The 2-Ingredient Pantry Cocktail That Eliminates Bad Fridge Smells

A stinky fridge is an unpleasant kitchen companion. No one loves opening the door to grab a snack only to be blasted with a nose-ful of last night's leftovers, right? While you might have heard about the deodorizing powers of baking soda, it's not the only ingredient in your kitchen that you can use to halt a ripe stench in its tracks. The next time you need to freshen up your fridge, reach for some coffee grounds and salt instead.

This mixture is beyond easy to use. First, as described by TikTok's Anna Knows, get yourself some ground coffee (which is great to have in the kitchen for a deliciously fresh-tasting cup of joe, anyway) and table salt. Mix about a tablespoon of each together and place the mixture in the center of a piece of aluminum foil. You want to sandwich the mixture inside of the foil, creating a little pouch by folding the sides together and then folding the edges over to seal it shut. Poke several holes in the pouch and you're done! You can make a few of these to stick in different areas of your fridge, and it should smell fresher by the very next day.

Let's take a look at the science behind using coffee as a deodorizer. Coffee grounds contain nitrogen, and that's a powerful ally in odor absorption. It does well with strong sulfuric smells, like the kind that comes from rotten eggs, but it can also handle a particularly stinky meal or some spoiled milk. On top of that, it leaves behind the pleasant aroma of coffee in its wake thanks to the natural oils of the coffee beans that linger in coffee grounds. The best part? You can reuse old grounds rather than sacrificing fresh grounds intended for your precious morning brew. Just make sure to dry them before use.

As for salt, this all-purpose staple of the kitchen has a neutral pH level. Not only does this make it great at absorbing moisture in the air (a common ingredient in the recipe for a stinky fridge), but it also neutralizes some of the odor-causing compounds floating around. In short, it zaps the stink right out of the air rather than just masking it. With these two powerful ingredients combined, the smelly molecules in your fridge end up trapped and removed completely, leaving you with that fresh-smelling fridge you've been missing.