Your fridge is one of those things in your house that you know you have to clean, but you don’t necessarily look forward to doing. Ignoring it can really lead to health problems. If you don’t clean your refrigerator on a regular basis, you run the risk of growing science experiments in your fridge.
But, that begs the question, how often should you really clean your fridge and what should you focus on? Let’s take a look.
Daily Cleaning
While you’re not expected to totally clean your fridge every day, you need to take care of spills right away. This falls under daily cleaning as well as just doing a quite swipe through to get away the daily gunk. You can put some anti-bacterial spray on a cloth or towel to get the job done. You can use the same tactic when you notice a spill. This will avoid your fridge from becoming sticky and gross. It takes less than five minutes but goes a long way.
You should also scrub down any food that got stuck on shelves. The longer you leave it there, the harder it’s going to be to get it off and the more time you’ll take to do it.
Weekly Cleaning
Once a week, take stock of what’s in your fridge. Check the expiration date of milk, since that’s likely to spoil first. Also, throw away any leftovers. If you can’t remember how old certain food is, put pieces of masking tape on containers with the date. This way there’s no confusion and you won’t be eating food that is going bad.
One of the most important reasons to do the weekly purge is to avoid the growth of mold spores. If there is food that is in your fridge long enough to grow mold, you run the risk of that mold spreading to fresh food. This not only poses a health hazard but is also a money waster.
Monthly Cleaning
You know all the salad dressing, condiments, and jelly you have on the doors of your fridge? You should check the dates on those at the beginning of each month. This way you’re not reaching for a salad dressing that expired at your last holiday party. This practice is also good because it keeps your fridge clutter-free.
Seasonal Cleaning
This is the mother load of all cleaning and shouldn’t be reserved for only spring. At the start of each season, do a deep cleaning. This will take some time, but it’s well worth it. This seasonal cleaning should include:
- Taking everything out of the fridge…everything! Put any perishables in a cooler with some ice so they don’t go bad while you’re cleaning.
- Take out the meat and vegetable drawers so that you can soak them in the sink with warm, soapy water. If your shelves are removable, you can take them out as well and clean them.
- Wipe down the inside of your fridge. While your drawers and shelves are soaking, wipe down the inside of your fridge and the seals with a cleaning solution of 2 tablespoons of baking soda and 1 quart of hot water.
- Rinse all drawers and shelves. After they’ve finished soaking, be sure to rinse off all drawers and shelves before putting them back.
- If you can, pull the fridge away from the wall and vacuum behind it. If your fridge is in a tight spot or too heavy, you can let this one slide.
Yearly Cleaning
Once a year, clean your condenser coil. This is not anyone’s favorite job, but it really needs to be done if you want your fridge to run efficiently. Unplug your fridge first, and then remove the base grill from the bottom. Use your vacuum’s soft brush attachment to clean it.
Besides deep cleaning and taking care of the yearly chores, cleaning your fridge doesn’t need to be a big hassle if you keep up with it. Keeping your fridge clean promotes healthy living by keeping away bacteria and mold. Bacteria and mold can cause major health problems that can simply be avoided by keeping your fridge clean. It’s when you start to ignore the daily spills, that it can start to become gross and a breeding ground for germs.
What about the Freezer?
The freezer is not as needy when it comes to cleaning as your fridge. The food in there will stay longer but may lose some of its flavor. It’s best to date these food items so that you don’t forget when you put them in there.
Unless you have a power outage or some massive spillage, you can make cleaning your freezer a yearly ritual. When you do it, unplug it first. Go through the food and throw anything away hat is past its prime. Put the food that is still good in a cooler while you clean.
Clean it out using a soft cloth and a mixture of 1 tablespoon of baking soda and 1 quart of warm water. Clean the gasket this way too and check for any tears in it. Don’t use any abrasive cleaners. Also, don’t forget to clean the coils.
When you’re done, plug the freezer back in and put your food back inside. Sit down and take a deep breath because you don’t have to tackle this project for another year!
If you’re spending time cleaning your fridge and freezer, you don’t want to waste any more time cleaning your home. Having regularly scheduled maid service can free up your time to do the things that you love. At Maid Luxe, we cover a variety of cleaning services that can be scheduled weekly, bi-weekly, or monthly at your convenience. You can even choose refrigerator cleaning as an add-on service. Call Maid Luxe today at 713-242-8935 to get started!
Recent Comments