But this determined mum was about to get her answer from a coworker… literally.
While on a break at work one morning, Michelle mentioned to her coworker Nadia — who had spent ten years in commercial food service before switching careers — that she was struggling with constant food spoilage and her family's mysterious stomach issues.
She asked Nadia, "How do you keep your fridge so fresh? Everything in mine goes bad so fast. My kids keep having stomach issues and I can't figure out why."
Nadia's eyes went wide. "Wait here," she said. "I need to show you something."
A few minutes later, Nadia came back holding a small stainless steel cylinder. And that's when Michelle noticed it was barely bigger than a salt shaker.
"Trust me," said Nadia. "This is what commercial food warehouses use to keep produce fresh for weeks. I put one in every fridge in my catering kitchen.
"It doesn't just hide smells, it actually destroys the bacteria and mould that cause them. And it never needs replacing. Just set it and forget it for ten years."
"She wasn't kidding," said Michelle. "That evening, I placed it on the middle shelf and closed the door. I was sceptical at first, but when I opened the fridge the next morning, I literally gasped.
"That sour, embarrassing smell was completely gone. Not masked, gone. Even the air felt different, like opening a brand-new refrigerator."
Michelle didn't realise how bad their fridge air had been until Thomas's stomach issues cleared up within two weeks — and Lucas, her 12-year-old with the "sensitive stomach" her GP had been talking about for four years, hadn't had a single episode in six weeks.
For the first time in months, she wasn't anxious about what her family was eating. Thomas stopped reaching for the antacids after every meal. And Michelle stopped dreading the Sunday fridge cleanout.
The small stainless steel device had a label that read: 'Noova'
"I had no idea how it worked at the time, but I was thrilled," Michelle recalls. "I immediately grabbed my phone and ordered two more — one for my garage fridge and one for my sister's house."
"The best part is," said Michelle. "This thing is completely silent, needs zero maintenance, and works automatically 24/7 so Thomas and I never have to lift a single finger to keep our food safe.
"I ordered 3 more after I noticed they'd sold out a couple of times before!"
It's called Noova, and the way it targets and destroys dangerous fridge bacteria and mould is surprisingly simple yet shockingly effective.