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Refrigerator. Cleaning out the Fridge

Have you been finding all kinds of things in your refrigerator that you can’t identify any more?Â If you have been finding all kinds of foods that are looking a little hairy, the shelves are getting sticky or if you just know it has been a few weeks since you cleaned out the fridge, it is time for you to take the fridge by the doors and get cleaning – a thorough cleaning!Â Getting rid of those smells, that yucky sticky stuff on the doors and even in a few places you might have forgotten about will make your refrigerator a more welcoming area for your foods and for you to store your goodies!

First, you need to start out by cleaning off your counters, making space for all the stuff you are going to be taking out of the fridge. You might also want to make sure that you have enough room in the garbage bag for things that you are going to throw away while you are cleaning out the refrigerator.Â The counter space is going to be for everything in your fridge that you want to keep, clean or pitch and so you can sort it out after you are done cleaning out the fridge.

Start by taking everything off the doors in the refrigerator, throwing away anything that is outdated, old, moldy or just plain yucky that you don’t like.Â The stuff that you are going to keep can be put on the counter, running it under water or wiping off the bottoms as you go so that the stuff you are going to put back in the fridge when you are all done is as clean as the fridge will be when you are finished.

You will need to clean out the shelving, around the seals, in the butter container or in the egg tray while you are cleaning out the refrigerator door. Wiping with a good bleach and water mixture, a lemon juice and water mixture or a vinegar and water mixture is going to help you clean off all the messes, dirt and any bacteria or ‘stuff’ that could be growing. The refrigerator door is one of the easiest things that you are going to have to clean. When you are done cleaning the door, the seals and all the little places, you can wipe down your items that belong on the door and then put them back.Â This is a good time to put a fresh box of baking soda on the door – open, to absorb the odors until the next cleaning.

Now you are ready to move onto cleaning the rest of the refrigerator. You should start by taking everything out of the freezer. Placing all of your foods on the clean counter space leaving you with an open freezer, you can wipe out the freezer with a vinegar and water mixture. If your refrigerator is the type that needs defrosted, you can do this at this time. Wiping out the seals, the inside of the fridge, and defrosting if you need it will keep your freezer working better and more efficiently saving you energy.

This is a good time to throw away food items that have been in the freezer too long or food items that you are not really happy with if they look freezer burnt or have too much frost on the to still taste good. After you have cleaned out the freezer, wiping the seals down, getting all the stray pieces of food and crumbs from the freezer you are ready to move on to the main part of the refrigerator.

By now you should have your freezer and the door portion of your refrigerator cleaned, this helps as you move on to the main portion of the refrigerator. Taking everything out of your fridge and placing it on the counter is a good start. As you are doing this, throw away anything that looks old, moldy, that you aren’t going to eat anymore or that is just plain outdated. Sorting through what is in your refrigerator, you should be also cleaning the bottoms of jars, containers, and wiping off the outsides of bottoms while you are doing this to keep your area cleaner when putting things back in the refrigerator.

While you still have everything sitting on the counter, this is when you are going to pull out all over your shelving and your drawers. Washing your shelving and drawers in warm soapy water, vinegar and water or in your favorite cleaner as stated on the shelving and drawers, you will take the first step in getting done!

Be sure to wipe down the entire inside of the fridge, starting at the top and working your way down so any crumbs, hairs, or food particles are being pushed to the bottom and then eventually wiped entirely out of your refrigerator. Using soft clean clothes, paper towels, or disposable wipes, you can get the first layer of gunk out of the refrigerator and then you can go back and do it all over again to ensure a good sanitary clean.

As you are finishing up cleaning out the inside of your refrigerator, your shelving and your drawers should be about dry by now and you can put them back in the positions where they belong. You can start putting your food back in the refrigerator at this time as well and you will be about done! Wiping down the exterior of your fridge, taking the garbage out, and wiping off the counterÂ - you are going to be left with a great feeling of accomplishment and a clean kitchen area!