Obviously, you don’t necessarily have to be a man to clean a refrigerator.
If you catch yourself ordering food online because you don’t feel like opening the fridge anymore, it’s probably been about a year since the last time you cleaned the cooler.
Open the refrigerator with due care and notice the formation of new species of bacteria inside, they’re ripe for study in the laboratory, just like the samples taken from the permafrost.
Delve in deeper, into the twilight area of the refrigerator, and you will notice in the back rows a half-consumed mayo bottle, expired in 2017, a clear indicator that you need to take action.
Let’s take it methodically before the bacteria in the fridge produce new mutations that need to be reported to the WHO. Don’t get mad at us, we know it’s not a case of bio-hazard, we’re just trying to sweeten with humor the next hour in your kitchen – washing the fridge.
As you well know, it is advisable to clean the refrigerator once every 3 months.
1. Prepare a temporary storage area for your refrigerator inventory
Obviously, you need to get everything out of the fridge: food, containers, groceries to start cleaning properly. You can temporarily store them on the table, on the chairs, or on the kitchen counter. It is also a good idea to wash the refrigerator before shopping for new supplies to avoid overcrowding and put everything back in the fridge on a clean slate.
Make sure the sink is empty because you will have to wash things. Take out the garbage bin beforehand, you will probably throw away some products, including that portion of carbonara that has hardened a long time ago.
2. Get the cleaning tools ready
You need kitchen duty gloves, a clean sponge, and vinegar, it’s the simplest and most natural cleaning combo. For drying, find a microfibre cloth. Vinegar decomposes grease and dirt, and when mixed with hot water in a spray bottle, it becomes a safe food cleaner, perfect for any residue that may have accumulated on the refrigerator shelves. We also recommend dishwashing liquid, it is just as good for fats and other sticky situations.
3. Remove the drawers and shelves
Depending on your refrigerator model, we recommend that you remove all sliding parts, drawers, glass shelves, and door shelves. It’s true you can clean the shelves only on the surface, however, we recommend a ground-up cleaning intervention. This way you will also be able to clean the interior walls of the refrigerator.
You can wash the shelves in the shower because they will not fit in the sink. After washing the drawers and shelves, put them on the balcony to dry, or dry them with a clean wipe, it’s best to dry them before putting them back in the fridge. Also, don’t forget to wash the fridge walls inside and the bottom of the refrigerator.
A word of advice – when you are not actively working in the refrigerator, close the door to keep the atmosphere inside as cool as possible.
4. Wash the containers or products that you will put back in the refrigerator
What’s the point of cleaning the fridge thoroughly if you’re going to put back the sticky jars of jam and bottles of sauces that have a crust on the lid? Before putting the inventory back in the refrigerator, make sure that each product is clean.
Even if it doesn’t look dirty, it’s a good idea to wipe the bottom of the containers with a damp cloth or sponge to keep the shelves clean. In addition, it is the best opportunity to analyze in detail if something has expired and needs to be thrown away until it grows wings.
5. Clean the outside of the refrigerator as well
Once you put everything back together and the inside of the fridge is shiny, the good news is that you could even wipe the outside of the fridge, door, sides, edges, liners, and handles with a clean microfiber cloth and vinegar spray.
If you have a refrigerator with a freezer underneath, pay close attention and remove the crumbs and debris that have accumulated in the folds on the top liner of the freezer door, they are more common than you think.
Moreover, if you feel energetic enough to attend the Olympics of cleaning a refrigerator, you could remove the accumulated dust on the tube circuit behind the refrigerator using a vacuum cleaner or a dry brush, an intervention that can save you from further damage.
A small detail to consider: if you have a built-in refrigerator, you are now excused from cleaning the outside of the refrigerator, congratulations!
6. Buy new food supplies
After washing and drying the refrigerator thoroughly, close the door and wait a while for the temperature to reach 4 °C or less before putting the food back together. Use the quick cooling function of the refrigerator, if any, to speed up the cooling process. Similarly for the freezer, check that the freezer is again at -18 °C before putting the food back.
A good general advice is not to overload the refrigerator with products, as the cold air must circulate vigorously for it to work efficiently. Also, try to avoid opening the door often to maintain the optimum temperature.
7. Repeat the steps for cleaning the refrigerator once every 3 months
Food safety matters more than the image of a clean refrigerator. You can take the beginning of each new season as a time frame for the rescue operation of cleaning the refrigerator.
As much as you pay attention to the visible surfaces in the kitchen, it is advisable to maintain a degree of cleanliness for storing food for daily consumption, so you will avoid any unpleasant surprises when you wake up at night to have a snack and tentacles begin to come out of the refrigerator.
