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Tips for Thoroughly Cleaning a Refrigerator

Cleaning refrigerator is not just for aesthetic reasons but also for your health. Even the CDC offers steps on how to clean your refrigerator. Having old food that isn’t good anymore in your fridge can contaminate other food with germs spreading through drawers and shelves. Think about how often you’ve left food in your fridge, it’s gone bad, and you keep putting food in the same spot. With our refrigerator cleaning tips, you don’t have to spend hours deep cleaning your fridge. We do suggest that you do this monthly at the very least, however.


cleaning refrigerator

Make Your Own Cleaner


We don’t recommend using abrasive cleaners that are toxic as they can absorb into the fridge and cause problems with your food. Try to make your own safety to use cleaner for your fridge:


1 gallon of hot water

1 cup clear ammonia

½-cup vinegar

¼-cup baking soda


The easiest thing to do is put it in a spray bottle but you can also use a bowl and sponge. There’s no need to rinse this formula, which alleviates that step of the process. It’s also a degreaser that prevents mold and mildew. This makes cleaning the refrigerator easy because you can wipe down the whole fridge with this solution, including drawers and shelves.


Unplug Your Refrigerator


This is going to save you electricity while the fridge is open for a longer period of time. You’re going to be taking all of the food out anyway so there’s no reason to leave it on. If you’re unable to get to the back of the fridge to unplug it, turn off the circuit breaker that serves the refrigerator. Turn the power back on about 10 minutes before you’re done to give the fridge a chance to get back to the right temperature.


Take All of The Food Out


In terms of cleaning refrigerator tips, we suggest you take everything out of your refrigerator. This includes all condiments and produces from all shelves. The food could be out of the fridge for a while so you may want to put perishables in a cooler while other items can remain on the counter. As a general rule, we suggest you don’t leave the food out for more than an hour.


Clean Removable Parts


All the removable shelves and drawers should be taken out as it’s way easier. Refrigerator cleaning is way easier when these are not in the fridge. We recommended the spray but you can soak the removable parts in the sink with some fragrance-free dish soap and hot water. This allows them to soak while you’re cleaning the inside of the fridge. Rinse well to make sure there aren’t any traces of dishwashing liquid. Leave to dry before putting them back in the fridge. We do suggest you wait until the removable parts are at room temperature. A sudden change of temperature could cause them to crack.


Clean The Interior


Spray all interior surfaces inside the fridge like the walls, non-removable shelves, and inside of doors. Wipe with a sponge or microfiber cloth. If there are stubborn food remnants, you can use a toothbrush dipped in hot water and then try to wipe it with a cloth after. For stubborn stains, you can cover them with a paste of baking soda and water. Let it sit for ten minutes and then you should be able to wipe it off.


Clean The Exterior


You can wipe the outside of the fridge with a moistened cloth by using soapy water or whatever solution you choose. Make sure to clean the top of the fridge too and dry everything with a microfiber cloth. Stainless steel refrigerators have a special stainless steel cleaner you can use as well but Windex works quite well. Use a coil cleaning brush to dust off condenser coils and empty, clean, and dry the drip pan. With your vacuum, use your hose attachment to get under the fridge.


Further Cleaning Refrigerator Tips


When it comes to cleaning refrigerator, you may also be looking to get rid of an unpleasant odor. We recommend using baking soda on a rimmed baking sheet until the odor has fully absorbed into the baking soda. You can use fresh coffee grounds or a tray of activated charcoal as well. Going forward, we recommend that you clean up spills as they happen so it’s easier to clean up. Make sure containers are clean when you put them back. Don’t thaw meat out right on the fridge surface, instead use a plate to catch any leakage. For a pleasant aroma, soak cotton balls in vanilla and leave them in the fridge for a while.


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