How Often Should I Clean My Fridge

Here's How Often You Should Really Clean Your Refrigerator

Young woman cleaning refrigerator with sponge and spray at home Andrey_Popov/Shutterstock

Would you exist embarrassed to show someone the inside of your fridge? When was the final time you checked the coils? Observe out how often you should clean your fridge—and our best tips for getting the job done.

Every bit i of the most unremarkably used appliances in your kitchen, the fridge takes a beating. Food gets spilled, leftovers go forgotten and half bottles of condiments start to take over every shelf. Read on to find out how often you should make clean your refrigerator, plus our best tips for a pristine icebox.

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What to Clean Daily/Weekly

To avoid yucky surfaces and bad smells, wipe down the trays and drawers of the fridge at to the lowest degree weekly. Information technology'south a good idea to arrive the habit of removing one-time food and wiping down the interior of your refrigerator earlier grocery shopping each week. If your fridge notwithstanding smells funky, effort these deodorizing tips.
Try to clean up spills daily. Any splashes or drips should exist wiped with a damp textile or sponge equally soon as they happen; otherwise you lot're left with sticky balance that's just going to go harder to remove the longer it sits.
Make clean the exterior of your fridge every couple of days. Use your favorite cleaner to remove finger smudges and other spots, paying close attention to the door handles.

What to Clean Occasionally

The meridian of the fridge. This area sometimes becomes a dumping ground for random items and a grit bunny haven.
Underneath the fridge. At to the lowest degree one time every couple of months, accept someone help you lot pull the refrigerator abroad from the wall. You'll exist surprised to meet how dirty the flooring can get that's hidden underneath your unit. Requite it a good sweep and mop earlier putting the fridge back in identify.
The door seals. The rubber door seals collect crumbs and spills. Wipe the area with a washcloth dampened with hot water and dish soap, then dry thoroughly.

Deep Cleaning Tips

It'due south a good thought to deep clean your fridge at least every couple of months. Hither are a few tips to help the project along.

Treat your fridge equally you would a messy closet—which means the kickoff step is emptying it entirely to fully assess what tin can stay and what must go. (Use this guide to check expiration dates.) If you lot're worried nigh spoiling, yous can throw the most perishable items in a water ice cooler or fifty-fifty in the freezer while y'all work.
Wipe down the trays and drawers with a sponge and soapy water. Whatever parts that are removable tin be scrubbed in the sink. For particularly sticky messes, try using a magic eraser. When everything is clean, exercise a final wipe down with a spray bottle full of diluted vinegar. It will disinfect without adding any harmful chemicals to your nutrient storage area.
Put the food back in the fridge. Go through every detail and discard anything past the expiration date, or whatever leftovers containers that yous can no longer identify. (Yuck!) Wipe downwards bottles and jars to remove any balance before returning them. By the style, here'due south how to organize your fridge the right fashion.
Clean the dust coils. Over time, the condenser coils on your refrigerator can collect dust and droppings and volition keep your fridge from running efficiently. The coils are usually located under the refrigerator backside the base grille, on the back of the refrigerator or on the top of the refrigerator. Unplug the unit, and employ a coil brush or a vacuum attachment to wipe away dust, dirt and pet hair. A gyre brush is a long, flexible bristled brush that tin can fit into modest hard-to-reach crevices, and can be purchased at any hardware shop.

Next: Brand sure you're not shortening the life of your refrigerator.

Originally Published: July 26, 2019