How do I clean a refrigerator?
With all of the foods that are kept in the
refrigerator, dirt, grime, spills and smells are always possible. Whether
your fridge has a terrible odor that doesn’t seem to be going away or a soda
can spilled over as you were reaching for the soy milk, messes are an
inevitable part of owning a refrigerator, and when you experience a big mess
or a foul odor you are likely going to need to clean your refrigerator out
in full to reduce the smell or any chance of spoiling food.
3 Steps to Cleaning Your Fridge
1.
Take Out Everything
In order to clean your fridge thoroughly, you will
need to take out all of the items inside of the fridge in order to get your
entire body down and dirty inside the box. This will also give you a chance
to throw out anything that may have expired or molded. If you were worried
that anything might spoil – for example, if you expect the cleaning to take
a long time on a particularly warm day – place any foods that are a high
bacteria risk in the freezer if necessary. Any old vegetables, even those
that appear to be still edible, should probably be thrown away unless you
intend to eat them that day.
2.
Wipe Your Refrigerator Down
Once all of the food is out, try to wash the inside
of the refrigerator as quickly as possible, so that you can start putting
the foods back. Make sure you get the corners and bottom of the fridge, but
try to use an unscented cleaner because you do not want your foods to soak
in the aroma or chemicals. Also, use cold water if you can – especially if
your refrigerator is made of glass.
3.
Start Placing Foods Back
Here is where you will want to throw out any foods
that are spoiled or that you know you have no intention of eating. As you
put the foods back, you will want to organize the foods according to both
type and spoil date. For example, you do not want an open carton of milk to
be in the back of the fridge while an unopened juice bottle is in the front,
because the juice bottle is unlikely to spoil for a while and you don't want
to forget about consuming the milk before its expiration date.
Keeping Odors Out
After you have placed the foods back, a helpful tip
is to put an open carton of baking soda inside of the refrigerator to soak
in odors. Baking soda is one of the best and easiest ways to make sure that
your refrigerator isn’t soaking in a bad smell, because bad smells can soak
into your food and make it taste worse.
A family of four that eats at home should
reasonably expect to clean out their fridge about once a month. Those that
live alone and do not often eat at home can likely do it once every 2 months
or so, but the refrigerator should still be monitored for spoiled food.
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