home Fix label Kitchen Appliances label_important Refrigerators category Beko

Why is my Beko larder fridge giving off a terrible smell of stinky cheese?

My fridge is clean but giving off a smell like parmesan cheese, it seems to be coming from the rear?

Dianne, April 2010

home Fix label Kitchen Appliances label_important Refrigerators category Bekodone

Thanks god for this thread. When the condenser fan died, thick ice developed in the fridge and it wasn't cold enough.
While in vacation, we took the week to defrost the unit, after cleaning the whole thing. Came back and the kitchen is full of rotten milk aromas, with hints of sewer. I took the back grill of (3 screws) to find the source of terror
I couldn't take this container-of-surprises out, and it was full to the top with utterly disgusting yellow-brown liquid, with colorful somethings floating inside.
At first I siphoned some of it with a drinking straw - got a drop of the horrid juice IN MY MOUTH BUGHHHHH but it took about third of the monstrosity out to some poor vessel.
I also threw in some citric acid to kill the stench, to no avail.
Reading here I twisted the thing out, breaking the tab (couldn't get my fingers to it and the condenser was so hot to touch). Only little of that hell-soup splashed out.
After washing in the bath and LOTS of solid disasters washed to the sewer, the thing sit in bleach until I find the guts to finish the treatment and put it back.
Thank you all for the technical support - and mainly for the moral support.
I hope Beko got some better design in their newer fridges - this design is horrible, and the manual say nothing about it. Never had such horrendous experience before with any fridge, what an utter disaster!

eau-de-Beko victim, May 2023

Thank the Gods I found this thread!!!
The smell from my fridge has been driving me nuts since December 2021. Long story short, gut feeling told me to move the fridge at 3.15am to an unused back bedroom. Sure enough, smell goes instantly from the kitchen and is now fouling up the room I've put it in. Found this thread, checked the back of the fridge..... the drip tray, which isn't mentioned anywhere in the manual, is screwed in.....I pulled a little at a side of the plastic and sure enough, a whole load of crap that I'm not looking forward to finding a way to clean. The above comments from over the years, it's going to help my case when I contact Beko. Sorry you've all been through this hell! It's vile. It seems Beko isn't listening to their customers. They will be soon though.

Deni Dee, May 2022

I have an older model Beko small fridge, awful cheesy, stink coming from blocked drainage hole, I’ve pulled the fridge out and cannot get the drip tray out from the back. There is no way to remove the “lug” as there is no room to manoeuvre. What a terrible design Beko, something which can be easily rectified. In older models of the Beko fridge, there is no way of removing it so I have spent my precious day off trying to clean the awful, putrid gunk from a badly designed, fixed, hard-to-get-to drip tray. I will think very hard about the drip tray situation when purchasing a new fridge next time! I would really appreciate Beko responding to all the people here about this design fault, with a promise to look into the design and make the drip tray more accessible & easy to clean!

Scubagirl, July 2021

For those having trouble removing the tray, don't rag on it/waggle it roughly because you could do some damage to the rest of the fridge and in my experience it didn't work anyway.

Best way is to force it as far as you can to one side, deforming the tray slightly. The clip should pop out.

Fridgemaster, April 2020

I can't believe this is still happening! Come on Beko - sort it out. I have just followed the advice on this site, wrenched out the offending tray and breathed a sigh of non-polluted air. Thank you everyone - what would I do without you!

Mary, January 2020

This site has been a big help. We bought our larder fridge in 2010 for a fitted kitchen, so it is encased and immoveable.

All was going well until we had a milk spill in the fridge just two days before the hottest recorded day on record in July 2019 [38.6C].

A couple of days later a horrendous smell enveloped the kitchen. We live in the country and muck spreading was proceeding in the nearby fields so we put it down to that. The smell persisted even when outside air was fresh, so we did the same as others on this site and cleaned and bleached the kitchen with an intensive effort. Sewage pipes were checked for leaks and the cats litter tray purified.

Whilst cleaning above the fridge the smell was noted as being particularly foul - so the penny dropped!
The instructions leaflet for the fridge barely mentioned the drip tray at the back of the fridge, suggesting it could be cleaned regularly. However, the fitted kitchen made this impossible, without dismantling everything with high risk of damage and breakage.

We then thought of cleaning the drip tray in-situ, but how? The only thought was to syphon off the foul liquid through the drain channel in the fridge.

My plastic tube, previously used for home brew - was the perfect fit. With great trepidation, the syphoning commenced, remembering that the outlet had to be lower than the level of the drip tray. After several efforts, the dark smelly liquid appeared in the tube and exited into a bowl, via ones mouth - ouch!!

What to do next to destroy the infestation? Thick undiluted bleach was dripped into the drip-tray through the hole in the fridge - and we crossed our fingers. So far so good.

At least we now know the problem, as evidenced by all your experiences - so many thanks.

SyphonAl, August 2019

I had the exact same problem and agree that this is a bad design. My husband managed to twist and pull the drip tray and it came off but required a bit of force. It is now thoroughly cleaned and my kitchen no longer smells like a sewer!! Thank you so much for the tips and advice.

Kaz, October 2018

Hi. thanks for the advice on how to remove the Beko drip tray. A pot of cream tipped over at the back of our 2017 Beko LX5053 fridge and drained down into the drip tray. A real stink after 3 days. Called Beko to ask how to remove the tray (nothing in the User Manual) but was told it couldn't on this model. After reading this thread (started in 2010!) I was able to remove it by firmly twisting and pulling the tray towards me. Place your knee against the compressor to avoid too much strain on it. It came off without breaking the plastic clip which goes through the hook on top of the compressor. Very disappointed that Beko haven't adapted the tray to make it easier to remove.

John, Hampshire, August 2018

We had the same prob. with help from above posts we managed to remove and clean the drip tray, it stunk to high heaven with yellowy gunge. cleaned and bleached the tray, refixed the tray, poured boiling water down drip hole and emptied tray again.
What a relief, I had spent a fortune on air freshners, and deoderises, steam cleaned the floor, scrubbed the floor. I thought it may have been a dead rat under the floorboards. Now hopefully everything will be sweet smelling.

2 ggs, July 2018

OMG thank you thank you thank you --- after pulling this Beko fridge away from the wall I see what can only be described as a slick of cheese with mould on it, which on prodding with gloved finger turns to pure liquid. After following all of your advice ( inherited fridge from friend as she had only had it for a few months) I eventually got said tray out of back - it is pretty much a slide clip so perhaps empty it as best as you can before attempting to pull this tray out otherwise...well you get the image right?

Thank you SO SO SO MUCH, you have no idea how much this site has saved my sanity and my gag reflexes.....

XX

Sam Cooper, January 2018

pull fridge out and there should be a tray to catch water ours was sat on top of compressor and was rancid bad design

michael, January 2018

I have this issue too... going to attempt to find the tray today!! Grrrrrrr!

JP43MH, January 2018

I'm having this problem right now, the smell is really bothering me. I can't get the tray out, I've tried. Cleaned the tray the best I could but I've went back into kitchen and the smell is there again .. Grr.

Lindsay, October 2017

OMG!! Foul smell in the kitchen getting steadily worse by the day though I have cleaned, recleaned, bleached and disenfectced the whole kitchen, cupboards and all within itself, eventualyl we detected smell coming from the drip tray behind the fridge freezer - the most horendous odour!!! - getting the drip tray off is no mean feat but got there in the end, now soaking in bleach!!! I now have a super clean kitchen but rather have done without this task especially on my day off! NOTE to BEKO - time to readdress this issue as its obviously a common fault!!!!!

Shelagh Ware, October 2017

The manual is incorrect so I called the Beko 'helpline'. They advised me not to remove the tray but instead try and clean it in situ. That's an absurd suggestion because the tray is not accessible for proper cleaning which is why I called them in the first place.

I used lots of kitchen roll and a handy basin to soak up the fetid water in the tray and then had to use brute force to get the tray off. This involved twisting it from side to side and pulling it towards me while lifting the back end up. There is a fishtail clip on the bottom of the tray fastening it to a square metal hoop on the top of the compressor and also additional glue sticking them together. First you'll hear the crackling as the glue separates and then a snap as the plastic clip breaks.

Be brave and persevere! You'll get there in the end and free the tray and you'll also free yourself from Beko's idiotic design and useless customer advice.

Peter, September 2017

I smell it too, like a dead mouse somewhere near the fridge (it's only 3 months old !!!)
Beko, DeadFridge2 out in the big scream...creazy

MRys, September 2017

have just read the replies to removing the drip tray and if you persist moving the tray from side to side while pulling really firmly it eventually will come loose

dan, August 2017

Thank goodness for this site like everyone else have been cleaning everything to try and eliminate smell never thought to look behind fridge have usually got strong stomach but sorely tested with this got tray out no problem and cleaned now back in everything smelling of bleach now . Huge sigh of relief to get problem sorted! Pulled out Beko freezer to check but thankfully all ok haven't had as long as fridge. Will know now to check periodically. Thanks everyone

Mags, August 2017

March 2017

Thank you to everyone for their advice. My problem has been solved due to cleaning out the disgusting so called trip tray - it was horrendous!! I couldn't remove the tray but managed to clean it out as best I could - took me ages! Beko will be receiving a letter from me tomorrow. I will NEVER buy a Beko product again and I will tell all my friends and family the same. Are Beko listening?

Annette - Isle of Wight, March 2017

over the last five days i have had the most horrendous smell which reminded me of sick in my kitchen. i have removed bins changed bin liners sniffed work surfaces until i have nearly gone crazy around the fridge and disinfected work tops floors fridge everything i could think of and the smell was still there. thank goodness i googled tonight and was able to see that i wasn't alone and it is the drip day at the back of the fridge. it was full of black slime and all sorts absolutely disgusting. after much pushing and pulling i managed to release it and it is now soaking in a bowl of bleach. goodness knows if it will go back.
fingers crossed the smell will be gone now !!!!

SALLY, February 2017

Well, it's taught me never to buy a Beko appliance again." Supperating wound stench" in a new kitchen is not the mood we were going for. We also managed eventually to locate the vile pong to the back of the fridge and couldn't believe the plague pit we found in the condenser tray which we could only remove by packing with kitchen towel repeatedly until dry then disposing of the contents in the nearest graveyard. I've never ever had this problem before with any fridge and it's a completely nuts design - must be a health hazard surely. Will now try to remove tray as per advice on this fantastic advice thread. Thank you everyone!

Janet Mullender, December 2016

Halleluiah!! Traced the stench to the back of the fridge and cleaned everything. Then resorted to googling 'cheesey smell from back of fridge' and found this page. Thank you so much. I have managed to remove the drip tray by just wiggling it gently from side to side whilst tugging and it came out - much to my husband's disappointment as he wanted to capture the moment on video! Contents were pretty disgusting but the tray is now soaking in disinfectant. Yay!!

Coralie, November 2016

Yep me too! Just spent the weekend going through the whole kitchen until pulling the fridge out and yes, there it was growing things previously unknown to science.
Thanks to previous contributors posts here managed to prise the tray out without slopping too much of the fetid soup and a quick dash outside to wretch and clear out the contents. I'll echo previous comments of the whole design, not just the fixing of the tray, but the design of the tray itself which makes it near impossible to clear the foul residue from out of the corners! Once clean and the short pipe cleaned with boiling water it all went back together fine. Just trying to rid my nostrils of the lingering odour.
Good luck fellow Beko owners!

Luke, October 2016

Probably drip tray. This is located on top of compressor at rear of fridge. Beko's instructions for removing it are rubbish. There is no lug to press down with a screwdriver. Take a firm grip on both sides and twist it back and forward whilst pulling it. It will eventually come loose. You will probably break one of the plastic lugs on the bottom of the drip tray but it will still slot back in easily. Clean the drain hole in the fridge with a baby wipe wrapped around a pencil then rinse through with boiling water. Good luck. No more Beko for me!

Jimmyboy, October 2016

Thank you all! We manged to clean it without attempting to get the drip tray off and the smell has gone. Only had this fridge a year or so, never known of it on any previous fridge. Will be writing to Beko.

Kate, August 2016

There is a special place in hell for whoever designed this idiotic contraption. Wish I could shove it under their bed clothes and watch them gag to death as they sleep.

Nose Gone Bad, June 2016

How very useful this advise is! We have been trying to find the smell for weeks. Having narrowed the it down to the back of the fridge and found the drip tray, we then discovered that our Beko handbook gave no instructions as to how to remove it.

I have now followed Duncan's suggestion (August 2011) and pared down the clip with a Stanley knife. The drip tray comes out easily with a firm pull.

Thanks for the help.

Roger, June 2016

Hello, I too have just encountered the stinky fridge of doom. After pulling the fridge away from the wall expecting to find a lifetime's supply of sweaty socks dumped behind there, or a deceased mammal, I chanced upon said drip tray. There is a hole inside the fridge which is connected to a tube behind the fridge. Any condensation or spilt fluids in the fridge go down this tube and on to the drip tray. As the tray sits on top of the fridge motor ( which gets hot ) theoretically, these spillages should evaporate. The problem is that things like spilt milk and other fluids give off the dreadful smell when heated by the motor. The tray is held on to the motor by a plastic tab on the tray, which pushes through a square hole on the motor. As the tab goes through the hole, two plastic prongs spring outwards, locking the tab in place. To remove the tray, pull off the plastic pipe, then wiggle the tray left and right pulling it towards you at the same time. Try and keep your other hand on the motor. Even if the tab snaps off ( unlikely ), this is not a problem as the tray will still go back in and could be held in place by a piece of tape if necessary. Clean the tray and re-fit. Don't forget to re-attach the tube. As suggested, add a little Dettol into the tray to help with any future problems.

Ronnie, June 2016

The responses to the Beko Drip Tray Situation deserve OSCARS at the very least. There was me thugging my way to a nasty shower and my 18 year old son saying, dad be careful, you might break it.' Bit of role reversal or exceptional training going on here I think!

Told to be careful by a teen, April 2016

We had the pleasure of this smell which gradually gained super stench over a couple of days...thought one of the kids had hid a crap in there under crackers and lashed it under the fridge...

Finally sniffed it out and struggled with the tray of terror eventually used shear strength and brute force to be peppered with can only be described as a cross between cat shit and a pint of milk from 1974...

Had to be placed in the recovery position by the wife for a couple of hours afterwards ..still suffer flashbacks

Tommy dick fingers, March 2016

Gradually over the last few weeks there's been an odour problem slowly developing in cookery corner, developing like rotting organs! Moved the Beko upright this morning - man once it was away from them wall it was like pouring vomit up your nostrils, a proper eye streaming, stomach clenching stinker! Found this site, and fortunately managed to wiggle of the offending tray and sort the problem. Unfortunately however unlike many on this site, and because of this site, I got to the problem to quickly, and Doris who was about to undertake a kitchen wash down akin to a chemical warfare attack, stood herself down, rolled another fag and flicked the TV back on! Cheers!

Pap de P, August 2015

Stumbled upon this site as a last resort. At last I have realised why my kitchen is stinking of vomit for the last few days. After accusing 2 sons and husband of spilling milk and not cleaning up properly (nearly resorted to using a lie detector!!) I have managed to clean the drip tray.
Beko clearly have a design fault and I have left a message on their Facebook page. Will be interesting to see if they respond.

Pam S, July 2015

Finally! I have re-cleaned and disinfected cat litter trays, bleached cupboards, washed every floor and working surface with Dettol, still I had the scent of dead rat. Eventually I stand on a chair (unsure why, since whatever was behind the fridge had to be almost fossilised!), pulled out the Beko fridge...nothing. Phew. Hang on, smell worse, if possible. Then noticed the tray! Googled 'how to remove tray at back of Beko fridge' and found all of you guys! Haven't managed to get the tray out yet, but time for a coffee whilst I ponder the problem.

Nicky K, July 2015

I Have had this smell for weeks, have scrubbed my kitchen including the ceiling but still it was there, seemed to be coming from behind fridge so finally pulled it out and found the tray of rusty looking water and luckily came across this site when I googled it so followed instructions, my tray came out easily, fingers crossed the smell has finally gone so thanks to everyone who took the time to write on here x

Dany, July 2015

Thank God I'm not the only one with this problem. Our frost-free fridge freezer stinks and it's quite new. We had an engineer come out, he changed a circuit board?? and told us to defrost it. (The fact that we paid an extra £200 for frost-free didn't seem to concern him). He cleaned the drip tray, we've defrosted it and it still honks. I have a nervous disorder and this is making me worse. I've had the tray out and cleaned it so many times but the smell is still so bad. Am I missing something? It's a Beko CA7015FFS. Oh, the irony of those last three letters!!

Manda, May 2015

I had the exact same problem, all weekend we kept smelling an "off" smell but couldn't pinpoint it - scrubed my kitchen twice but still the smell remained until my daughter said it was coming from the back of the fridge...i had moved it twice already to brush and clean the floor behind it but totally missed it!! Anyway, long story short this little plastic tray was funky smelling to say the least, I gently removed it, bleached and scrubbed it and put it back and no no more smell in my now pristine kitchen - so glad I found this thread on the web, an absolute life saver!!

Jess, May 2015

Beko BL21 Integrated fridge - had same problem with bad smell coming from drip tray. On this model the drip tray is at the front beneath the door. You have to remove front cover by unclipping from both sides and also remove plastic covers at both ends to reveal 2 screws which have to be removed to gain access to spill tray. Surely Beko should make buyers aware of this problem.

Martin, May 2015

I recently defrosted my fridge-freezer and despite throwing out the old food (which was not smelling) and cleaning the drawers and giving the freezer insides a wipe down which did not have any spillage on them that I could see or any bad smell at the time, when I put the freezer on again, the next time I opened the freezer door a few days later to put new food in an awful sour stench came out which lingered for over an hour even after closing the door. Now it has been closed for over 12 hours the smell cannot be detected but I dread opening it again and I suspect I won't be able to open any packets of food or the foul smell will surely taint them. I'll need to wait till my stomach is feeling stronger before trying to locate the drip tray to see if that is the culprit. Now that I think about it, an overripe cucumber leaked some fluid in the fridge recently prior to defrosting so maybe some got down into the drip tray and the freezing, defrosting and refreezing would have multiplied any bacteria that had got into the drip tray. I'll let you know if that turns out to be the explanation for the evil stench.

Naso Offenso Odore Frigorifici, February 2015

had my fridge freezer a few months and the same thing pulled everything out of kitchen to find it was the drip tray at the back rang beko (not a great deal of help) this has never happened with any fridge i have ever owned, i cannot remove the drip tray so sat on floor with a calpol syringe reaching at the same time surely this is just not right

tracy, February 2015

I suddenly noticed an awful cheesy, sour smell in my kitchen today when I got home from work and asked other members of the family if they could smell it. My son thought it was the piece of beef defrosting on the side for tea! He said he'd been smelling it all day! After sniffing round the kitchen for a while I worked out that it was coming from round the back of the fridge. Firstly, I thought it was overheating and then I discovered the drip tray (never noticed it before) and that the smell was wafting up from that. Hubby removed tray quite easily and and copious amounts of bleach and lots of scrubbing later, now my drip tray is like brand, spanking new!! Just not sure how never had the problem before as I've had the fridge for about 5 years!! I'm pretty good about keeping the inside clean so imagine that's why? Just glad I discovered this before, like others, I threw loads of food away, etc and couldn't stop laughing at other stories!

Cheesy fridge owner from Alderholt, February 2015

can't wait to get home and see if the disgusting smell in my kitchen is due to my Beko drip tray - exciting times!

kaz78, January 2015

Just thought I'd add, all my tray needed was a hard pull away from the fridge. No glue, just an arrow shaped lug clipping it to the compressor! One hand on compressor for safety, used the other to just slowly pull it towards myself and eventually it just popped out, also popped straight back in again! It's worth emptying the worst before you remove or you may get showered! =)

Simon Y, January 2015

manipulate the tray 90 degrees one way then put back in position, spin it 90 degrees the opposite way, do this 2-3 times then pull it out, a little bit of force is still required, the problem is the plastic fitting that keeps the tray in place, cut these off, and reinsert the tray, it should stay in position without any problems.

Jim Power, December 2014

Drip tray was full of `GUNK`........quite easy to do without removing the tray .essential eqiupment :-Bleach ,toothbrush,sponge, kitchen roll and cotton buds.
1.Put bleach in tray to loosen gunk.
2.Fill tray 1/4 deep with boiling water
3.Scrub with toothbrush.
4.Soak up liquid with sponge.
5.Clean corners with cotton buds.
6.Wipe clean with kitchen roll.
7.Put small amount of bleach down drainage hole.
and last but not least.....
8.Enjoy a nice fragrant kitchen again.

StinkyKitchen.com, December 2014

Same story as all the others. After two weeks' kitchen scouring and animal faeces searching, found the B.S.C. (Beko S**t Collector). Pulling hard on the drip tray it flipped out causing two problems. Firstly the retaining lug snapped. Secondly it showered me and the wife (torch bearer) with what can only be described as the liquefied septic pus of a not so recently deceased small mammal.
Still, had a good laugh reading through these posts. Every cloud, an' all that.
Compressor doesn't seem to start now, hoping it's because the fridge is already cold enough.

Desperate Dan, December 2014

My Beko LA120W is less than a year old, put a plastic milk bottle on it's side on a shelf (still sealed), it leaked everywhere. 2 days later the same smell experience as others. Same problem - drip tray. Beko say in their book to press down on the lug with the tip of the screwdriver, can I find a lug??? no picture in book and no indication where the lug is in or on the tray.

An engineer, November 2014

What a fantastic discovery!! We have had a foul smell in the kitchen for days. We have scoured everything and moved and cleaned behind and under all appliances - all to no avail. I thought I would put a question on Google in desperation as we are going away for a few days. We have had our Beko Larder Fridge for several years and never realised the tray could fill up with gunk. Managed to get it out with a struggle and it was horrendous. All cleaned now and back in situ although not firmly fixed. Probably just as well - will make it easier to get out next time!

David Mitchell, November 2014

I wish I'd seen this thread 2 weeks ago. I've turned the kitchen UPSIDE DOWN looking for the awful smell. Even the mouse that was living in the pantry has left. No joke. Will try the advice right now! ps Beko - it's not easy moving a fridge out of it's slot in the worktop to then find you still can't remove the tray!

CazzyG, November 2014

Awful design fault. Why isn't Beko being proactive on this ? Am going to tweet this. They clearly are not paying attention to this thread.

Tom, September 2014

Don't be afraid to use brute force. It appears to be the only way to get the tray out, but first get rid of as much gunk as you can. Firstly it is glued to the compressor so pull up hard to unstick it. Then rotate left and then right it should eventually come out.

Stinky fridge repair man., September 2014

Pour hot water thru the hole at is inside your fridge. This drip hole leads to drip tray at back of fridge were the problem lies and the smell is coming from. You can try but the drip tray won't come off. Leave water to loosen the crap that's in drip tray. Then tip the whole fridge on to one of the back corners with a bowl on the floor to catch the rotten water. Repeat until drip tray is as clean as you can get it

anne fraser, August 2014

Washed the dog blankets, cleared the fridge, washed wet towels and mopped the floor and still the smell persisted. What a horrible unearthly smell . We found a pack of cat food under the fridge and thought- that was it but no. The smell from the drip tray behind the freezer was overwhelming and after a struggle managed to remove said tray, empty it and gave it a thorough wash. Now we have a sparkling smell free utility room.

Daf, August 2014

Ok so on Tuesday morning I asked my mum had she thrown up in the kitchen. On Thursday morning my kids told her that the house smelt like a pig farm. She spent the day scrubbing the kitchen. Thursday evening I could smell feaces near the fridge. Pulled it out expecting a rotting body but nothing. Mum said I cleaned behind that today. Off to goggle we go. Thank god for this page. Pulled the drip tray out and OMG dead pig farm smell. Then started plunging and this red brown slime was in the pipe from the fridge to the tray. Recommend you soak strong kitchen roll in bleach and push through until clean. Happy cleaning people. Happy days!

laura, July 2014

Yet another stinky Beko fridge !!
The book of rules doesn't even mention the possibility of removing the overflow tray. Why on earth not ? Finally solved it's removal by brute force and ignorance - wiggling it (rotating it) from side to side and pulling hard and up at the same time, whereupon it shoots out ! Therefore it is advisable to sponge out any stinky liquid before splashing yourself with it ! We only got the courage to be brutal with it after reading of other people's remedies - Thank you.

Flyn, July 2014

I've been laughing for days since seeing the beko-overflow tray's plaudits so well portrayed. Our kitchen smelt like a shithouse for days. I went through everything until a sinking feeling told me to look behind the fridge. I expected a dead body, but found something much less human, though more sinister. Poison-cheese from hell. As a single mother, with no moral support, I felt traumatised by just looking at it. An hour later, after 2 pairs of rubber gloves, a calpol syringe, a tub of bleach, soaked towels, and a few vomits, I stood back and admired the results. If I can do that I can do anything, I thought....Until, that is, 2 days later, the smell came again. I faced the dreaded tray again, but it was clean, and I have no idea where this new cheesy pong is coming from. I am now going to look for a nice second-hand fridge. So traumatised I am by BEKO. Good luck everyone. You're much more tolerant than I am. But remember, good white goods are out there.

rat's cheese, July 2014

Beko integral b21 ?

Can anyone tell me where the drip tray is. I got the fridge out today and couldn't see it. Hence still living with the rancid smell. Help!!!!!

Jen, June 2014

I had the same mine was thick brown yummy smelly stuff made me urge and 4 weeks later the smell was back can't understand where it comes from ???

Valerie, May 2014

I've just had the same problem and couldn't remove the drip tray, but I managed to clean it out and left some nice smelling cleaner liquid it it. The smell was awful a cross between dirty nappy and parmasan cheese!!! Spent so long searching and scribing everything in the kitchen, like someone else I thought a mouse had got and died, actually a mouse probably wouldn't of smelt so bad. Hopefully it's sorted. Will never buy a beko again!!!

paula, May 2014

I couldn't clean my drip tray at the back of my fridge above the compressor easily. So... have put a little water in it with lavender and eucalyptus esential oils which I understand kill bacteria. Now when I walk into teh kitchen it smells better than it did before the fridge problem, using the tray as a scent difffuser. Can't believe there is such an easy solution!

Sue, April 2014

Thanks to everyone who responded to this issue.We had turned the room upside down looking for the source of the smell.Your comments helped us locate immediately .They also helped remove the tray as Beko, s instructions were hopeless.Kitchen now smelling sweetly thanks to you all for taking the time to respond.
Power to the People and hell mend Beko.

Ronnie, April 2014

Hi everyone and thanks for sharing your experience.
I had the same problem 6 days ago. I was convinced that I had a mouse hiding somewhere in the kitchen, until I discovered the source of the horrible smell.
I'm not too sure that everyone of you guys found something looks like white cheese or yogurt inside the dip tray. The smell made me sick and wished that I can escape of my house forever.
It is a fault in design and I strongly believe this issue needs to be reported to the consumer advice centre.
Thanks again for everyone and I'm looking forward to hearing from anyone who has seen the white stuff inside the dip tray.

Rafed, April 2014

I'm a student and never write on pages like this. I shouldn't really care about the state of my house at all but the smell in my kitchen was so foul. I had cleaned everything. THANK GOODNESS for this page! Never would have even known to look at the drip tray, I got it out no problem (just rotate it). Bleached the hell out of it and now the smell is all gone!

Mel, February 2014

Thank goodness for this page. Its took me three days to find tray on back of fridge! Was convinced something had died under units lol. Tray came out easily - only had to press down on clip and pull forward at same time. Smell gone already. Had my last fridge for 15 years and didn't have this problem x

Michelle, January 2014

Same thing ! Nearly tore tbe kitchen apart , looking for dead animals or cat poo . I've never smelt anything so vile . Thanks for posting everyone . What a terrible design of fridge . Melissa

Alan stockley, January 2014

Disgusting thought it was m feet lol but only wen I went in the kitchen oh well just had enough of cleaning n throwing food away n smell getting worse I look behind fridge!!!!! Yuk yuk yuk the smell was like bad rotten cheese n look down n there it was the dam tray... Horrible just pulled it out Didt care if I broke it n got lots of nice smelly fairy liquid in there first thn bleach it all n yes more nice smelly stuff anythg to get shut OF tht horrific smell n I thk it worked.... Only just sorted it.. n Defo Gona look for a new fridgefreezer not Beko!! Wished I kept my other one now tht never did smell ....

kelly, January 2014

I am currently wrestling with the drip tray to remove it. The stench is horrific but thanks to all the stories will now apply brute force to remove it while still laughing

Tracy Hall, December 2013

Clearly a design flaw - any household appliance that self-generates dinosaur shit has got to be wrong. Brute force and ignorance, wiggling and screwdriver leverage got the drip-shit receptacle out. Duck tape, as used on Apollo 13, firmly secured it, once more. So now, finally we have an odour free, space age kitchen.

P & K Squires, December 2013

wow I do wish I had googled this problem this morning! I noticed a slight smell, but no one else could smell it. I spent the whole morning throwing away all the food in the fridge, scrubbing it and cleaning the kitchen. I went to my part time college course and was convinced I could still smell the awful smell. Got home and the kids were sat in the living room with their jumpers over their noses. The smell was taking over the whole of downstairs, I thought the cat had bought something in which had hidden away and died. I have dragged the fridge out as I was going to throw it in the garden and order a new one first thing tomorrow, when I noticed the drip tray, all mouldy and full of stuff that looks like fat and milk, and sick... I tried to get the tray off, but started retching when my finger slipped into the gunge so I'm now having a look here, before trying again (with rubber gloves, a peg and some yankee candles to mask the smell). I won't be replacing this one with another beko, that is for sure!!!!

lou r, November 2013

Oh my god... Firstly thank you all so much for confirming the awful stench in the house and secondly for making me laugh with all the stories!! I am so so glad I am not the only one who has experienced this horrific smell! In our household the culprit was rats! That's right we were convinced we had rat wee in the ceiling!! After a whole week of rat traps, bait and filming in the loft, under floorboards and in the kitchen ceiling (through the extractor fan hole which we had to take apart) we found absolutely nothing.... Today we located the disgustingly mouldy drip tray at the back of the fridge.... POOOOOO!! We attempted the 'lug' which made no sense, then came on here to discover yanking it out was the best option, so thank you for all your ideas and comments, I can now sleep peacefully knowing that In fact we are not infested with rats :)

Sel, November 2013

Thanks for this site. I was tearing the kitchen apart, blaming the cat, husband for bringing something in on his boots, thought something had died behind the units but it was the drip tray on Back of the fridge. What a terrible bit of design, it was covered in thick green blue mould. Got to be a health hazard. Helluva game to get the tray off. But sorted now thanks!

Jill, October 2013

Thank you all very much
Had the same problem and after a day cleaning the whole kitchen decided is the fridge,google it and found this page

Problem solved but will need a bit longer to get that horrible smell out of my nouse

Elena, September 2013

Had the same problem in my house too.. Its taken a week to find the stench and 2 hours wrestling with the drip tray to remove it but at last the smell of a dead body has gone ... YIPEEEE !!

Joyful Jayne, September 2013

Oh god thank you for you're help. Just annoyed that we had it almost clean before we found this site

Carol, September 2013

I am currently dealing with this issue, as well. Finally discovered the issue last night. It smells like a sinus infection....totally gagging me out. Tried removing the tray but cannot get the blooming thing out! WHY, BEKO?! WHYYY have you made it so difficult to remove? Rethink this design flaw, for the love of pete! I suppose I will have to look up the images so I can try again because, despite my best efforts last night with an old toothbrush, I can still smell that stank in the kitchen this morning.

YankyMom, August 2013

THANK YOU THANK YOU To anyone who has posted on this site.
I struggled with the bad smell , had kick plates off the kitchen units, nearly wore my worktops away cleaning them, had floorboards up in pantry, had vynil up on kitchen floor. Three bottles of disinfectant later decided it was the fridge. On the verge of buying another saw your web site. Couldn't get the drip tray off but managed to clean it out ( 2 hrs ). Bingo the smell has gone.

Maureen, August 2013

Just had an awful smell in the kitchen like poo!

Checked the tay sitting on top of the fridge's condenser and found it thick with black gunk and mouldy water.

Wrestled the white drip tray back and forth, left and right and it came out. The lid to the lug broke off but once cleaned it went back very easily.

Terry W, August 2013

Mine has been doing the same. I didn't know what it was until I read this. I thought the stench was something dead in the kitchen! I managed to get the tray off by just wiggling it side to side, then pulling it forward. The stench has now gone. I put a capfull of disinfectant in the tray to hopefully reduce any future stinks. I have never had a fridge do this before. As for the mysterious lug the manual talks of...?

Steph Sutcliffe, July 2013

Thanks for advice everyone didn't know how much longer i could cope with the cheesy foisty smell! Was blaming the cat thinking he had brought some 'kill' in n stashed it somewhere....anyway i managed to remove the drip tray easily (been very forceful) n found brown sludge caked inside...left it to soak in a mild bleach solution then placed the end of the pipe in a jug n poured hot soapy water from the inside drainage hole...water drained through with a few black flakes but i thought surely that cant be all?! So i then removed the pipe altogther and gave it a good wash in the sink running hot water through n swishing about to release the dirt...LOADS came out!!!!!! Have dried and replaced everything n the smell definately has improved .....hopefully by the morning it will have gone completely

Tia, July 2013

Just done this myself, as Desmodo says if you pry the tray up with and look under with a torch there's three plastic tines going back thorough a metal loop, by prying deep between the outer two ones and the metal with a thin electrical screwdriver the clip can be freed off OK. Doing a google image search for 'Beko drip tray' should find a picture of one to get some idea of what to aim for. And carefully trim the plastic barb to make it easier to pull off in future.

smileypete, June 2013

yes. Same problem. Thought is was a dead body.
Thanks all.

Sadie, June 2013

We have just spent ages trying to locate the sour milk smell in the end we tried Google and hey presto it was the number one choice and my problem was solved in a flash. Thanks for your help all you cheesy Beko owners. Great site very helpful

Dianne, May 2013

what a palava drip tray was winning the battle, gave up 0nce and got sore fingers and knuckles trying to clean it out, thank god for this site, have now managed to get it out turning 90 degrees as someone said, what a terrible design and your right, the smell is absolutely disgusting !!!

Gidge f, April 2013

Same problem, cheesy stink in kitchen traced to drain tray at back of Beko LA620 fridge. Next problem: how to get the drain tray off, as on this model there is no lug as described in the user manual. The tray is held by a barbed plastic clip under the tray which fits through a metal loop on top of the compressor. This design is faulty as the barbs do not allow the clip to be freed. So pull hard on the tray whilst twisting it carefully to the left and right. The barbs will eventually slip past the end of the metal loop and the tray will come off. Alternatively bend the tray up and push a screwdriver in between the metal loop and the the sides of the clip then pull. Tip: before putting the tray back in, trim back the edges of the barbs on the clip so that it can pull off more easily next time.

Desmondo, February 2013

hello,
we just had the same problem with our fridge as well, and gosh does it stink....we went smelling behind the fridge but as the tray sat on the black condensor cldnt really see the black stuff in the tray but with the help of all these suggestions online we were able to take it out and clean it. After cleaning out the awful tray with a lot of bleach, the smell did recede but it takes a long time for it to go away. Thank you everyone for all these comments....

Jhonny, January 2013

I came across the same thing was told by every enginner that the problem was gas was just about to throw the thing away when my friend put me on to a company who service the london area www.agsrefrigeration.co.uk they didnt even bother to turn up the guy told me over the phone exactly what the problem was.

Karen, January 2013

All these responses are correct.
You have to wrestle with the drip tray thing a little, then clean in bleach. Replace. Get a straw, a bacterial wipe and clean out the outflow pipe inside fridge and pour in some bleach. Leave for an hour. Then clean out drip tray again, wipe all clean and replace. Happy days, Beko your products stink even when cleaned up due to your shite design....!

Geoff, November 2012

as above excellent answer ended a 3 day stink in my kitchen. Poor eldest got the blame for have an un tidy room! man did that thing stink. Thanks for very helpful advice on how to remove tray as i was pulling n getting no where.

Jamie, October 2012

Thank you soo much!!! 8 months pregnant and a stinky kitchen wasn't working out too well for me, thanks to your posts we were able to get the drip tray out and can once again relax!

Stressed mum2be, September 2012

What a bad design!!!
There will be a build up of horrible bacterial sludge in the drip tray at the back of the fridge, located just above the compressor.
Hold you nose and then...................
Locate drip tray at back. Turn left 90 degs, right 90 degs back to the middle and pull hard, believe me it works. Scrub all the horrible muck out in a solution of bleach until the tray is clean. Pour a solution of bleach down the overflow pipe, whilst the pipe is in a bowl!!. Get another pair of hands to put their thumb over the pipe and then fill to top. Insert a straw and wiggle up and down a few times. Take thumb from bottom of pipe and let flow into bowl (you will see some horrible stuff discharged). Repeat a number of times until the pipe runs clear. Clean inside of fridge with a weak bleach solution and all should be good!

Porkie Yorkie, August 2012

Thanks to this site I have managed to remove the drip tray with the offending smell ( due to milk I'd spilled and had gone down the drain hole without me realising it )I didn't break anything which was my worry. It was a struggle, but I got there. I managed to loosen the tray then worked at it until it move more easily. I did use the screwdriver to prise underneath it when there was room to do so. I took some pictures but not sure if I am able to download them onto here. But for you who are worried about breaking anything, there is nothing to break. Returning the cleaned tray was a doddle !!

Lorena, August 2012

I had the same problem, over the last couple of days I noticed an awful smell coming from behind the fridge. I was really anxious about what I would find when I pulled out the fridge, and like others, found the tray of putrid liquid in the drip tray. I no longer had the manual but thanks to some suggestions here, I just used force to twist the tray left and right. I have no idea how anyone would be able to get it off using the clip underneath! Thank you to all who posted here, because despite the bad design I was able to rectify the problem!

Claire, July 2012

I have just had the same issue. Really bad smell, traced it to the drip tray at the back of the fridge.
After soaking the water up so I could try and remove the tray, I then realised that the drip tray was sandwiched between the main body of the fridge and the compressor.
The back of the fridge is damaged and I can see the fridge lining. Not impressed as I had to Have some work done on the fridge soon after purchasing it. And the so called BEKO engineer must have damaged the back of the fridge.

Russ, May 2012

Drip tray stinks and packaging not removed. Disgusting smell, terrible design and useless instructions for trying to remove drip tray, bad design of drip tray with all those nooks and crannies, not impressed at all, instruction manual needs re-writing and drip tray design needs re-designing, how on earth did this design get through?? Absolutely amazed! Never had this problem on any other fridge freezer, why on earth the smell, must be some reason!!!

Carolyn Gyseman, May 2012

Just managed to get mine off, didn't take too long and I didn't break the lug. I wiggled the tray to the right and left a few times and pulled forward as I was doing it. I used the internet (with no joy) to find out what this 'lug' looked like - to try and work out where to place the screwdriver (following the user manual). Think the instructions are slightly misleading .. even with it off I don't understand how a screwdriver could help!!

Lucy D, February 2012

The drip tray at the back needs cleaned! It is the white tray on top of the refrigeration unit. Just move the tray from side to side putting pressure on each side as u move it. Never bothered trying to locate the lug as the manual said. Clean it in a mild bleach solution dry and replace hopefully that will solve your niffy fridge worked for us.

cocktailqueen, February 2012

Going on the experiences of Beko owners on your website I found the awful smell at the fridge to be coming from the drip tray which contained putrid liquid. After suffering bleeding fingers in trying to locate the 'lug' in Beko's instructions I twisted the tray,pulled it out and cleaned it. The 'lug' is broken but so what! what remains of it allows the tray to sit on the compressor until the next time! Some design!

Sam Anderson, February 2012

I broke the tray out on reading the instructions (rotate left and right 45 degrees) however it then doesn't stay in properly. I managed to make a strap with some paracord however I would advise that when you have gotten it out (if the clip isn't destroyed) then put it back as it is without further damaging the clip.

Rich, January 2012

to remove the drip tray (and allow you to scrub it out): it is held on by a clip which is behind the mid point of the tray. You can get the tip of your finger onto it. The clip has a catch on each side, you can push it down but that therefore doesnt release it. I simply pullled ant twisted it both ways, which deformed the clip and then it released. before putting it back I partially cut off the two side catches with a knife, this now allows a firm pull to get it off next time. i dont think its designed to be removed atall!!

duncan, August 2011

Brute force and ignorance. Hold condenser and twist tray 90 degrees left then 90 degrees right pulling at the same time and then as another poster said cut off the arrow lug. The insructions from Beko are completly misleading and both design and instructions need sorted.

Donald R, August 2011

Yes agree with the other comments. I managed to get the drip tray off. Be rough with it and push the white slider down.

Kev, June 2011

Hi There !
After doing a bit of googling..i realised that many people are having the same problem.Thank God for that.. I have recently done up my kitchen and paid a bomb for all my new appliances like my BEKO CDA 565 FW frost free..so the thought of having to replace anything in less that 6 months was quite frightening.

My partner and I struggled with the "lug" but we did manage to get the drip tray out after really tugging at it for a good while..You must push down hard as it is like a U-shaped clasp clipped onto the compressor. I have since scrubbed it with a hot water and a little diluted MrMuscle..and also poured some hot water down the drain hole on the inside of the fridge.

I did not see much dirt or grime as i had hoped but instead only just a few traces of dirt came out. I cant believe a fridge can smell so bad from the outside and not have any trace of it on the inside.

Anyway i have since let it rest for about 4 hours and now put it back in its position.. the smell has reduced very slightly but i am waiting for the stench to completely pass.

Tany, May 2011

There is no "lug" to be pressed down. The catch underneath needs to be pushed in from the sides. If you lift the front you can get a screwdriver underneath and push the sides in. It's worth breaking the catch while your there so its easier to get on and off in the future

andy, April 2011

I wasn't able to remove the drip tray. I would suggest an improvement to the design Beko. If there is a release latch Houdini himself would struggle with it. Wet wipes and toothbrush being used now.

steve, February 2011

It is highly likely the white plastic drip tray situated at the bottom at the back of the fridge is the culprit.

This needs to be removed and cleaned regularly with a mild solution of bleach and hot soapy water then rinsed and dried.

To remove the tray, first unplug the fridge, then locate the raised rectangular area in the centre of the plastic tray. You will need to go down on your hands and knees to see and locate this. Once located, slide your hand inside on top of the white tray then push the plastic lug located inside the rectangle area towards the back, down firmly with your finger. This actiion releases the tray. Then whilst still holding the lug down, pull the plastic tray out towards you. Wash and clean the tray then replace by lining the lug up with central holding clip, then press the lug down so that it goes through the holding clip and slide the tray back into place.

Joan, January 2011

Had the same problem and eventually found the source was at back of fridge where the water drains when defrosting there was rotten cardboard that must have been from when it was delivered. Make sure you get it all out and the smell will disappear.

maureen, December 2010

I have once again used weak bleach solution. This time I poured some into the drain hole from inside and then, because of the difficult access to the hole from the rear with the radiator mesh in the way, squirted more weak solution into the hole and onto some of the exposed insulation. The smell has almost completely gone now after 36 hours.

Kevin G, October 2010

I have exactly the same stinking smell from my beko f/f. Only difference is I've located the smell not from the drip tray but from the small hole at the back of the unit where the pipe emerges. I don't know if defrost liquid has drained into the insulation or not. I did squirt a weak bleach solution in there and reduced the smell but have not completely cured it. I would still like further advice myself.

Kevin G, October 2010

I have the same problem had to switch fridge completly off and store food elsewhere , awful smell !
Can somebody please advise how to get rid of smell .

Philippa, October 2010

I have just spent the last three hours on mine! I couldn't work out how to remove the drip tray either - I suspect you need to have hands the size of a three year old to do so! - unfortunately my neighbour wasn't willing to lend me hers! By tilting the fridge forwards and resting the rear feet on a couple of thick books, I slid a shallow dish under the fridge and irrigated the drip tray with water allowing it to run out to the right (as you're looking at the back) to avoid it running over the electrics.... lots of water later and lots of scrubbing with a toothbrush and a final scrape around with vinegar and kitchen towel to get the final bits out, it now smells a whole lot better... still slightly frowsy but I hope that will dissipate....

Ruth D, May 2010

I have the same problem exactly. I think the drip tray at the back beside the condenser needs removed,but I haven't managed to get mine out as I can't find the "lug" mentioned in the handbook. I have tried to clean out the tray in situ but I fear there is putrid water in the unit below. The smell is awful like stinking cheese and I am about to switch the fridge off completely! This is the second time in two years I have had a foul smell from the tray and surrounding area. Good luck! Maybe Beko could give us the magic answer!

Winnie Mac, April 2010

link Click here to see other fixes for Beko.