The REAL reason your fridge smells so bad! Hidden compartment needs to be cleaned
You’ve tossed out the old bananas, the soggy parsley, and that half-eaten ready meal with the limp plastic wrap…but there’s still that horrible smell in your fridge.
The shelves come out to wipe away all traces of spilled milk, then the door shelves, then a fold of paper towel is worked around each corner to catch those stray crumbs of cheese.
And yet that awful, awful smell remains. Where is it from?
Cleaning guru Leanne visits @cleaningmummy on TikTok and posted a video showing her moving her fridge from its place and cleaning up the smell that overtook her home
By removing a tube at the bottom of the refrigerator, she says, “This is more than likely where the smell is coming from”
Despite your best cleaning efforts, the source of the stench may be a little-known compartment in the back of the refrigerator.
Cleaning guru Leanne, known as @cleaningmummy, has over 755,000 followers thanks to regularly sharing tips and tricks to keep your home clean.
In a video, which has now garnered 14,000 likes, the TikTok influencer reveals first-hand the source of the problem after the smell of her “smelly fridge” flooded her entire home.
She revealed her shock after discovering that behind her fridge was another tray for her to clean up.
She captioned the music video simply: “Did you know there was a refrigerator drawer? How did you find out? When was the last time you cleaned it?’
She took her fridge away from the wall and started off by saying, “Do you have a smell in your home or kitchen or a smell that you think is coming from the fridge but you cleaned it, emptied it and can’t get rid of it?” the smell?’
She then shows a compartment at the bottom of the refrigerator, with a tube attached, as she says, “This is more than likely where the smell is coming from.”
“There’s a tray at the back of your fridge – pull out your fridge and get to the bottom.
‘There’s a pipe where everything that leaks from the refrigerator ends up in this container.
“You have to clean it up and you can unscrew them and just wash them if they’re really bad.”
The mother then demonstrates using a towel to wipe it clean, before putting the tube back in.
By moving her refrigerator away from the wall, she reveals a compartment to the bottom of the refrigerator
TikTok users have praised the mom for sharing this hack, with many admitting they never knew about this tray
She also vacuums behind the fridge and makes sure that there are no dust or food scraps that have accidentally fallen behind it
Leanne continues, “When something comes down, it smells disgusting. It smells all over your house outside.
“And that’s how I even found out there was a tray at all.”
For those who have a built-in fridge, the mom clarified that “there’s something you can get that comes out of the fridge” that will help you clean it up.
TikTok users have praised the mother for sharing this hack, with many admitting that they never knew about this tray and will clean up their device immediately.
One person commented, ‘Oh god I’ve never done mine, must be awful! Thanks for the good tip.’
And another said, ‘Didn’t know this.’
While a third commented, “Omfg, I literally ran to my kitchen, pulled out the fridge and found the tray… thanks for sharing this.”
Another asked, “My fridge has been leaking all over the floor for months, does this mean the tray is full?” to which Leanne replied, “Yeah, check.”
However others were well aware of the compartment like one person said yes I clean it every 6 months I get a lot of lint I have laminate everywhere ppl should check the potatoes they stink when rotten in the storage room.’
Another said, “It’s called the landing attempt. And yes, you’re right if it’s not cleaned every few months to a year, it’s going to stink.’
While a TikTok user recommended that after emptying the container you can also put some lemons in your fridge to make it smell better.
They wrote, “If it still smells a bit, put some water, lemons and garlic in your fridge (not too much).”