Cleaning Your Refrigerator
The most important step of any refrigerator cleaning is, obviously, getting all the old, outdated food out. The important rule here is that if you cannot remember when it was put in the refrigerator or don’t remember when it was purchased, throw it away. Leftovers can generally be kept for three to four days, but if you have any doubt at all, into the bin it goes. Try to save as many containers as possible of course, but if you can barely see the food due to the mold in a particular container, by all means, throw it away. Load your dishwasher full of the containers you salvaged and run it when it’s full. If you have a sanitation cycle, now would be a good time to use it.
Don’t forget to go through all the condiments on the door. Often, people forget these items when cleaning out, but you need to make sure that they are in date as well. The same rules apply- if you don’t remember when you last used it or when you bought it, it’s time for it to be trashed. Try to empty these containers out in the sink and recycle the empty jars if you can.
You should have a lot of open space now to clean drawers and shelves. Move all items off one shelf at a time and, if possible, pull them out. Wash them in hot, soapy water and use a scrub side of a sponge to get all the food residue off. If your shelves are particularly nasty, spray them with a very mild bleach and water solution and wipe clean before replacing them. Do the same with your drawers and, making sure to dry everything thoroughly, put everything back in the refrigerator. Now is a good time, if you have adjustable shelves, to rearrange the shelves to better suit your needs.
Next, clean the inside of the refrigerator with warm, soapy water and wipe clean. Remember again to get the door, and even the sides, front, and back of the refrigerator. Repeat this whole process for your freezer.
Spend a little extra time scrubbing the handle if you don’t regularly clean it, and consider wiping it down with a mild bleach and water solution. Lots of germs can collect here. Change any water filters that need changing if you have a water dispenser, and wipe down the ice dispenser if you have one.
Cleaning your refrigerator can be a pain, but the site of a clean, organized space when you’re done (not to mention the extra containers you now have!) can absolutely make it worth your while. Try, if you can, to do a cursory clean out and scrub three or four times a month and hopefully, you won’t have to do a big job but once or twice a year.
