Hi James,

If I get your sketch correctly, the toilet paper fell into a gap beside, not behind the fridge. As a fridge usually vents to its back where also the cooling coils and cables are, this should not cause any fire hazard.

I would recommend to cover the gap, e.g. with a thin board covering the fridge and the gap (you could cut off a big cardboard box or get at Bricorama etc.).

Cheers,

Stephanie - not unfamiliar with things falling behind furniture.

A knife fell down into the hole of the kitchen sink. As I'm very perseverant I got it back using a scissor and catching it with it. ;-) true story!

Don't use water, that could do more damage than it is worth.

Skipole won't work either, as you won't be able to make them bend down the hole.

Is there a vent to the left of your fridge?

Easiest would be to use hooks, fishing hooks, this one would be the one I would use:

http://rockybrooksinkers.com/fishing%20hook%20treble

fish hook on a line... 

substitute fish hook with safety pin

sustitute line with cheap twine

stand on chair

sustitute chair for friends shoulders 

curse alot

drink beer to gather your thoughts...

try the same thing again

give up

alternatively try pulling the fridge out.... and giving your cabinet a reach around.

You're very good at drawing kitchen James!!

PS: sorry don't have a better solution to offer than Charlie's but thanks for the good laugh :)

Thanks everyone, really appreciate the advice, feedback on my drawing skills and reassurance that my apartment won't burn down!

I like the fish hook idea, but presumably I will need to use some kind of bait?

If only toilet rolls were magnetic, then it would just be a case of hiring a powerful electromagnet to whip them out 

If the hooks are big enough, you should be able to rip through the packaging. Taking a lead weight might help.

tape. i advise tape. a big fat role of very sticky tape. maybe even two. for both sides so your 'package' cannot escape. attach it to some rope, or stick, or whatever is long enough. stick it and pull up. well. thats what i would do.

heyy. another idea. what about your vacuumcleaner? yes, definetely the vacuum cleaner. its  long enough and has the power you need. Suck your 'package' back up. lol.

As Steve mentioned, the space behind the fridge is there for ventilation so you DO need to remove the TP. The easiest is if you can get the skirting off that is below the fridge (might be in wood with slits in it or in metal with slits). If you can get this off you might be able to see the TP if it has gone all the way to the bottom (no guarantee). You can then use some sort of hook, ski pole etc. to pull apart the plastic and take it out piece by piece.

If you can't get the skirting off or if the package is stuck part way down, you will need to work from the top. Ideally you would be able to create a 3-4 prong "grappling hook" by taping some J shaped things (no idea what you might be able to find - I would cut up and bend some wire hangers that you get from the dry cleaner) then using a string to lower it down beside the package. The prongs need to be sharp enough to dig into the plastic packaging and hold when you pull it back up.

You can do a YouTube video for us so we can all watch. 

This is more or less the idea with the "hook". You want the hook to get into the plastic so it holds when you try to pull it up.

http://fr.depositphotos.com/3635290/stock-photo-Dual-Fishing-Hook.html

I'm very curious to know how this has worked out.

Could you do another sketch to illustrate your progress?

What a week this has been. Since first writing I have lost the following items down the hole, all in vain attempts to recover the toilet rolls:

- Three wire coat hangers fashioned into fishing hooks;

- 10 metres of fishing line;

- One vacuum cleaner;

- One limited edition of Prince's 1984 album "Purple Rain" (don't ask);

- Self-respect (about three litres).

This is starting to become a bit of a nightmare. I have had to take days off work so that I can monitor the fridge 24/7 for overheating. I am fast running out of holiday.

The apartment is on the 4th floor and I am considering asking my 3rd floor neighbour if he/she would allow me to drill up underneath the cavity in order to recover the toilet rolls (and the other items). Please see attached sketch.

How can you possibly doubt the veracity of this poor man?

Haven't we all, at some time in our lives, had to take time off from work in order to rescue stranded paper products using an iconic 80's pop/funk album?

- Three wire coat hangers fashioned into fishing hooks;

Did you sharpen the coat hangers? Why not try the original, if you ever been fishing, you know why to use the original instead of coathangers.

@James: Have you contemplated making a nice hole in the outer wall? This may double up as a permanent fix to overheating.

There may be ways (like a cash machine or a TPG ticket-vending machine facing outwards) you can even convince your landlord, considering the prime real estate currently hogged by three-ply pécu.

here is a simple way to solve the probelm, get back the rolls of un-opened toilet paper, and clean the area inside tge space.

- quickly fill the space with cold water.

- the un opened toilet paper will float to the top.

- after a while the water will seep out from under the fridge.

- mop it up, job done!

Pull the fridge out,

use a very loud and powerful circular saw to cut a hole the size of the toilet paper package in the bottom of the wall in the fridge cavity,

hope your neighbours did not hear the saw and denounce you,

remove toilet paper,

replace the panel you cut out.

Seal with plasterboard fixing paste (at home in Australia we call it Spastik).

Return the fridge to it's rightful position,

hope that noone will be able to see the botched job you have done until well after you have moved out and taken the fridge with you.

If you never want to be found out, make sure you leave the fridge behind when you move to a new apartment.

Good luck!

A small expolsive charge set on the skirting board under the fridge might work as well.

Alternatively a telescopic mop might work where you fashion a solid hook to the bottom end. with this you could get all of the lost items except the Purple Rain album, which would be a "time capsule" until such point as the land lord decides to renew the kitchen... so about 20 years if other Geneva apartments are to go by.

If all else fails, get a Hamster, train it to MacGyver or A Team standards, drop him down the hole and sit back with a beer waiting for the creature to fashion an escape out of the items you have lost.

Nuts! Charlie beat me to it! I was going to say we were about three posts away from someone suggesting dynamite.

JAMES: WE NEED AN UPDATE PLEASE. YOU CAN'T JUST LEAVE US HANGING LIKE A CRUDELY FASHIONED FISHING LINE OVER SOME TOILET PAPER!

Once your Hamster has blown up the skirting board and driven out in a tank fashioned from loo rolls and wire coat hangers I suggest you nip down to co op and buy this toothpaste.

Its alleges on the box that it is a cavity filler and as such would prevent further mishaps happening again.

Youre welcome.

There is nothing from James since yesterday at 13:10, no one is very worried? Maybe he joined the toilet roll and cant get out!!!!!

Oh my god... what if the toilet rolls mutated overnight (god knows what kind of crap fell down the cavity before!) and James is now hostage?