How to Clean a Refrigerator

That joke about the moldy produce being a science experiment has gotten pretty stale. It's time to clean out the fridge and freshen things up. Here's how to do this weekly chore right.

Difficulty: Easy

Instructions

Things You'll Need:

• Mild Dish Soap
• Dishcloths Or Kitchen Sponges
• Vinegar Or Baking Soda

1. Turn the temperature-control knob inside the refrigerator to 'Off.' If you have a refrigerator with a drip pan underneath, remove it to clean.

2. 

   Take everything out of the refrigerator.

3. Throw away any food that is moldy, outdated or otherwise spoiled.

4. 

   Take all removable parts out of the refrigerator, including shelves, wire racks and drawers.

5. Fill the sink with warm, soapy water (use a mild dish soap).

6. Wipe any food matter out of the drawers.

7. Hand-wash the shelves, wire racks and drawers, then rinse them in warm water.

8. Let the shelves, wire racks and drawers drain in a dish rack, on paper towels or on newspapers.

9. Remove any food matter from the bottom of the refrigerator.

10. 

    Wash the inside of the refrigerator using a sponge or dishcloth and the warm, soapy water. Remember the compartments and door racks.

11. Rinse the inside of the refrigerator with a sponge or dishcloth and clean warm water.

12. For odor control, use a solution of 2 tbsp. baking soda to 1 quart warm water to wash the inside of the refrigerator. A solution of 1 cup of vinegar and 1 gallon warm water is also effective; apply and rinse. A box of baking soda placed in the refrigerator will also cut down on odors.

13. Replace all shelves, wire racks and drawers.

14. 

    Wash the outside of the refrigerator and the gasket (rubber molding around the door) with warm, soapy water; rinse and wipe dry.

15. Turn the temperature control knob inside the refrigerator back to the recommended setting.

16. Return the food to the refrigerator, first wiping off any bottles or jars that are sticky.

Tips & Warnings

• Condenser coils, usually located in the front of the refrigerator behind a metal plate near the floor, should be vacuumed several times a year to prevent dust buildup.
• Never use harsh cleaners or scouring pads in or on the refrigerator.

[TheFooser]

on 4/29/2009 Great tips! You need to add a warning though about cleaning glass shelves. Do not take shelves directly out of fridge and put them in warm water. This could cause them to crack!

[Lilaclaugh]

on 1/14/2009 An old toothbrush works well to scrub the rubber gasket. I keep my milk on the door shelf of my fridge, but I found that little dried flakes of milk were collecting on the bottom of the shelf and smelled terrible. The next time I bought milk, I noted how dirty the milk case and the cartons were at the store. How did I expect my shelf to stay clean, then? Now, I just rinse off the unopened milk jug before I add it to the fridge. No more milk flakes, no more odor.

[bowserita]

on 10/29/2008 it is a good idea to use some coffe beans too,try it it works.

[LoriW]

on 7/24/2008 I had the worst refrigerator odor coming from a combination of cheese, onions and chinese food. Pretty bad. After trying just about everything else including baking soda which didn't really work well, I saw a recommendation about a product called Fridge-IT. It is a little purple activated carbon odor absorber. Might be little but wow, does it work great. I highly recommend it.
www.innofresh.com

[mcandy]

on 12/19/2007 I always add a touch of bleach to my cleaning solutions. Or at least rinse with a bleach solution and let air dry. The bleach kills all kinds of beasties.