Cleaning the refrigerator: fabulous tips and tricks

cleaning a refrigerator
Image Credits: IHA Vacation rentals

Every now and then, we all need to clean our refrigerators so as to ensure that the food inside remains fresh and clean.  This also helps to extend the life of the refrigerator and enable it to give its best performance.  This may seem like a really unpleasant task to most of us but is actually really important. Following a few tips and tricks for cleaning the refrigerator will not only make the task easier but also more successful.

1. Take out all the food and other items from the refrigerator

The first step to follow is to take out all the contents that you have placed in the refrigerator. The food can be placed properly on countertop or tables and then the items   that need to be thrown away can be selected.

empty the contents of refrigerator

Image Credits: IHA Vacation rentals

 

2. Take out all the shelves and drawers to clean the refrigerator properly

For cleaning the refrigerator more quickly and effectively, you need to take out all the drawers and shelves too.  Wash and wipe these parts and place them in the sink to dry.

3. Wipe the inside of the refrigerator with a cleaning solution

The next step that you need to follow is to wipe the inside of the refrigerator with a clean cloth and a preferred cleaning solution. One of the best solutions for this task is one that is made by mixing 2 tablespoons of baking soda with 1 quart of hot water. In order to clean and remove any stubborn marks, you can use some white toothpaste. Cleaning the refrigerator doors is equally important.

4. Clean the gasket using a homemade solution

The next thing that you need to do while cleaning the refrigerator is to clean its gasket.  You can prepare a solution using ½ quantity water with ½ quantity of vinegar or bleach.  After cleaning the gasket using this solution, you must pat it dry and then apply a little bit of body lotion or lemon oil on it in order to keep the rubber supple and shiny.

5. Cleaning the refrigerator exteriors

Once you are done with the interiors,  clean the refrigerator from the exterior part.  For this you need to shift your refrigerator a little forward and switch it off.  Now use an all purpose cleaning solution and a towel to wipe down all the surfaces properly.  Don’t forget to clean the coils and fan blade. Use a coil brush to remove the dust and debris that gets accumulated over a period of time. This can be done every few months to ensure proper functioning.

clean the exteriors of refrigerator

Image Credits: Flickr

Now that you have learnt to clean the refrigerator in a systematic manner, you must follow these steps every once in a while to maintain your appliance and to ensure that it gives its best performance for the longest time period. However for any kind of repairs, contact a professional.

You might also like

2 Comments

  1. 1
  2. 2

    Good article and very useful to prevent us getting ill from dirty refrigerators, which can happen if foodstuffs drip to lower shelves unnoticed. We regularly clean ours and you can even get a cleaning company to tackle it for you, if you can’t face it!

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

You may use these HTML tags and attributes: <a href="" title=""> <abbr title=""> <acronym title=""> <b> <blockquote cite=""> <cite> <code> <del datetime=""> <em> <i> <q cite=""> <s> <strike> <strong>