A 7-Step Guide to Thoroughly Cleaning Your Refrigerator
Refrigerators are great for many reasons. They are great for keeping drinks nice and cold, and they let you store food made in advance so that it stays fresh longer.
However, like with many great things, proper care is needed to make sure that your fridge stays in good condition. Apart from regular maintenance, it’s important to clean out a fridge’s contents so that food scraps, leftovers, grease, and other unwanted elements don’t build up.
These can pose a hazard to your health if the problem gets bad enough, but they can also harm the performance of the appliance. As such, you must clean your fridge thoroughly once in a while. Doing so will ensure your food items stay clear from any harmful pathogens and the like, and you will extend the life of the fridge, too.
Never cleaned a fridge before? Do not worry! Here are the steps you can follow in cleaning your refrigerator thoroughly.
Step 1. Switch the fridge off
About a day before you start cleaning the fridge, switch off the appliance. This means unplugging it from the wall to cut off any source of electricity to the refrigerator.
If you have a freezer in your fridge, note that the ice will also start melting. To stop water from getting everywhere, be sure to remove as much ice as possible while it’s still frozen. You can also think ahead by clearing out the collection tray and readying a few towels to put on the floor.
Step 2. Remove the food and drinks
Before you begin any cleaning process, be sure to remove all the food items inside. Doing so will expose as much of the interior surfaces as possible, allowing you to carry out a much more effective cleaning job.
Step 3. Get rid of the water
Not all fridges will have a water dispenser, but if yours does, be sure to drain it thoroughly. That way, you minimize the risk of leakages that can be a headache to try and address later on.
Step 4. Take out removable drawers and shelves
Fridges generally come with removable drawers and shelves, meaning that you will have to remove them from the machine. That way, you can clean these things much more effectively, and you can get around to cleaning the interior of the refrigerator better.
Step 5. Wipe everything down
With everything removed and your fridge fully exposed, wipe everything down with a microfiber cloth dipped into a solution of water and dishwashing soap.
You should wipe the shelves, drawers, and interiors of the fridge, but do not forget to wipe the outside. That way, you can have a thoroughly cleaned fridge inside and out.
Step 6. Clean the stains
If you discover any hard-to-remove stains while wiping the fridge, apply a mixture of baking soda and water on the affected areas. Leave the paste on the stains for at least half an hour and wipe it clean.
Do not use any other cleaning solutions, such as bleach. That is because those products contain harmful chemicals that you do not want to find on your food later on.
Step 7. Remove bad smells
Once all the surfaces are clean, wipe them down again with a dry cloth and leave the fridge open. This will ensure that the refrigerator dries thoroughly and that no ugly streaks are left.
You can put a cup of charcoal or baking soda inside to absorb any unpleasant smell if there are any.
Conclusion
By following all the steps, you will have a perfectly clean fridge within a couple of hours! Be sure not to skip any step along the way and be thorough at each one. This means carefully paying attention to the interior of your fridge, wiping everything clean, and leaving the fridge to dry properly before putting everything back together.
Once the cleaning is over, do not forget to check the fridge’s temperature and position. These might have changed during the cleaning process, and you want to ensure everything is as it should before using it again.
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