How To Clean a Refrigerator

Your refrigerator may be the most important major appliance in the home. It certainly has a critical job: keeping your food fresh and bacteria-free. Im guilty of opening my refrigerator and thinking to myself that I should wipe down the shelves, but I end up closing the door and walking away after grabbing whatever food I was after. Luckily, my laziness did not win today, and I deep-cleaned my refrigerator in under an hour without ruining my Saturday.

You dont need much to complete this job and will most likely already own all the necessary supplies. I recommend doing this on a day right before you need to go to the grocery store so you dont have a ton of groceries sitting on the counter as you clean. Also, this is a good time to take an accurate inventory of your needs before you head to the store. After your refrigerator is spotless, make a routine of quick-cleaning the refrigerator before putting new groceries in. A 50-50 solution of plain white vinegar and water makes a great, food-friendly fridge cleaner.

• Pro tip: If there’s an odor in our refrigerator, you can place a bowl of baking soda inside the fridge to absorb the smell.

Empty refrigerator

Empty the refrigerator. Toss spoiled or expired items into a garbage bag as you go. Have a cooler ready to hold highly perishable foods (e.g., milk or raw fish) and set the rest in an out-of-the-way spot on your kitchen countertop.