It can turn into a subzero cesspool.
People have a literal blind spot when it comes to cleaning their ice box: A UK influencer freaked out homeowners after detailing a little-known hole in their fridge that can get clogged with slime even if the rest of the appliance is spotless.
“Don’t forget to clean your hole,” cautioned Chloe in the caption to the clip, which boasts over 2.4 million views.
Known as the @TheSimpleMum on TikTok, the mother of two frequently posts both life hacks and vignettes detailing her family life to her over 80,000 followers.
For her latest video, the Brit decided to shed light on the fridge drainage hole, an oft-overlooked opening at the bottom that funnels defrosting runoff into a drain pan.
“I can’t be the only person who didn’t know you had to clean this hole in your fridge,” said Chloe, motioning to the gap in her icebox.
The mom-fluencer explained that she realized something was awry after getting “puddles of water down there for weeks,” which she showed in the footage.
“It’s this little hole,” Chloe described, poking at the drain. “The condensation drips down and gets filled with like slime and dirt and s–t.”
Indeed, his frigid drainage ditch can become blocked with food particles or other debris, resulting in the aforementioned overflow. This can prompt an accumulation of stagnant water and slime, which can result in unpleasant odors and can even compromise the unit’s cooling ability, according to UK cleaning service the Repair Network.
Needless to say, viewers were shocked over this gap in their refrigerator knowledge.
“Whaaat?!? I never knew this,” exclaimed one, while another wrote, “You literally saved my life???”
A third said, “I’m still trying to find my fridge hole.”
In a follow-up video, Chloe explained how she managed to remedy the issue by wiping the hole with a Q-tip and then extracting the gunk with a straw.
She also added a tiny bit of Zoflora to disinfect the icy irrigator and make it “smell a bit nicer.”
Meanwhile, repair experts at doityourself.com advise unplugging the appliance to avoid any electrical shocks, then clearing the obstruction with a plumber’s snake into it (a pipe threader reportedly works as well).
The homeowner should then clean it by pouring “about 1 teaspoon of baking soda down it, followed by 2 cups of warm water from a basting syringe,” per the site.
Next, it’s time to tackle the drain pan — the dish where the drain pipe empties its contents — which is accessed by removing the fridge’s front grill.
“Empty the drain pan of the baking soda solution, and clean the pan with warm water and a clean rag,” experts advise. “If you see any mold or mildew, you should remove it with a cleaning agent like vinegar.”
Once clean, reinstall the pan and the front grill plate, per the site.
“You can now turn the fridge’s electricity back on,” write the experts, who suggest repeating this process every two 2-3 months for optimal refrigerator performance.
