8 Steps to Clean Your Refrigerator

The kitchen is the heart of the home, and your refrigerator holds the fuel for you and your family. As the place that holds the ingredients to making nutritious meals, we don’t often clean refrigerators as often as we should. Being a high traffic area, it’s a good idea to take the time to clean and organize your refrigerator thoroughly.

Follow these 8 simple steps to clean your refrigerator:

move food to a cooler

1. Move Food to a Cooler

It’s easiest to clean your fridge when you don’t have as many items in it. If you can, plan to clean your fridge right before you go grocery shopping. Move any items you have in your fridge into a cooler to keep food cool while you clean.

As you put food in the coolers, take the time to look at expiry dates and remove any expired items to declutter your fridge.

2. Remove Shelves and Drawers

Take out any removable shelving or drawers. You’ll be able to clean them much more thoroughly than if you leave them in the fridge. Leave them to warm up to around room temperature before you wash with hot water to prevent any damage from rapid temperature change. If you don’t have the time to wait, you can always run under cool running water and then slowly increase the temperature of the water to room temperature.

natural cleaner

3. Clean with a Natural Unscented Cleaner

As foods can absorb scent, it’s best to use an unscented natural cleaner for the inside of your refrigerator. You can use whatever your natural cleaner preference is, but a simple mix of warm water and splash of natural dish soap or baking soda will do the trick. Clean from the top of the fridge to the bottom to avoid any drips on a previously cleaned area. Wash and dry shelving and drawers in the kitchen sink and place back after you’ve cleaned the inside of the fridge.

4. Keep Your Refrigerator Odour Free

Odours can occur in your refrigerator from different types of produce. To prevent odours, you can use backing soda to keep your fridge smelling fresh. Buy a pre-made pack designed for the fridge or create your own by placing baking soda into a mesh bag. Don’t forget to replace the baking soda once it loses effectiveness.

5. Clean the Rubber Gasket

An often overlooked area, don’t forget to clean the rubber gasket around your refrigerator door from built-up debris. Crumbs and liquids tend to make their way into these spaces. Use warm soapy water to clean and make sure you get into the grooves. If you find mold, you can use a bleach-based cleaner, but make sure you rinse thoroughly and wipe dry.

organized refrigerator

6. Organize your Refrigerator

If you like an organized fridge, take the time to create sections in your fridge for different categories of items, such as condiments and dairy. Use storage bins designed for fridges to keep produce organized and easy to find. It’s easy to accumulate various condiment jars and bins or an organization system can help keep your fridge clutter free.

7. Clean the Refrigerator Door

Wipe down the outside of your fridge, including sides, doors, hinges, and even the top of the fridge. For most fridges you can use an all-purpose cleaner and cloth. Stainless steel fridges are a bit different. Use a damp microfiber cloth and wipe with the grain, then use a dry microfiber cloth to dry. You can also buy a commercial stainless steel polish to make it really shine.

8. Clean Refrigerator Coils

Every so often you’ll want to clean your refrigerator coils of dust and debris. Make sure you follow the manual’s specific instructions for your refrigerator.

Regardless of model, make sure to unplug your refrigerator and locate the coils. Depending on where they are located, it may be easier to clean the coils prior to placing items back in the fridge. You can use a coil brush to clean around coils and vacuum and debris.

Incorporate cleaning your refrigerator into your monthly cleaning schedule to keep your fridge clean, smelling fresh, clutter free, and working well.

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