Last night, I reached for a pepper in my fridge only to be greeted by splashback. As I slid out the salad drawer, water splashed me in the face and trickled down the door of my freezer. On closer inspection, there was a distinct puddle under both salad drawers, so severe that they may as well have been floating! I knew the condensation was bad, but I had no idea it was this bad.
Thinking back, the same thing happened around this time last year – I ended up soaking a couple of towels in the fridge as a temporary fix. Condensation always seems to get worse in the summer when our refrigerators need to work harder, but why is this and what can we do to put a stop to it? We asked Jade Golding-Gault, expert at AO.com, if she could break down what’s happening here and give us quick, effective solutions to a soggy fridge.
Why is there so much condensation in my fridge?
Before we get into the solution, it helps to know why this problem is so bad in the summer months.
‘When temperatures and humidity levels rise, fridges have to work harder to maintain a cold internal temperature’ says Jade. ‘And every time the door is opened, warm, moisture-laden air enters the appliance. As that air cools, it turns into water droplets, which is why many households notice more condensation than usual.’
The air is generally more humid when it’s hot. It encourages evaporation and holds more moisture than cooler air. Once that air gets into your fridge, the vapour turns into condensation on contact with the cold surfaces. That’s why the condensation is so bad right now – every heatwave introduces more moisture.
How can I stop condensation in my fridge?
Soaking up the excess is only a temporary fix – you need to find the source of the problem and remove that. One quick fix that takes seconds is cleaning the drain hole.
Jade continues: ‘If moisture starts turning into puddles, particularly underneath drawers, the first thing to check is the fridge’s drain hole. Most fridges have a small drain designed to carry condensation away, but if it becomes blocked by food debris, water can begin to collect at the bottom of the appliance. Regularly clearing the drain hole can help prevent water building up.’
Your drain hole can be found at the back of the fridge. It’s usually just above the salad drawers and there may be a ledge leaning into it to drain any moisture. You can clean this quickly by removing obvious blockages (such as packaging or food debris) while wearing rubber gloves. Just make sure not to push any obstruction further in.
For a deeper clean, you need to remove the food from your fridge (store it temporarily in cooler bags), switch off the fridge, clear any blockages (pipe cleaner brushes or cotton earbuds work well for this), then flush the pipe through with 500ml of warm water. If your drain hole has a plastic plug, that should be removed and washed, too.
If your drain hole looks perfectly clear and you’re still having issues, Jade has more tips: ‘Another common culprit is the door seal. If the gasket is damaged, worn or not sitting properly, warm air can continually enter the fridge, introducing even more moisture. A simple trick of placing a piece of paper in the door and seeing if it stays or falls out is an easy way to check for gaps.’
Try to assess how well the fridge seal grips the paper by giving it a tug. If it comes away easily, that’s a sign that it’s not as airtight as it should be. If the seal isn’t effective, it’s going to make the fridge work harder and run up higher energy bills, so this needs addressing and replacing. You can use the same test on your freezer, too.
‘How you load your fridge can also make a difference,’ says Jade. ‘Overfilling shelves restricts airflow, making it harder for cool air to circulate evenly and increasing the likelihood of moisture build-up. Keeping the fridge organised and avoiding overcrowding can help it perform more efficiently, especially during hot weather.
‘It’s worth also checking the temperature settings. A fridge should ideally be set to around 4°C. Setting it colder than necessary can lead to unnecessary freezing and condensation, while keeping the correct temperature helps the appliance run as efficiently as possible.’
My mum recently found a frozen cucumber in her fridge and she too complains about condensation, so the above makes sense. As soon as the door opens and the hot air enters the fridge, the frost quickly turns to water and makes matters worse. It’s also worth adding that you shouldn’t put hot food in the fridge – otherwise the steam adds to condensation and will increase the overall temperature of the appliance.
So, to sum up, if you want to keep condensation at bay, you need to consider the settings and organisation of your fridge as well as the maintenance of cleaning out the drain hole, which we recommend doing every three months or whenever you spot a blockage. Do all this and soggy salad drawers will be a thing of the past!
