done. He didn't have much time to clean it out. After two months in storage, we took it apart and cleaned with vinegar and have 3 boxes of baking soda in there at all times. It helps for a couple weeks and then I have to change. I still smell it when opening the door and I don't want it in my new house! May keep for a garage fridge. I haven't tried wiping down with baking soda though. Thanks!

Wow! That's a fast move. Even if your DH knew what to do, time would be so limited to get everything done. I can see how that could happen -- especially if it had to sit in storage. If you have to replace, I would not worry about the smells in a new fridge so much. Do the baking soda wash (make sure you get all the packing and tape out) and then plug it in and let it get cold before filling it. You shouldn't have a problem. We just got a new freezer -- same thing.

As for the old one, if you want to try to save it as a second fridge, I would try a very thorough cleaning with a germ/funk killing cleaner -- could be a solution with bleach or peroxide, follow that with the baking soda, dry it well and let it stand open to make sure it dries and airs anywhere you can't get to. Be sure to remove the drawers and any parts you can so that you can get under and behind everything. A little spilled milk from a year ago can be hidden and forgotten when everything is kept cold, but a quick mess once that sucker is unplugged Good luck to you With the fridge and the new job and move.

FWIW, and I'm not recommending this, I once lived in a rented townhouse that had been a foreclosure for a few years in hot, steamy S Fl. The new owners had just hauled the old fridge outside and given the inside a good pressure washing, and I had no idea at all till someone happened to mention it after I'd been living with it for a few years with no problem.

Yeah, pressure-washing isn't a good idea ... except maybe in an effort to save a unit so far gone with odor it'd otherwise need to be trashed. There are electrical components that can be damaged, and water can get absorbed into the insulation inside doors and cabinet walls.

That being said about water getting into the insulation ... it's not unusual that moisture freezes in the insulation in freezer doors (either on refrigerators or stand-alone freezers) during normal operation. It thaws and drips out of the door if/when the unit is turned off, or if the door is open for a long enough time during service or manual defrosting.

You might have a dead mouse that got in during storage. That would only explain a rotten smell, not the plastic smell of a new refrigerator.

Our new samsung smelled so strong of chemicals it made me nauseous w/ a headache. i refused to use it even after baking soda. i read other cases about Samsung fridge smell, it breaking down even if new and lawsuits against them re: fridges