Remember that gnawing feeling at the back of your mind that there was something rotting at some corner of the fridge, yet you can’t reach it or never have the time to figure out what it was? Well, it’s time to clean out your refrigerator thoroughly!
Going by the Indian climate, you should try to clean out your refrigerator completely at least once a month, especially in the summer months. If you do not have the time, or you do not store much in your refrigerator, then you could clean it out once every three months.
The bigger question here is, how do you do it so it’s quick, easy, and yet thorough? Here, we’ve outlined a simple step-by-step strategy to get it done without much hassle:
The Complete Guide to Cleaning Your Refrigerator Inside-Out
1. Step One – Plan, Clean, Conquer!
Any efficient operation involves careful planning and organization for perfect execution. So, plan your cleaning thoroughly in these four quick steps:
- Set aside an hour to ninety minutes of your time for cleaning the refrigerator. You don’t want to get busy with something else halfway through the cleaning as the foodstuff that is kept outside may get spoilt quickly.
- Keep at hand the following items by purchasing them in advance: A bag of tissue paper, a cleaning towel, a soft scrubber, vinegar or bleach, a body lotion or mineral oil, some brown paper bags, and a bunch of bin bags to dispose spoilt food.
- You may also want to have a cooler (the kind used to chill drinks outdoors) handy with some ice to temporarily store your meats and dairy.
- If you are cleaning your refrigerator after a really long time, also keep a light, natural fragrance at hand.
2. Step Two – The Clean Out!
The most crucial part of our stinky-refrigerator-facelift is having it completely empty. It doesn’t matter if you think you can clean around that jar of jam; it needs to go out! This will not only save you time but also ensure a thorough clean. Follow these three tips:
- Put out every single thing. From ice to milk to meat and drinks, empty the refrigerator completely, as we mentioned. Store the milk and meats in a cooler, if you have one, to preserve their freshness.
- Create two separate areas on your table or floor. In one area, keep all those utensils and food containers, including plates, bowls, etc., that have to be cleaned out, and in the second area, keep your pre-packaged food items like ketchup, cheese, etc., that need to be put back.
- Remove all the removable shelves, door inserts, crisper, ice trays, and everything else that can be removed. Take these to a large sink if you have one or out to the garden to wash them down with your garden hose.
3. Step Three – The Scrub Party!
Get your scrubbers out! Yes, it’s a scrub party. All kidding aside, do keep in mind that you must use a soft scrubber or simply use a cleaning towel to clean your refrigerator. Here are the step-by-step instructions:
- Take the shelves and other refrigerator parts into a large sink or your backyard and wash them thoroughly with a regular dishwashing liquid or soap. Avoid using steel cleaning foil or hard scrubbers, as they may scratch your glass shelves.
- Mix half part vinegar (or bleach) and half water, and use this simple yet effective cleaning solution to soak the entire interior of your refrigerator by spraying it or simply dabbing it with a cloth.
- Make sure to wipe down every surface clean after 15 minutes with a clean towel or tissue paper until it is completely dry.
- Dry your shelves, ice trays, and other removed parts completely before putting them back where they belong.
- If you have a light perfume, dab a cotton ball in it and apply it to the interior to give it a light fragrance, but be sure not to use a strong scent as you don’t want to be bombarded with it every time you open the fridge.
4. Step Four – Survival of the Fittest!
Culling the edibles collected in your refrigerator over time is a crucial task. Take a stern look at everything on the two sections on your table and follow the steps below to ensure that only the fittest foods survive in your fridge:
- Throw away all the cooked food that is or about to be stale. Be merciless, or it will come back to bite your refrigerator in the bum! Cooked food getting stale in your fridge is the most common source of foul odor.
- Open up a few more bin bags and throw away all the pre-packaged food that has passed its expiration date. Check the expiry label on bread, buns, cheese, ketchup, sauce, pastes, jams, jellies, and everything that has a label on it!
- Once only the best food items are left, take a second look and remove any doubtful or suspicious cooked or packed items you may have missed.
- Finally, put them back in the refrigerator neatly so that they are easily accessible. Also, you can crumple a few brown paper bags and place them with your fruits and vegetables, as these tend to absorb odor and keep them fresh for longer.
5. Step Five – The Gasket Pat-Down!
Now that you are done with the interior of your refrigerator, it is time to thoroughly clean the gasket (it’s the springy, rubbery layer that makes the door stick to the refrigerator frame). The gasket helps keep the cool air inside the fridge, but it can often accumulate a lot of dirt and grime. Follow these steps to clean it thoroughly:
- Take the half-water, half-vinegar solution and wipe the gasket thoroughly, making sure to rid the rubber of all the grime and dirt. It should come off easily, so do not use 100% bleach, as it may spoil your gasket.
- Wipe the gasket with a towel or tissue paper and make sure it is completely dry.
- Apply a small amount of body lotion or any mineral oil on the gasket as a lubricant to keep it supple and at peak performance.
6. Step Six – The Exterior Wipeout!
Now that you are done with a deep clean of the interior and the gasket, all that’s left is the exterior. Cleaning the exterior can be simple; however, you need to know how to clean the condenser coils and the fan blade. Here are the steps you need to follow:
- First and foremost, switch off your refrigerator. Safety should always be your top priority.
- Next, wipe down all the exterior surfaces of the refrigerator with any regular cleaning liquid like Colin, or simply use the vinegar water mixture if nothing else is available, but be sure to dry it after that. However, do not use the cleaning liquid to wipe the back area (where the condenser coils are).
- Don’t forget to wipe the top, the sides, and, if possible, the bottom, too, or simply take a broom and sweep the area underneath the refrigerator.
- Take a coil brush with soft bristles and gently clean the coils behind the refrigerator, removing all the dust but making sure that the coils do not get punctured.
- Use a damp cloth or rag to wipe the condenser fan blade clean. Finally, a vacuum cleaner will be used to clear the fallen dirt and debris beneath the coil and fan.
So, this is all you need to know in order to have a sparkling clean fridge that would impress even your Mom. Here are a few common queries that you may still have:
Frequently Asked Questions
We would recommend that unless you use a cleaner meant specifically for your refrigerator’s interior, you should avoid other products and simply use the solution of vinegar or bleach with water that we suggest. As far as the exterior is concerned, you can use a natural or mild kitchen cleaner.
Yes, avoid using toxic chemical sprays, as the refrigerator is where your food goes, and you don’t want to risk contaminating the food. The vinegar and water solution suggested here is the perfect natural cleaner. You could also add a couple of tablespoons of lemon essential oil to give it more punch and sanitizing properties.
The best way to clean the fridge is simply the Six-step process that we have outlined here. If you are a little short of time, you could do the interior and exterior on separate days, or if you have a double-door refrigerator, you could clean the freezer section and the regular section on separate days.
Here are a couple of pointers to keep your fridge clean and smelling good:
Drop in a few crumpled brown paper bags in the fruit and vegetable basket to soak in the smells.
Every time you put or remove cooked food from the refrigerator, and there is a little spill, clean it up immediately instead of ignoring it.
Every Sunday or whenever you have free time every week, do a quick survey of the food in your fridge and get rid of old or moldy items.
Ideally, owing to Indian conditions, you should clean your refrigerator once every month. However, if you do not have time or store very little in your refrigerator, you could also clean your fridge once every quarter or three months.
If you have a refrigerator that requires manual defrosting, you can just as well use that opportunity and time to clean it thoroughly using the steps outlined here. However, defrosting alone is not sufficient to keep your refrigerator clean.
Conclusion: So, How will You Deep Clean and Sanitize Your Refrigerator?
We hope that we were able to give you a good idea of the steps needed to have a sparkling, clean refrigerator. It is essential to make sure your refrigerator is clean, as a dirty refrigerator could easily contaminate the food you store and cause serious health issues.
Therefore, we recommend that you clean your refrigerator regularly using the tips here. If you have any questions, drop them in the comments below. Happy cleaning!