Having a clean refrigerator is an important part of good health in the home. A clean refrigerator includes what is both inside and outside the unit, as well as what's behind it. Follow these steps to a clean refrigerator, and enjoy a safe and healthy kitchen. This process should take about two hours if you do a thorough job.
The first step is to empty the entire fridge and unplug it. Everything must come out, so the best time of year to deep clean your refrigerator is in the cold months of winter when you can put the food outside where it won’t spoil. This is a good time to toss what you no longer want.
Once it is completely empty, pull it away from the wall. You should be able to slide it out enough to see all four walls and get in to clean them. Check for mouse droppings, cobwebs, dried food, and bug nests. This is where they hide. Clean them out with a broom, a cloth or a vacuum.
Start cleaning the outside while the inside warms up to room temperature. Use whatever cleaner is best for you. Sometimes it takes a little more scrubbing to get the grime off, so don’t be afraid to use soap and water. It will drip to the floor, but that can be easily fixed with a towel. Scrub the top, the sides, the doors and the handles. Open the doors and slide the sponge along the sealing strips. Make sure to get inside and underneath the sealing strips, as this is where mold tends to live. Take an old toothbrush to get into the hinges too.
Once the outside is washed and rinsed, you are ready to clean the inside. Start with the refrigerator and once that’s done, do the same thing for the freezer. (Clean the freezer last, after the ice crystals have melted and the shell has warmed up. It will be easier to clean when your sponge is not sticking to the walls.)
Use soapy water that can be easily rinsed. Spray cleaners can have a strong smell and leave a residue. Since your refrigerator will never be able to air out sufficiently, you don’t want to risk contaminating your food with cleaning chemicals.
Remove the shelves, drawers, and brackets. Use a damp rag to wipe the crumbs away. Then, with a soapy sponge, wash the walls from top to bottom. Once you are done, go over it with rinse water. This can get messy. You can deal with it in one of two ways. 1) Allow the water to collect at the bottom only up to the point before it starts to spills over. Absorb it with the sponge and squeeze it out. 2) Put an old towel at the bottom to absorb the water as you work. Washing the inside of the doors will create a similar problem, but an old towel underneath will absorb the drips.
Prop the doors open to allow the inside to dry while you clean the shelves and drawers. This can be done in a large basin, a bathtub, or shower. Use soapy water and any scrubbing agent to get between the annoying grids that make up refrigerator racks. Do the same for everything else. Rinse and dry. You’re done. Now it is time to put everything back together.
Before putting food back in, you may want to clean the containers. Remove the caps and wash them in soapy water. Wipe off anything that’s been dripped on in order to give your refrigerator a fresh new feel. You can enjoy it this way for up to a year when the weather gets cold again.
Sheila Kirbos - Sheila Kirbos graduated from Gordon College with a BA in Communications, and took graduate classes in Church History at The Catholic ...
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