As an ex-cleaner, let me make one thing known; bathrooms are far from the grossest part of peoples’ homes. The true horrors, reader, are always in the kitchen.
The slicked-on grease. The horror-inducing backs of ovens (if you ever go to clean your own, please try to book a therapy session immediately afterwards). And yes, there is always, always at least one Gross Fridge Problem.
I do not judge you; I am you. In fact, recently I had to clear out my own puddle of shame (the annoying pool of water that sometimes builds up under your salad drawers). And before clearing it out, I found out how and why the problem begins in the first place.
So, to save you from your own hyper-hydrated horrors, I thought I’d share what causes fridge floods and how to prevent it (and I’ll also share my own pro tips for cleaning the mess without drenching your floor in dubious fluid). Bon appetit!
The issue is likely with your condenser vent
If you look closely at the ridge above your salad drawers, you’ll find a little hole. This is the defrost drain or condenser vent ― the hole through which condensation is meant to escape from your fridge and literally evaporate into thin air.
When this is blocked by food, mould, or any other item, the water flows up into the fridge rather than escaping. That process leads to the dreaded puddle we were talking about earlier (oh, delicious).
DIY, tech, and home improvement YouTuber My Mate VINCE shared that if the obstacle is small and/or close to the opening of the vent, you can clean it out pretty effectively with a cotton bud. “Just get a little Q-tip, little earbud, and just give it a good clean-out. Get rid of all the mould ― put it in there a short distance ― and you might even find that that’s enough to solve the problem,” the creator said.
They added that if that doesn’t cut it, you’ll need something “small and very long” to shove down the drain, like a curtain wire. Unplug the fridge at the electrics, especially if you’re using anything metal, and push it all the way down to the base of the unit ― the grossly gratifying practice should see it draining freely again.
The defrost drain can also contain frozen food or water, so try pouring some hot water down it if nothing else works (unplug your fridge before trying this).
OK, but how do I clean the water that’s already there now?
Ah, my time to shine. A lot of the advice out there, like dabbing the affected area with a sponge, does work for smaller drops. But if you’re dealing with a full-on lake here (as many people are, in my experience), this process will take forever and lead to a massive soggy mess on the floor.
I like to use rubber gloves, a lot of kitchen roll, and a large plastic container that you don’t care much about (I recently used an empty mushroom pack with no holes) to achieve bone-dry bliss. First of all, lay out some sheets on your countertops, remove the drawers, and place them on top of those while you tackle The Pool.
Then, create a thick mat of sheets on the entire base of the fridge. Leave them to fully absorb the moisture ― but not for longer than say, 40 seconds, as they can disintegrate ― and then place them in the container before carrying the (admittedly gross) cornucopia over to the sink.
Once you’re there, squeeze out the sheets (I did say you’d need those gloves) so that you’re left with a grim ball that’s dry enough to safely bin. This is definitely unpleasant, but the alternative ― loading your bin with sodden sheets ― is a surefire path to bin juice horrors and will make your bag removal unnecessarily difficult and heavy. Repeat the process until the bottom of your fridge is dry enough to wipe clean.
It’s not exactly pleasant, but it’s the fastest and most effective method I’ve used so far. And if nothing else, the process will definitely, definitely switch you onto cleaning those drains...