Internet Culture

‘If they don’t throw that damn fridge away’: Cleaner shows bug-infested fridge in viral TikTok—commenters call out ‘cheap’ landlord

‘I could smell it through the phone.’

Photo of Kathleen Wong

Kathleen Wong

fridge (l) hand reaching for fridge door (m) open fridge showing a bug infestation and rotten food (r)

A now-viral TikTok posted by a professional cleaner from the company Cleaned Thoroughly shows a bug-infested fridge containing spoiled food.

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The video was posted by @cleanedthoroughly on Feb. 1. “My very FIRST Job I had to turn down,” the caption says. “This was a issue for the apartment complex. The client went out of town for sometime, the complex had a power outage, it damaged her fridge & this was the outcome!”

@cleanedthoroughly

My very FIRST Job I had to turn down. This was a issue for the apartment complex. The client went out of town for sometime, the complex had a power outage, it damaged her fridge & this was the outcome! #cleaningtiktok #viralvideo #cleantok #cleaningszn #cleanin

♬ Angel – Sarah McLachlan

By Monday, the TikTok video about the nasty situation had over 2.6 million views.

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According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, perishable food should be thrown out after four hours without power or a cold source. Pests, like gnats and flies, can enter a fridge through cracks or crevices that are broken. They can also lay larvae, eggs, and cocoons.

In the comments of the video, one person called the fridge “a hazmat problem.” Another wrote, “Girl I used to work in property management if they don’t throw that damn fridge away.”

“Why not just throw the fridge out and get her a new one?” one TikToker commented.

“Girl I covered my nose with my shirt Like I could smell it through the phone,” another viewer said.

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“That fridge looks like it belongs in a haunted house,” one person wrote.

“Would this not qualify as a biohazard?” another added.

One commenter said the situation exemplified “cheap landlords.” “I bet u he [the landlord] cleans it & rent it still w the same [fridge],” the person wrote.

The Daily Dot reached out to Cleaned Thoroughly via text message.

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Update 6:32pm CT, Feb. 14: Jay, the owner of Cleaned Thoroughly, told the Daily Dot via text message that he “was floored” when he encountered bugs while walking into the apartment with the bug-infested fridge.

“I always ask for a video prior to arriving to a new client’s home but for some reason, didn’t ask this client,” Jay said. “This was a young renter who didn’t have any knowledge on going to the leasing office in certain situations. I assured her that it was an issue that was out of my hands, and something this horrific should be taken care of by the apartment complex.”

Jay added that he shared the video “to show people that things happen and that you shouldn’t be prideful to seek help as I do with most of my work.”


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