How Often to Deep Clean Your Refrigerator and How?

Ever imagined how many times we open and shut our refrigerator doors in a day? Countless times, right? We use our fridge to store leftover food, to preserve food that tends to get spoiled at room temperature, and to chill water. Not to forget, we also use the freezer section of the fridge for making ice. Now, the question is: Do you clean this essential home appliance as frequently as you use it? How often do you clean your refrigerator?  

Refrigerator cleaningis an essential, and sadly the most neglected item in our daily household chores. Moreover, we hardly clean our refrigerators from the inside. Most of us just wipe the exteriors off, but that is really not enough. 

So, how to clean the fridge?In this post, we aim to answer both the questions – how to clean a refrigerator at home and how often to deep clean it.

Top 6 Reasons to Clean Your Refrigerator

Before we proceed to the main discussion of this article about how to clean your refrigerator and how often, here are some reasons as to why we should clean this appliance:

1. Prevents Germ Infestation: Regular fridge-cleaning ensures removal of germs and bacteria, and prevents their further spread. 
2. Minimizes Chances of Food Poisoning: Removing bacteria and germs with regular cleaning also minimizes the likelihood of food poisoning. 
3. Helps Discard Rotten Food: Cleaning your fridge regularly helps throw out spoiled food and in turn saves other freshly stored food. 
4. Cleans the Stains Inside the Fridge: It becomes easier to clear the stains inside if the fridge is cleaned frequently. 
5. Removes Unpleasant Odor: Not just stains and bacteria, regular refrigerator clean-up also helps get rid of unpleasant odor from inside the fridge. 
6. Makes it Look More Spacious with a Little Organization: Regular refrigerator cleaning helps create more space in it to store and stack more food with a little organization. 

How to Clean a Refrigerator?

Although it is easier to hire professionals for a fridge-cleaning service,it’s a good idea to try some DIY tricks for cleaning the refrigerator at home. Fridge-cleaning is a two-step procedure, wherein you clean the interior and exterior of the appliance. Cleaning both the inside and outside surfaces of the fridge is crucial to maintaining the hygiene of the food stored inside. 

1. Cleaning Refrigerator from Inside

The following steps will help you clean the interior of your refrigerator:

1. Turn off and unplug the main switch of your refrigerator.
2. Remove and place the stored food elsewhere.
3. Remove all the trays and baskets from inside the fridge.
4. Now clean all the removable parts and accessories of the refrigerator using a liquid dishwash and sponge.
5. To deal with stubborn stains, try sprinkling a pinch of baking soda over them and leave it on for a few minutes.
6. Scrub the stains with a wet cloth followed by a dry wipe for final clean-up.
7. Make sure to dry the trays and baskets before putting them back.
8. Once everything inside has been cleaned, turn on the main switch of your refrigerator.

2. Cleaning Refrigerator from Outside

The following steps will help you clean the exterior of your refrigerator:

1. Turn off and unplug the main switch of your refrigerator.
2. Prepare a solution using dish liquid soap and water.
3. Scrub the doors and sides of the refrigerator using this soap solution and a sponge.
4. Use an old toothbrush to reach the narrow door handles and scrub off the stains.
5. Wipe it all off using a microfiber cloth or damp cloth.
6. Wipe again with a dry cloth to remove cleaning marks that remain.
7. To clean the back side of the refrigerator, pull the fridge away from the wall.
8. Clean the debris stuck between the coils using a coil brush.
9. Turn on the main switch of the refrigerator once you finish cleaning.

Precautions to Take during Refrigerator Cleaning

You just learned how to clean the inside and outside of your refrigerator. But to ensure that nothing goes wrong during the clean-up, try keeping the following 7 precautions in mind:

1. Never start cleaning your refrigerator without turning off its main switch.
2. Always remove the stored food before you start cleaning your fridge from the inside.
3. Defrost the fridge, depending on the model, before cleaning it from inside.
4. Never scrub the interior or exterior of the fridge hard.
5. Do not stack wet trays and baskets after cleaning.
6. Avoid using ammonia, abrasives, bleach, and alkaline cleaners to clean your fridge.
7. Use a microfiber towel or cloth for cleaning the exteriors to avoid water spots.

How Often should A Refrigerator be Cleaned

Now that you have sufficient information about how to clean the inside of a refrigerator, it’s time to learn how often you should do it. Experts from hygiene companies like HiCare state that you must clean and disinfect your refrigerator every 3-4 months. It should involve removing all the detachable accessories of the fridge and cleaning them thoroughly. Besides, you must ensure cleaning any spillages on the spot, and remove rotten food items frequently, to keep food fresh inside. 

Conclusion

If you have time constraints or simply don’t like cleaning your fridge as much, you always have the option to consider a professional refrigerator cleaning service.Renowned companies like HiCare offer fridge deep-cleaning services at affordable prices. During this one-time service, HiCare professionals would offer external as well as interior cleaning of your refrigerator. Whether you choose to clean it yourself or hire professionals, make sure to clean your fridge regularly.