If you haven’t given your refrigerator a thorough cleaning all year, spring is the perfect time to get the job done. While you may think your appliance looks spotless, you might be surprised at what you find once you start moving items around. Listed below are tips on how to give your fridge an intense cleaning and on how to keep it clean throughout the year.
Give Your Refrigerator a Thorough Cleaning
- Before you can start cleaning, you’ll need to remove all the contents from your refrigerator. Having a dish rag handy as you’re performing this task will allow you to wipe down any sticky jars or containers that you’ll be putting back later on. Once your fridge is empty, take out all detachable shelves and drawers. You are going to want to soak these items in hot soapy water until any dried food stuck to them can be easily cleaned off. Since your sink will obviously be too small, you can either use your bathtub or a large storage bin.
- Now that the inside of your refrigerator is completely bare, you can really start scrubbing all of those normally hidden surfaces. If you would prefer not to use a store bought cleaner, you can mix 1 part vinegar and 3 parts hot water into a spray bottle to create a safe and natural cleaning solution. Take the time to really douse every little crevice with your chosen cleaner and then let the substance sit for a few minutes before wiping it away with a sponge or dish rag.
- Once you’re satisfied with how your refrigerator’s interior looks, go check on the shelves and drawers you left soaking. The dried food that was stuck on the items before should easily wipe off. To complete the job and to get rid of any leftover soap bubbles, pour some fresh hot water over the shelving. Allow the drawers and shelves to air dry before putting them back in your fridge.
- Cleaning the exterior of your refrigerator is essential to its well being and its performance level. While wiping down the doors and sides of the appliance will keep it from looking dingy, you really want to focus on getting the dust and dirt off the fridge’s condenser coils. The coils are either located at the bottom or the back of the refrigerator. To clean them, simply use a vacuum. Unfortunately, neglecting the coils can lead to your refrigerator needing an appliance repair expert.
Keeping Your Fridge Clean
- Organizing your refrigerator after you’ve given it a thorough cleaning will help you keep it spotless throughout the year. A simple but effective technique that will aid in your organizational goal is the use of plastic baskets. Placing a few baskets inside of your refrigerator will allow you to group appropriate foods together while also saving your shelving from spills.
- Throwing out spoiled food more frequently will keep your appliance smelling better, and it will make spotting sticky liquids and dried up food much easier.
- Whether it’s a tiny drip or a puddle, make sure you wipe up spills immediately. Allowing them to dry will make your life just harder when you next big refrigerator cleaning rolls around.
If you’re refrigerator or one of your other appliances is malfunctioning, please contact us today, and we’ll be happy to help you.