I’m a cleaning guru – here’s the real reason your fridge smells and it’s nothing to do with leftover food inside
A CLEANING expert has revealed a secret reason why your fridge could stink – with leftover food not actually to blame.
Many homeowners opening the refrigerator door ahead of tucking in to something can get put off by some mystery stench seeming to emanate from the shelves.
Yet now an answer has emerged, shared online by a TikTok user called @cleaningmummy.
The mother of kids, Leanne, suggests the smell will likely not be from some mouldy old dough or cheese, rotting fruit or vegetables, spilt milk nor half-eaten ready meals.
Instead, she reveals, the pong probably lurks within a little-spotted compartment at the back that not only needs unscrewing but also scrubbing.
The TikTok user has almost 756,000 followers tuning in to her regular and helpful hygiene clips and tips.
Her fridge footage, however, has attracted a mix of appreciation and revulsion.
The video now with more than 14,000 likes shows her opening up a tray within what she labels her “smelly fridge” whose “disgusting” whiff was overwhelming her home.
She advises online: “Did you know there was a fridge tray? How did you find out? When did you last clean it?
“Have you got a smell in your house or kitchen or smell that you think is coming from the fridge but you’ve cleaned it, emptied it and can’t get rid of the smell?”
Drawing attention towards the compartment below, she adds: “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 go to the bottom.
“There’s a pipe that runs which anything that leaks in the fridge runs down into this tray.
“You need to clear it out and you can unscrew them and just give them a wash if they’re really bad.”
Leanne’s advice was to use a towel to wipe clean before replacing its tube attachment – warning: “If anything gets down there, it will smell disgusting.
“It will smell your whole house out – and that’s how I even found out there was a tray in the first place.”
The guidance attracted plenty of appreciation online, with one viewer replying: “Oh god, I’ve never done mine, must be awful! Thanks for the great tip.”
Another remarked, “Did not know this” – while Leanne was also told: “Omfg I literally ran to my kitchen pulled the fridge out and found the tray – thank you for sharing this.”
Fridge cleanliness is not the only thing to worry about, in the kitchen – there have also been alerts on how to beware your appliance might be on its last legs.
Taking care on just where to store your food within the fridge is important – not least in potentially saving money.
And never mind where to stack food and drink inside – where you place the fridge itself can also prove crucial when it comes to household bills.
Britain’s cost of living crisis is pushing up energy bills as well as food costs – and having to run a fridge only sends expenses surging.