When you see a fridge spill or identify a bad smell in your fridge, finding the culprit isn’t always easy. The good news is that you don’t have to find the source to eliminate it – deep-cleaning your fridge should do the trick. Below, learn how (and how often) you should deep clean your fridge.
Wash shelves and salad drawers
First, start deep cleaning your refrigerator by removing your food. Remove your fridge’s drawers, vegetable bins, and removable shelves. If it proves tough to remove drawers and shelves, it’s best to check the fridge’s user manual before you start to avoid any possible damage. If you don’t have a user guide, check the manufacturer’s website or try to contact the manufacturer with your fridge’s model number ready at hand. 
Remove tough stains
You can often remove tough stains from your fridge’s drawers and shelves with a sponge or a rag soaked in hot water. To avoid burning your hands, wear kitchen gloves (which also help your hands stay clean). Wring out and compress the sponge or rag on sticky substances. Holding a hot sponge or rag on a spill will make removing stains and spills easier to clean up. For especially sticky spills, use the sponge as many times as needed.
After cleaning your drawers and shelves, then clean the remainder of your fridge’s interior. You can use an eraser sponge for this task, as it does better at removing stains and yellow scuff marks. To use an eraser sponge, wet the sponge and squeeze it out. Then, rub the eraser sponge on stains and watch the stains disappear. After the interior is clean, add your clean drawers and shelves back into the fridge.
Dust your fridge’s coils
You might not think about your refrigerator’s condenser coils, but if you want to clean your fridge especially deeply, it’s best to clean these coils. First, unplug your fridge. You can then clean the coils by gently using a coil brush or carefully using your vacuum if it has a crevice attachment. You will only need to clean your fridge’s coils once or twice per year.
Clean your fridge’s exterior
Wipe your refrigerator’s doors with a cloth dampened with mild soap and water. Make sure to disinfect the fridge’s handles with a cleaning solution since the handles are high-touch surfaces. For stainless steel fridges, you can use a stainless steel spray and wipe in the direction of the steel’s grain. Lastly, make sure to dry your fridge to prevent streaks from showing.
How do I maintain a clean fridge?
Once a week, you should have a fridge toss day to remove leftovers. Throwing food out once a week will prevent food from molding and thus releasing odors or staining your fridge. If you have a hard time remembering when you got your food, you can write down the date you first put your food in your fridge on a food label or a dry-erase board in your kitchen.
How often should I deep clean my fridge?
You should give your fridge a deep clean every three to four months. In between deep cleanings, it’s best to wipe up spills before they dry and regularly remove spoiled food. Regularly cleaning will make deep cleanings easier in the long run.
How often do you deep clean your fridge? Sound off in the comments!
