Top tips on cleaning your fridge

Top tips on cleaning your fridge.

The humble refrigerator plays an often understated yet important role and gets a lot of use all year round.

This can make them a breeding ground for bacteria.

One study on the average frost-free home fridge found that salad drawers contained 7,850 bacteria units per colony-forming unit (cfu/cm2).

Therefore, it’s vital to know the proper way to clean your fridge.

Luckily, our cleaning experts have made a list of steps to help you out:

Preparing for the clean

Cleaning your fridge doesn’t require many speciality products.

Here are some things you will need to clean out your fridge:

• Bin bags
• Rubber or disposable gloves
• A cooler box
• A cleaning product
• Sponges, old rags or kitchen roll
• Microfibre cloths

Clear it out

The first thing to do when cleaning out your fridge is to ensure it’s empty.

This might be quite the undertaking if you’re stocking up for Christmas, so planning is essential.

Your fridge needs cleaning every 3-6 months, so choosing a time in between shops might be a good idea.

During the cleaning process, you’ll need to use cool bags as a substitute.

This is because products like meat and dairy need to be refrigerated to stop the rapid growth of bacteria that occurs at room temperature.

Wipe down shelves and drawers.

Now that your fridge is empty and you can properly get to them, it’s time to clean out all of its shelves and drawers.

Many fridges have removable shelves, so you don’t hunch over inside of them to clean them.

If you have removable shelves, it might be a good call to check the manual if you’re unsure about taking them out or putting them back.

The good news is, once removed, you can wash them up in the sink with hot water and washing up liquid.

However, it’s probably best to leave them to warm up to room temperature if they’re made of glass, as they might crack or shatter when they come into contact with hot water.

Once this is done, you can move onto the drawers, which you may also be able to wash in the sink, depending on size.

For larger drawers like salad crisper drawers, the best thing to do is to give them a good wipe-down with hot water and dish soap.

Next, clean the areas around the shelves.

Food residue can build up in the joints between the shelves, so make sure you scrape all of this away.

Rinse the shelves and drawers with clean water to eliminate soap suds.

Allow them to dry naturally on the drainer or a tea towel, and move on to…

Cleaning the inside

To clean the inside, you can use diluted bleach, white vinegar or a commercial all-purpose cleaner.

Ensure you’re always wearing rubber gloves when cleaning with these products.

If you use any solution that uses water as a base or want to use water and soap, remember to only use cold water.

Hot water can raise the temperature of your fridge, meaning that it takes longer before you can return perishable foods to it.

When it comes to utensils, we recommend using a scouring pad or a sponge that has one attached, as these are excellent for removing any stuck-on food and spills from surfaces without scratching the area.

Perhaps surprisingly, a cotton bud or toothbrush can be great for removing old food.

They’re also great for fiddly and hard-to-reach places, like the drip hole at the back of the fridge.

This is a vital area inside, as it can become clogged and dirty.

Furthermore, as with the shelve joiners, be thorough when scrubbing the grooves where the shelves rest, as they can be hotspots for dirt.

When finished, you can dry the inside with paper towels or a dry and clean tea towel.

And the outside

Remember to give the outside of the fridge similar focus and attention by wiping down doors and handles.

For the exterior, we recommend using a microfiber cloth, as these are best at removing streaks and fingerprints on surfaces.

Put everything back

When you’ve finished cleaning, put the shelves, drawers, and door inserts back into their slots.

Check your condiments for mould, wipe them down to ensure any residue is removed, and place them back into the fridge.

Then, return everything else to its proper place.

Need a professional cleaner?

If this is too much work, leave it to the professionals.

For a deep clean, spring clean, tidy up, regular or one-off visit, our maids are here to take the hassle of cleaning your home off your hands.

Book now, or book your free, no-obligation quote by finding your nearest Merry Maids business today.