How to Clean a Refrigerator Both Inside and Out

The refrigerator is the largest appliance in your kitchen and probably does not get as much attention and maintenance as it needs. It is responsible for storing your food, vegetables, and other necessities in the kitchen without them going bad. Thus it is essential to keep it well-sanitized and organized at all times.

If you do not clean it regularly, the fridge will stain and stick and even may start molding, making it gross and unhygienic.

But if you do not know, your fridge will consume less electricity if it is cleaned and maintained both inside and out regularly.

It is a good practice to clean your refrigerator at regular intervals, probably once a month and do electrical maintenance by a professional at least once every 6 months after its warranty. It will make your fridge last longer.

So, if cleaning your fridge is a tedious task, here we have a complete guide for you, starting from cleaning ingredients to process, on how to do so.

What products do you need to clean a refrigerator both inside and out?

Cleaning the fridge inside out does not require much, and you can get the things that we are going to use at your home itself. All you need are a few clean, soft clothes, preferably cotton cloths, warm water, baking soda, vinegar, gloves, liquid dishwashing soap, and a dish scrubber.

How to clean the refrigerator from the outside?

Cleaning refrigerators’ outer surface only needs a soft cloth, preferably cotton cloth, and lukewarm soapy water with vinegar and baking soda. Use it to mildly scrub off the refrigerator surface, the front and sides, while avoiding the cables at the back.

Then slowly wipe them down with another clean cloth to keep them shiny. You can also use handle covers to avoid getting them too dirty in the first place.

How to clean the refrigerator from the inside?

For cleaning the inside of the fridge, you need a few more things, as the fridge comes with quite a few parts that you can disassemble and clean separately.

To clean the inside of the refrigerator, you can use the same cleaner by mixing lukewarm water with baking soda and vinegar, or you can also use the traditional dishwashing soap available from markets.

Steps to clean refrigerator inside:

1. First thing you have to do is empty the fridge completely. Sort things out and throw away what’s spoiled and not will be in use anymore. Store everything else in containers and organize them, like vegetables, fruits, and eggs.

Keep the cooked meals in tight containers too.

2. Next, check all the products in the fridge and see the expiry date for every sauce and garnish.

Do throw away the ones that can not be used anymore and keep the rest.

3. Now unplug the fridge and switch it off and let it defrost for about 2 hours or more, depending on which brand of fridge you use and its size.

It will melt away any ice formation in it in case it is there due to functionality issues with the fridge.

4. Now, remove all the parts and shelves that can be removed and throw them in the sink.

5. Use the solution of lukewarm water, vinegar, baking soda, and cloth to clean the walls of the fridge interior thoroughly. Scrub it softly without using too much water. Let it sit there for like 15 minutes.

6. Now, use a clean and dry cloth to remove the gunk from the inside. Do it 2-3 times to ensure there is no residue of the mixture in it, as you can not simply use water to clean the electronic device.

7. It is time to wash the shelves and rack and dry them. You can use a utensil scrubber and dishwashing soap for it. Scrub it properly and rinse it and keep them dry completely. Note, then, by assembling them back on the ridge while they are wet. If in a hurry, use a dry cloth to soak them dry and then put them back in place in the fridge.

[Note: If the shelves are not removable, work from top to bottom. Clean the top shelf first, over and under, and do the rest.

This way, the dirt from the top shelves will not fall on the button ones and ruin them if you go the other way.

8. Now plug and switch on the fridge and keep it for about 2 hours to let it cool. Now you can put back all the food you wish to keep.

How to clean the freezer from the inside?

Cleaning the freezer can be done alongside cleaning the fridge. It is also relatively easy to do. Just follow the steps below.

1. Switch off the refrigerator and let the ice inside it melt before you start doing anything. It would take a maximum of two hours.

2. Now, take the food out and again check for labels and expiry date to sort out what you will keep and what you will throw.

Keep the things from the freezer in an athermal bag until you are done cleaning.

3. Next, take out any shelves and ice cube trays present in the freezer and put them in the sink to wash them.

4. Scrape away any excess ice remaining on it using a plastic tool

[Note: Do not use any blade or steel tool as it may harm and scratch the freezer lining and damage it permanently.]

5. After cleaning out the ice, use the same solution of lukewarm water, vinegar and baking soda to gently rub the freezer walls, which is that way for about 15 mins.

6. Now, take a clean, dry cloth to wipe the solution off the freezer and let it dry completely.

In the meantime, wash the shelves and ice cube maker using dishwashing soap and let them dry.

7. After everything has dried, put everything back in place and restock all the food after taking them out of the thermal back.

Now you are all set.

Conclusion

As the saying goes, prevention is better than cure. If you can prevent your fridge from getting too messy in the first place, you will not have to clean it too frequently.

A few tips for doing so are always to use tight containers to store food so that they don’t spill and always throw out anything rotten or expired the moment you spot it in the fridge.

Do a weekly check to see for such products and clean out whatever is expired. Doing this keeps your fridge clean and prevents any nasty odor build-up. We hope that you can easily keep your refrigerator clean and odorless.