How to clean your fridge easily in the right way – complete guide

The not-so-bad exterior of a fridge might sometimes make you assume that its inside is also nice and clean. However, that’s not always the case. Since you’ve chosen the best fridge to store your family’s food in, make sure it is one of the purest places in your house.

In today’s article, Electrolux Vietnam will give you a complete step-by-step guide on how to clean fridge easily, what to use to clean fridge, how to clean inside of fridge, ... Good news is these tips are applicable for both 1 door and side-by-side 2 door or any big-sized fridges. Plus, you will also find some extra after-cleaning tips such as how to turn on the fridge at the end of the post.

The satisfaction of a sparkling-clean fridge

Before the cleaning

Before we roll up our sleeves for the deep cleaning job, let’s make sure to get the following things done first:

Schedule a proper timing for your fridge cleaning

Timing your fridge cleaning before the weekly or daily delivery of your grocery shopping will make your life easier. If yours is a fridge freezer, you would also want the freezer compartment as empty as possible when you start the clean-up.

Besides, you may wonder how often we should clean the fridge. This depends on the type and quality of the fridge that you own. For a regular quality fridge, the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics recommends that you lightly clean the fridge at least once a week.

Of course, this is also determined by several factors that may necessitate the cleaning of the fridge, such as the expiry date and condition of the food stored in it.

Prepare surface area for temporary food storage

Since it’s obvious that we will need to completely empty the fridge before cleaning, preparing enough surface area for temporary food storage would be a good idea. You might want to empty your kitchen sink as well.

What to use to clean fridge?

Here is the list of supplies you will need for your cleaning:

• Vinegar or baking soda
• Spray bottle – the container for our food-safe cleaner made from vinegar/baking soda and hot water
• Scrubby sponge or cloth
• A large microfiber towel to place at the bottom of your fridge to absorb the water drops if any

And don’t forget a recycling bin. You can put it somewhere nearby as you might be tossing expired items.

Spray bottle – the container for our cleaner

Turn off & empty your fridge

Now turn off your fridge and make sure to let the plastic shelves come to room temperature before you start removing them in the next steps. Trying to remove plastic shelves from your fridge when it’s still cold might cause unwanted cracks or other damages.

While you are transferring all the contents of your fridge onto the kitchen countertops or any surface area, remember to:

• Check for use-by dates and through away anything that’s already expired or spoiled. Our simple tips to make plant food from leftovers might come in handy here.
• Clean the bottom of sticky jars or bottles.
• Consider putting your perishables in a cooler, especially if you are planning for a really thorough clean.

Step-by-step on how to clean your fridge properly

Step 1: Remove & soak the shelves and drawers

Now that the fridge’s inside must have come to room temperature, take all the shelves and drawers out and soak them in the kitchen sink. If they won’t fit your sink, spray them with dish soap and hot water.

Leave them there while we are heading to work on the inside of the fridge.

Step 2: Soften the accumulated gunk from inside of the fridge

Spray all over the interior of your fridge with the DIY vinegar solution mentioned earlier. Concentrate on areas with gunk. The simple combination of vinegar and water works like magic at cleaning up not only sticky germs, but also smelly fridges as well.

Leave the fridge’s interior to soak while you get back to the disassembled shelves and drawers earlier.

Step 3: Wash the shelves and drawers

The gunk on the shelves and drawers should be loosen by now. It’s time to wipe and clean them in dish soap water. Let them dry while you return to wash the inside of your fridge.

Step 4: How to clean inside of fridge

First, give the fridge walls an initial scrub to wipe out any gunk. Then, clean the fridge’s interior surfaces thoroughly with a soft, damp microfiber cloth. Make sure to have it rinsed and squeezed out regularly.

Clean inside of fridge thoroughly with a damp microfiber cloth

Step 5: Dry and reassemble all washed parts

When all the parts which are disassembled in the initial steps are dry completely, you can start having them reassembled.

Step 6: Clean jars and bottles before putting them back

It’d be pointless if we put sticky jam jars and crusty bottles back into a thoroughly cleaned fridge.

If you have already cleaned the bottom of those containers at the very first steps while clearing out your fridge, that’s pretty much all the main work. However, sometimes gunk has accumulated around the edges of the cap or the seal, so you might want to take the lid off and wash it in the sink before putting them all back to the fridge.

Step 7: How to clean fridge outside

Don’t forget to clean the outside of your fridge, too!

Once everything is in place in your sparkling clean fridge, spray the vinegar solution all over the outside of the fridge. Then use a soft and clean microfiber cloth to wash it off. Don’t forget to give a good cleaning to the fridge handles, edges, and seals.

After the cleaning

Clean kitchen counters or surface areas that held food, drinks, fridge parts

Don’t forget to wash your kitchen countertops or any surfaces that held your food and fridge parts. Give the floor a quick clean-up is also a good idea as the whole cleaning process might leave your floor dirty.

Extra tips on how to clean a side-by-side or French door fridge

Electrolux French door fridge give you more space for food storage

As big-sized fridges obviously contain a lot more stuff than 1-door counterparts, here are 2 extra tips for owners of side-by-side refrigerator, French door refrigerator, or any sorts of large fridges:

• Use folding table or a few chairs to get more space for temporary food storage. Whatever you might use, make sure you prepare at least enough space to hold a shelf’s worth of stuff.
• Clean shelf by shelf: Not everyone has enough space on kitchen countertops to hold all the stuff taken from the fridge before cleaning. So, working shelf by shelf is the go-to cleaning method for owners of side-by-side, 4-door, 2-door, or any big fridges. By doing so, your perishables won’t be left out for too long.

>>> Read more: Frequently asked questions about fridges

Electrolux fridges can stay clean and fresh for longer

Let’s enjoy the satisfaction of a sparkling-clean fridge, for a while. If you want to keep it smelling fresh for longer, try using some fridge fresheners and follow these tips to deodorize your fridge.

To free you from frequent maintenance process, Electrolux UltimateTaste fridges come equipped with the latest technologies to keep your fridge not only clean but also last for longer. Keeping your food fresh longer also means maintaining your fridge clean for longer. Read more about How to keep beef in refrigerator to make it last longer.

While the TasteLock feature maintains a humid environment to keep fruit and vegetables fresh with flavor for all week long, the TasteSeal compartment ensures a consistent temperature to keep your ingredients in prime condition for up to 7 days without freezing.

TasteLock feature maintains a humid environment to keep fruit and vegetables fresh for all week long

TasteSeal compartment keeps your food in prime condition for up to 7 days without freezing

A research conducted by World Nutrition Journal shows that our Electrolux UltimateTaste fridges are being able to maintain freshness and antioxidant nutrient contents of selected vegetables and fruit better than other brands.

Choose yourself a quality-proven products from the following Electrolux UltimateTaste fridges and find more about how to choose the best fridge for your house.