When Was The Last Time You Cleaned Your Fridge?
Your refrigerator is probably one of the hardest working appliances in your home. It’s on 24 hours a day, 365 days a year! It revolutionized your life by allowing you to store food for longer periods of time and giving you access to a wider variety of nutrients all year round.
Honestly, it’s hard to imagine what life would be like without it.
You would think that something that plays such a major role in sustaining our livelihood would receive a lot of care, yet most people can’t remember the last time they cleaned theirs.
When was the last time you cleaned yours?
If, like the majority of people, you can’t remember when you last cleaned your fridge or need some direction on where to start and how to do so effectively, this one’s for you!
Here is a step-by-step guideline on how to give your refrigerator the clean it, and your household, deserves.
Firstly let’s establish the fact that you should be deep cleaning your fridge once every 3-6months.
1. Plan to clean your fridge before your weekly shop when it’s emptier than usual. This way you minimize the amount of stuff you have to find temporary storage for.
2. Next, empty out all the food from your fridge. Throw out anything that has either passed its expiry date, that looks rotten or mouldy and pay special attention to things you don’t remember putting there in the first place!
3. Bacteria multiply most rapidly between 40F and 140F so make sure you store any meat, dairy and other perishables in a cooler bag or ice box while you clean.
4. Thaw and clear away any ice that has built up and then go ahead and take out any removable parts from the refrigerator such as shelves and crisper boxes. Let them warm up to room temperature and then wash them with dish washing liquid and hot water. Make sure to scrub or scrape off any and all food particles and stains that might have accumulated since the last time you cleaned them and then rinse them off and put them aside to dry while you wash the rest of the fridge.
5. Next, wipe down all the interior surfaces of the fridge, first with soapy water then with clean water to remove any soapy residues.
6. Once that is done give your fridge a wipe down with the disinfectant of your choice. Don’t have any on hand? That’s okay! Make your own by adding a tablespoon of bleach to about a gallon of water.
7. Now that the inside of your fridge has been cleaned and sanitized, dry all the shelves and other containers and put them back in.
8. Next, replace all your food and drinks back in the fridge. Make sure to wipe down and dry everything in a container before doing so.
9. Clean the outside surfaces of your fridge with soapy water, and pay special attention to any areas that are likely to be touched frequently such as any handles, buttons and water dispensers.
10. Wipe down all surfaces that might have been stained by food or drink throughout the process and wash and dry any cloths you used to clean the fridge before using them again.
Lastly open that fridge one last time, marvel at your hard work and reach for your favourite snack! No snack? No worries! It’s time for your weekly shop anyways, right? So remember to pick some up while you’re out! Treat yourself! Great job!