Your refrigerator is the workhorse of your kitchen and your home, tirelessly keeping your food and drinks fresh. That doesn’t mean that your fridge doesn’t need some love now and again. That’s why we’ve created the ultimate fridge overhaul guide to walk you through cleaning out your fridge. Ensuring your fridge is clean should be a part of every cleaning checklist you have.
In this guide, we walk you through a step-by-step process of cleaning out your fridge and then we help you understand how to keep your fridge clean.
What You'll Need
- Microfiber Washcloth
- Scrub Sponge
- Dish Soap
- Baking Soda
- Organic Disinfectant
Step 1: Get Rid of Expired and Spoiled Food
The first step to cleaning out your fridge is getting rid of anything that’s expired, spoiled, or questionable. Old leftovers, forgotten condiments, and moldy produce don’t deserve shelf space in your fridge and can cause unhygienic home conditions.
Tips for sorting and decluttering:
- Unplug your fridge: Since this process will require your fridge to remain open, it might be a good idea to unplug your fridge and save some money.
- Check expiration dates: Review every item in your fridge. If it’s expired, throw it away.
- Toss mystery containers: If you find a Tupperware container with contents you can’t identify, it’s time for it to go.
- Look for mold spots on the produce: If you’re seeing black or gray spots that have developed on your fruits and veggies, toss them.
Step 2: Empty the Fridge Completely
To clean your fridge thoroughly, you need to empty it entirely. This means taking out every bottle, jar, and container. This also means removing all of the shelves, drawers and bins. This will make the next steps easier and give you less obstacles to have to work around.
Remember to work fast on this step. Food that needs to be refrigerated will only last for about two hours at room temperature. That’s why we recommend placing perishable items like milk, meat, and fresh produce in a cooler or insulated bag to keep them safe while you clean.
Step 3: Wash Shelves, Drawers and Bins
Once your fridge is empty, it’s time to wash everything you’ve just removed. Your shelves, drawers and bins are often the dirtiest areas due to spills, crumbs and food residue.
How to clean these components:
- Remove and soak: Take out all removable parts and soak them in warm, soapy water for 10–15 minutes. We recommend having your sink filled with hot soapy water beforehand, that way you can take everything out of your fridge and place them directly into the soaking bath.
- Scrub thoroughly: After soaking, it’s likely that most items won’t require much elbow grease. We do recommend using a non-abrasive sponge on hard-to-remove stains and stuck-on messes.
- Rinse and dry: Rinse with clean water. Afterward, either allow the items to air dry or wipe them dry with a clean towel.
Step 4: Clean the Interior of the Fridge
With the shelves and drawers out of the way, you can focus on scrubbing the interior of the fridge with a soap filled sponge or washcloth.
Cleaning out your fridge’s interior:
- Start by either using your already-filled sink of hot soapy water or grab a spray-on soap dispenser to make sure every inch of your fridge’s interior gets a bubble bath.
- On those sticky spots, use a scrub sponge and a little bit of elbow grease to make sure they’re gone for good.
- Rinse out your fridge completely with a clean washcloth or rag to remove all crumbs, spots and soap residue.
- Lastly, either air dry your fridge if you have time or dry everything off using a clean towel.
Step 5: Reorganize and Restock the Right Way
Now that your fridge is clean, it’s time to put everything back in an organized manner. Proper organization not only looks great but also makes it easier to find what you need and prevents future messes.
Tips for fridge organization:
- Use clear bins: Group smaller items like snacks or sauces into clear storage bins for better visibility and organization.
- FIFO method (First In, First Out): Place older food items at the front and newer ones at the back to reduce waste.
- Store meat properly: Always keep raw meat on the bottom shelf to prevent cross-contamination.
Make sure you are not filling up your fridge again with food you know you’re never going to eat or that is already on its way out. Filling your fridge with gross food defeats this whole cleaning process.
Bonus Step: Clean Your Temporary Food Storage Spot Before and After
Before removing items from your fridge, make sure wherever you’re going to put them is clean. This ensures you have a sanitary surface to place your food temporarily. Whether it’s your countertop or a cooler, make sure your food isn’t going to pick up something gross between the time you take it out of the fridge and when it’s put back.
Once you’re done cleaning and you’ve restocked the fridge, give your countertops another wipe-down to remove any crumbs, spills, or residue from the process. Clean countertops are an essential part of any house cleaning routine!
Tips For Keeping Your Fridge Clean
Now that your fridge is completely cleaned out and sparkling, you need to know how to keep it clean. This helps to put time in between each of these fridge deep cleans.
Regular maintenance is the secret to keeping your fridge fresh and organized. Incorporate these habits into your routine to make deep cleanings less frequent:
- Wipe spills immediately: Don’t let sticky messes sit; clean them up as soon as they happen.
- Check weekly or daily for expired items: Take a few minutes each day or week to throw out old food and tidy up.
- Use fridge liners: Line your shelves and drawers with washable mats to catch crumbs and spills.
- Keep an odor absorber inside: A small box of baking soda or a bowl of coffee grounds can help neutralize fridge odors.
- Invest in high-quality containers or tupperware: Using food containers that have a tight seal helps to prevent food from spilling when tipped over or dropped.
- Label leftovers: Use labels with dates to track when you stored your leftovers.
- Avoid using bleach to clean your fridge: When people think clean, they often think bleach. Bleach can contaminate the food in your fridge and cause dangerous odors to be wafted through your house.
Hire a Professional House Cleaning Service to Deep Cleaning Your Fridge
Cleaning out your fridge is just one part of keeping your kitchen and home spotless. If you find it hard to keep up with house cleaning tasks or simply don’t have the time, hiring professional house cleaners can be a game-changer.
With Lily’s House Cleaning, we specialize in professional house cleaning and deep cleaning services that will leave your home looking and feeling its best. Our expert cleaners handle everything from scrubbing fridge interiors to sanitizing countertops, so you don’t have to.
Stop stressing about cleaning and start enjoying a fresh, organized home. Book your professional house cleaning appointment today! Let us take care of the mess so you can focus on what matters most.
