5 Ways to Deep Clean a Fridge Inside Out Before Christmas

We are going to talk about something you will have to clean neatly before the holiday season- your refrigerator. You are not here with some normal cleaning guide, but a detailed guide that will help you clean your food storing appliance spotlessly. You want to keep problems like cross-contamination, food poisoning and all such issues at bay when guests are at your home for Christmas. Our guide will focus on giving you a few smart and time-saving tips on how to deep-clean a fridge. We will also focus on what you have to know to clean and maintain your fridge for longer the right way. Let’s go!

How Often Should You Clean Your Fridge at Home?

Before we begin to discuss how to deep-clean a fridge, we thought of starting with something more important - knowing how often you should clean the fridge at your home. Well, there is no strict rule as to when to clean your food, but it depends on how well you store and organise food products in your fridge every day. If you are perfect at wiping spills and stains as soon as they happen, you wouldn’t have to clean the fridge frequently. 

However, we suggest you defrost, take everything out and sanitise your refrigerator about 5 times a year. Here's why!

We suggest that you check the refrigerator for expired products regularly, maybe once a week. It is also important for you to deep clean and then sanitise your fridge.

‍

How to Deep Clean Your Fridge the Right Way?

You need to understand the steps involved in cleaning your fridge the right way. But don’t worry, we are here to cover everything for you including what you should use to clean your fridge safely. 

• Organic Fridge Cleaners
  We tell you; you don’t have to rely on expensive detergents to clean your fridge. You can use natural products such as baking soda, vinegar and lemon juice by diluting them well. These ingredients do not bring any damage to your fridge, and they are safe to clean an appliance in which you keep your food. However, keep in mind that baking soda has abrasive properties. So, you might need to use it only on the fridge seals to prevent causing scratches to removable and non-removable parts of your fridge. 

Now, How to Clean Your Fridge’s Inside 

Turn your refrigerator off before you do anything on it. Now empty the appliance by taking all the stored food items. Make sure you use the frozen stuff that day when you defrost the freezer. Now follow these simple steps to proceed with the deep cleaning. This is how to deep clean a fridge, read on:

• Remove the shelving, trays and egg holders from the fridge.
• Now wash all the parts you have removed using mild dishwasher soap. Rinse them well and dry them using a soft cloth. 
• Treat the stubborn stains on them and the inside of the fridge by using a homemade cleaner. We suggest you skip using chemical cleaners as the use of such chemicals might leave some toxicity. You don’t want to take any chances with the safety of the food you store.
• Clean the seals using an old toothbrush. Dip the toothpaste in a paste made of baking soda and water and follow by wiping it with a cloth. 
• You can then wipe the inside of your fridge using a damp cloth and dry it using a paper towel or a dry microfibre cloth. 
• After finishing all these steps, you can place back the shelves and racks. 

Sanitise the Outside of Your Fridge

Use a multipurpose cleaner to wipe clean and sanitise the outside of your fridge. All you have to do before doing it is ensured that the cleaner is suitable to use on the material- you do not want any unwanted damage to your fridge. Diluted all-purpose cleaners are safe to use on the fridge. Avoid spraying them on the coils of your fridge. Make sure that all the exterior surface of the fridge is dried well before you turn it on. 

How to Clean the Water Dispenser of Your Fridge? 

Of course, you should also clean the water dispenser fitted on your fridge. There will be buildups of mineral deposits around the nozzle if you are using hard water at home. You should also consider the possibility of bacteria buildup in it.

You should disconnect the water dispenser first to clean it. Unscrew it and access the tubing and then clean the dispenser using distilled white vinegar. You can attach an apt funnel to the end of the tubing, pour the vinegar and leave it undisturbed for some time. Reconnect the device to the water supply and rinse the unit thoroughly. You should not miss cleaning the nozzle using a toothbrush and cloth. 

How to Clean the Coils of Your Fridge?

Not every model of fridge comes with exposed coils, but some can either be at the back or underneath the appliance. If the coils of your refrigerator are exposed, you should give them a good cleaning to make sure that the fridge works efficiently. Dust and dirt tend to build up around these coils soon and this will make your fridge work harder. It is always good to remove such dust and dirt using your vacuum cleaner. You can then use a soft brush to clean the remaining dust particles. You can also wipe the coils using a soft damp microfibre cloth and then let the coils dry completely. 

How to Get Rid of Bad Odours from Your Fridge?

Getting rid of the bad smells from the refrigerator will come along with deep cleaning. The formation of such smells can also be avoided by storing food properly. You might have to experience unpleasant odours from the fridge even when you store food carefully. In such cases, you can try the hacks we discuss below to keep your fridge smelling fresh all the time. 

• Keep a bowl of baking soda or some oatmeal inside it to absorb the bad smell from the fridge. You can keep the bowl on one of the middle shelves of your fridge.  
• You can keep a few coffee beans on baking paper. 
• Keeping a few slices of lemon will also help save your fridge from developing an odour. 
• You can keep a cup of water by dropping some essential oil into it. 
• Keeping a few sticks of cinnamon or vanilla beans is also a good alternative to keep your fridge smelling great.

How to Maintain the Cleanliness of Your Fridge Well?

It is important to keep your fridge and freezer clean and well organised all the while keeping the food safe to eat. Do not overload your fridge with too much food that you do not plan to eat. Such items will go bad if they are kept inside the fridge and it can cost you a fair bit. It will also let you have a tricky fridge cleaning maintenance time. Here are a few things that will help you save your time and energy with fridge cleaning. 

• Only buy what you are going to prepare or eat that week. 
• Keep the food inside the fridge by considering the expiry date, so that you won’t miss what you have to eat sooner. 
• You need to store raw meat and leftovers in air-tight containers. 
• You can consider covering the shelvings of your fridge using aluminium foil so that it is easy for you to remove it in the case of accidental spills. 
• Wipe clean stains inside the fridge as soon as they happen. You can also clean your fridge when there are only a few items inside.
• Make sure that you wipe clean the newly purchased food before you keep them inside the fridge. 

‍

Refrigerator Deep Cleaning Services in Singapore

Theoretically you know how to deep clean a fridge. But how good are you at it? Can you spare time to do it all by yourself? Fridge cleaning should not overburden you, especially when you are doing it for the holiday season. We know that you will be held up with preparations for Christmas and the new year, so entrusting Sendhelper with your immediate chores will make it easy for you. Book our service using the Sendhelper app or website and wait for our professionals to come and do the job at the time you book the slot for. 

We hope we have answered in detail an often-asked question - 'how to deep-clean a fridge' - at home. If you need more information, reach out to us on info@sendhelper.com