Can you remember the last time you cleaned behind the refrigerator? Never did it? The reason you want to do this is to reduce the workload and increase the efficiency of your hardest working appliance in the kitchen.
If you have a large family of 4 or more people or if you tend to cook often, you may want to try to clean out your refrigerator each month or every other week. This is to make sure your leftover foods or outdated items are used efficiently before contaminating other food items. Any food left over 5 days should be discarded.
Start by removing all food from the refrigerator and every shelf or drawer. Allow a couple of hours to take everything out while thoroughly cleaning and sanitizing your refrigerator. If you have a lot of frozen food, you may want to set up a cooler in your kitchen to maintain the correct temperature of food while cleaning the freezer. Wash every shelf and every drawer with hot soapy water. If the shelves are glass, get them to room temperature before washing to prevent cracking.
Sanitize the shelves and the interior of the refrigerator after washing using a tablespoon of bleach to a gallon of water. Everything must be washed thoroughly with hot soapy water before sanitizing. This includes the kitchen counters after wiping down refrigerator shelves and drawers.
Have you cleaned behind the refrigerator? Coils behind the refrigerator collect dust, grime, pet hair, and dirt that lowers the efficiency, makes the condenser work twice as hard to keep food cool, and eventually will break down your refrigerator. To clean the coils, unplug your refrigerator and pull away from the wall. Knock down as much debris and dust as possible with a broom. Use a vacuum to suck up what you can. Look under the refrigerator and remove any grime you see. Wash with warm soapy water if possible. Move refrigerator back and plug power on.
Keep a small box of baking soda in bottom of the refrigerator. Wipe up spills as they occur. Use natural products as much as possible to avoid any contamination with food. Vinegar, water, and lemon are great products to use throughout your home. A baking soda paste can be used effectively to scrub out most tough stains.
Remember to check your cold food items if your power is off for more than 2 hours, especially in the summer. Stay safe and healthy!
Does this seem like a lot of work? Call We Clean 4 You to schedule a deep clean that includes a refrigerator cleaning!
