Simple trick to stop your fridge from smelling bad

Fridges are designed to be stocked full of food so naturally can begin to smell bad with dirt buildup. Photo / Getty Images

By Imogen Blake

Fridges can smell badly if we don't clean them out often enough.

But sometimes even a thorough wipe-down isn't enough to banish the bad smell entirely.

A handy household hack though guarantees to get rid of disgusting odours from your appliance for good, reports the Daily Mail.

And all you need is a very common and cheap item that everyone has lurking in the back of their cupboards somewhere.

Bicarbonate of soda is the secret to an odour-free fridge, according to cleaning experts at Good Housekeeping Institute.

If the fridge is starting to smell, the cleaning gurus recommend wiping down the shelves with a solution of 15ml (or 1 tbsp) bicarbonate of soda to 1 litre of warm water.

A sterilising fluid would also work.

However to keep smells at bay forever, there's another trick that uses the common household item.

Simply leave an open container of bicarbonate of soda inside the fridge - ideally somewhere where your family won't accidentally eat it.

It will last for three months, so it may be a good idea to date the container so you know when to replace it.

The best way to prevent your fridge from smelling however is simply to clean it often by wiping down all surfaces with a damp cloth before drying with a dry cloth.

The outside can be cleaned with a solution of washing up liquid - but just use a damp cloth on any metal parts.