I’m still reeling from the stench I smelled in my fridge the other day. After an unpleasant inspection, I realised the issue wasn’t a rotting courgette or some turned milk; instead, the little drainage hole at the back of the fridge had gotten blocked, leading stagnant water to pool under our bottom drawer.
I probably don’t need to tell you that this was not a welcome aroma. Nor did it go away completely after I flushed and cleared the drain, no matter how many times I wiped and re-wiped the surfaces.
It took a tip from appliance company Whirlpool – using coffee grounds – to finally rid our kitchen of the stinky spectre.
Coffee grounds can absorb smells from your fridge
You’ve likely already heard that a bowl of baking powder can help to get rid of some odours.
But if you don’t have that, coffee grounds do just as good a job, said Whirlpool.
“Coffee grounds contain nitrogen, which is great for neutralising odours. If you’re dealing with refrigerator odours, try placing a small bowl of coffee grounds in your fridge compartment,” their site reads.
“It will not only help absorb the odour but also leave behind a slight coffee smell.”
They do also reccomend vinegar for stronger smells, though we were dealing with a lingering, one-off scent remnant here rather than an ongoing smell issue.
And yes, old coffee grounds do the job brilliantly, as The Kitchn noted. Just make sure they’re dry; you can do that by placing them in a thin layer on a baking tray after use and waiting.
So far, it’s worked. A day after the Great Stink, our fridge is back to its normal aroma.
Anything else?
The Kitchn also recommended using their deodorising power on your hands.
“The next time your hands are stinky from cutting fish, onions, or garlic, wet them and then use the coffee grounds to scrub them,” they said.
One caveat, though: do this over a bin with its lid off rather than a sink, so the grounds don’t go down the drain.
Bengali (Bangladesh) · 
English (United States) ·