Soak a cotton swab in vanilla and place it inside the refrigerator or freezer with the door closed for 24 hours to tackle lingering odors

We've all been there. You open the fridge and find a smell you don't recognize. Is it Sunday's leftover pad thai? Half an onion from last week? Something a roommate promised they'd clean up? You close the door, vow that you'll clean it this weekend, and open a browser tab looking for a quicker fix.

There's never a shortage of shortcuts. One particularly surprising suggestion comes from a food safety guide about cleaning and sanitizing the kitchen. According to a University of Illinois article, you can soak a cotton swab in vanilla and leave it inside your refrigerator or freezer with the door closed for 24 hours to help eliminate unwanted odors. It's easy and, compared to sniffing around the fridge while holding your breath, a downright pleasant task. But the guide goes into far more detail about what's really going on in the fridge that's causing the smell, so let's see what the experts say, and what your sweet-smelling fridge can't promise you.

Vanilla is one option on a longer list


The guide lists vanilla as the final entry in a set of four odor-removal options. As per the University of Illinois article, the other three are wiping the appliance with equal parts vinegar and water to destroy mildew, leaving rolled-up newspapers inside the appliance with the door closed for several days before attempting to clean, and leaving a large, shallow container of fresh coffee grounds or baking soda inside the fridge. The swab is only the garnish.

The slightly critical part? The guide doesn't state whether the vanilla neutralizes odors or merely covers them. Nor are there many published tests of the swab as a specific method, so it's best to file it in the 'household tip' category. What the guide does suggest, however, is that you should clean shelves, drawers, and other removable parts by hand in hot, soapy water and throw out spoiled or questionable food. It also suggests keeping perishables in a cooler place while you clean, instead of leaving them out on the counter. A smell is usually a symptom. Vanilla treats the symptom, and scrubbing treats the cause.

Your nose is a terrible food safety inspector

This is perhaps the most vital point. According to the USDA's Food Safety and Inspection Service report, the bacteria most likely to quickly multiply between 40°F and 140°F generally don't have an obvious effect on how food looks, smells, or tastes. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration says something similar. According to the FDA, food can still make you very sick even when it doesn't look, smell, or taste spoiled, because the bacteria responsible for foodborne illness are different from the spoilage bacteria that make food "go bad."

The unglamorous stuff that actually counts

The least exciting advice can sometimes be the most useful. According to the FDA, the longer your refrigerated ready-to-eat food sits, the more chance there is for Listeria to grow, especially if your fridge doesn't run colder than 40°F. The agency also suggests you should be on the lookout for mold, which can develop even under refrigeration, and that the safest course of action is to discard moldy food.

Meanwhile, according to the USDA's Food Safety and Inspection Service, an open box of baking soda on a shelf can help keep your fridge smelling fresh. It also suggests avoiding solvent cleaners, abrasives, and other harsh cleansers, which can leave a chemical taste on food, ice cubes, or damage the interior finish. Whatever you do, the University of Illinois Extension suggests referring to your appliance's manufacturer for instructions on using any cleaner.

So, should you try the swab? Well, it's a simple, low-effort process that won't hurt if you're looking for some extra help, but it's best to treat it as the frosting on the cake and not your primary cleaning method. Clean the fridge first, toss out the food that needs tossing, and make sure the appliance is at the right temperature before attempting to mask any smells with vanilla.