How do you clean yours?

I frequently have to soak up the flood at the bottom of my fridge, which can lead to a horrible smell. However it does not seemed to be linked to a blockage in that hole you all describe. It seems to be caused by items touching the back of the fridge and causing running water which the hole cannot deal with.

Thank you all. I did wonder about cotton buds, but wasn't sure if they'd be long enough. I'm now wondering if I need to get husband to pull the fridge out and see if their is actually a collection tray that needs to be emptied.

The drain snake seems like one of those gadgets that you really should have, but one that you don't realise how useful they are until you need one - and haven't got one.

I use a cottonbud thing

A drain snake apps £5 from a hardware shop or amazon online.
Every home should have one as they work on sinks too.

What ?!

Farmor, I found out about the pesky little hole with my old fridge in exactly the way you describe. The fridge was well over 25 years old at the time and it had never happened before. OH Googled the problem and discovered about the drainage and we cured the problem temporarily with a wooden skewer and lots of paper towel to absorb the gungy water in the tray. After that, we had to clear it every few months. Ugh.
I replaced the fridge when we moved so the current one is only a little over 2 years old but I noticed this morning there seemed to be some water in the bottom so guess what tomorrow's job is?
By the way, Jane, there are still loads of non-self-defrosting fridges on sale although why you'd buy one is beyond me!

Thank you scribbles, mine is an automatic defrosting fridge, I will have to have all the drawers out to try and find it lol!!!

I use a cotton wool bud. Works well.

But I never defrost either! I never have. Somehow the food stays cold enough. I remember my mother faffing about with bowls of boiling water and towels along the front of the fridge though. I thought defrosting fridges was a thing of the past.

GrannyGravy, it depends what type of fridge or freezer you've got. If it's a self-defroster, then it will have the irksome little drainage channel which, as Nanagem says, always gets clogged up at the most inconvenient possible time. If you have the sort of appliance that you have to defrost, you'll never be troubled by the wretched little hole.

I’ve used a number of the suggestions given. Sometimes the twisted kitchen roll doesn’t go down far enough so some kind of flexible wire is better.
These type of fridges are meant to be ‘self defrosting’ and the melted ice from back of fridge is supposed to drip down hole at back, into a tray on top of motor, and then evaporate.
OK in theory, but if some food item gets pushed to back of fridge, or a small spill, it can stick and freeze onto wall. Then in defrost cycle, will flow down and block hole. Or, it can end up in evaporation tray at back.
Last year I was trying to track down a horrible smell in kitchen and eventually pulled fridge right out. Found plastic tray full of gungy, smelly water. Nowhere in instruction manual did it suggest that this might have to be emptied or cleaned, or that it even existed!

Not sure I have one, I shall look for it one day!!!!

I use to use a cocktail stick or wooden kebab stick, then I found a small double pointed knitting needle does the trick, I keep it in the cutlery draw in a plastic bag so it’s always handy. The silly thing alway blocks up at the most inconvenient times, just when you really don’t need another job.

I use a straw on mine it works fine.

No. Blessed are the fridges without the hole thingy at the back, for they shalt not give you watery shelves and a soggy bottom. ( Twists of kitchen roll for me too. )

Phew I haven't got one either. Oh no. Should I be worrying?

I shove a bendy straw down my fridge thingy , it clears it in one go

I also do not appear to have one. One less thing to clean.

I don’t have one. Should I have?

Don't think I've got one.

Just going to look and see if my fridge has such a thing!

Pipe cleaners

I must have a look. I clean my fridge shelves all the time but never noticed one.

Here's a though. I wonder if an inter-dental brush would work. I've got some of those, so might try it.

Mine is often blocked, so the bottom is awash with water. It has a plastic stick thing in the little hole that you are supposed to wriggle to unblock it. I can't remove it, and wiggling it around the hole does absolutely nothing. You cannot put anything else in there as there isn't room. DH sometimes cleans it out by squirting water into it, I've never tried his method!
I'd like a new fridge, but it's part of a built-in unit so it might prove difficult.