How to Make Your Refrigerator Smell Better with Vanilla Extract

Listen—we all have a little stink in our fridges from time to time. Whether you forgot you had those peppers in the back of the drawer (it happens) or your leftovers may be a little too left over…we get it. Baking soda is a staple fridge deodorizer, but it doesn’t exactly make the refrigerator smell good.

To freshen your refrigerator, try this simple trick that I found on the internet. All you need are cotton balls and vanilla extract. Yeah, it’s that easy!

How to Make Your Fridge Smell Better

First, grab a few cotton balls, your loyal bottle of vanilla extract and a small dish. Moisten the cotton balls with a few drops of vanilla, and then put them in the dish and place it on a shelf in your fridge.

Vanilla works wonders for getting rid of unwanted and musty smells. You can use it in your fridge, drawers, cupboards and car. It’s even an old real estate trick to pour a few drops of vanilla extract on a light bulb before turning it on! While highly aromatic, it’s never too overpowering.

Does vanilla extract work for smells?

You know I had to try this myself! I’m an avid user of baking soda. However, I’m always open to trying new things, and anything that includes a little bit of vanilla is right up my alley. So, drumroll, please—the results are in.

…It worked! It worked really well, actually. I used a single cotton ball with about four drops of vanilla extract and set it in the fridge for about three hours. When I came back, there was not a stench to be smelled. Honestly, I’m impressed! I highly recommend it.

Now, I just need to use this toilet paper trick to refresh my bathroom!