How to Deep Clean Your Fridge – Banish Smells

From milk spills to forgotten old vegetables at the back, your fridge can quickly start to look messy and start producing some awful smells. However, with a bit of hard work, you can soon get your fridge looking brand new.

According to Sarah Dempsey, cleaning expert at MyJobQuote.co.uk, you should aim to clean your fridge in small doses regularly to prevent it from smelling and to stop harmful bacteria from breeding. It’s also essential to perform deep cleans every now and again to keep your fridge in the best possible state. Your fridge is the hardest working appliance in the kitchen and keeping it at its best will ensure it has a long life.

Read on below where MyJobQuote’s Sarah Dempsey provides her tips on cleaning your fridge and banishing smells.

What is The Difference Between a Regular Fridge Clean and a Deep Fridge Clean?

You should aim to keep on top of cleaning your fridge regularly to ensure it remains clean and bacteria-free. Plus, regular cleaning will help to prevent your fridge from becoming smelly.

A regular fridge clean should be completed every few days. Once per week is good enough for a regular clean. However, the more often you clean it, the less likely it is to start smelling and breeding bacteria, so it’s better to aim to clean your fridge regularly every few days.

A regular clean doesn’t need to be anything much. It’s just a case of keeping on top of the cleaning. The more often you do this, the easier it will be to do.

A regular fridge clean should include disinfecting the door handle and wiping down the surfaces. You should also rotate the food as it starts to get older to prevent things from spoiling. Wipe lids on things and put paper towels down underneath anything likely to drip.

How to Deep Clean Your Fridge and Banish Smells

A few times each year, homeowners should perform a deep clean on their fridges. When doing this, you'll want to ensure the fridge is unplugged before you begin. It's also a smart idea to put a towel down on the floor to protect it from any spills.

Remove the food from your fridge and place everything in coolers while you complete the cleaning. Check the expiration dates on everything and bin anything that is out of date.

Remove the shelves and drawers and wipe each one carefully with a mixture of water and baking soda, which will remove any odours. For any stubborn crusts, use a putty knife or butter knife to loosen the gunk before wiping again. Then, leave the shelves and drawers to soak in a water and baking soda solution while you continue with the rest of the appliance.

Spray the inside of the fridge with a cleaning solution such as a multi-purpose cleaning spray and thoroughly wash all of the built-in fixtures, the nooks and crannies of the door, and the bottom of the fridge. Make sure you get into all of the cracks underneath the shelving areas.

Once clean, dry the inside of the fridge with a clean, dry towel. Wipe and dry the shelves and drawers and replace them.

The folds on the door seals can collect crumbs and debris and may even start to grow mould and mildew. Use a damp cloth and some cleaning solution to get into all of these folds, and then dry with a dry towel. This will help to prevent mould and mildew and will keep the seal tight, allowing your fridge to work at maximum efficiency.

Carefully pull the fridge away from the wall and vacuum the coils at the back to remove all of the dust. Carefully remove the grate or kickplate at the bottom of the fridge as well, and vacuum there. If your fridge has a drip pan, carefully remove this and clean it with the same method as the internal shelves or drawers.

Once finished, return everything to the fridge. While doing so, wipe any containers that may be sticky. Place an opened-up box of baking soda in your fridge as this helps to absorb any odours in the future.

What Are The Biggest Mistakes You Can Make When Cleaning The Fridge?

While cleaning the fridge is quite simple, there are some mistakes you can make in the process that you’ll want to avoid.

For example, avoid using hot water to clean the inside of your fridge. This can raise the appliance's internal temperature and delay the time you can return your perishable items. It will also make your fridge work much harder to bring the internal temperature down.

Many people forget to clean the fridge seals. This is one of the most important steps as it can improve the efficiency of your fridge and ensure that your food items last longer. The seals of the fridge door tend to be the grimiest place on a fridge, and this is the part of the fridge that is most overlooked when cleaning.

Another mistake you can make is not cleaning up spills immediately. If you wait too long to clean up spills, this could lead to excess moisture in your fridge which could potentially damage the appliance and pose a health risk. Leaving the spillage will also make it much harder to clean in the future. You should aim to clean spillages as soon as they happen or immediately after noticing them.

Finally, another mistake you can make when cleaning the fridge is not drying the inside after cleaning. A dark, moist environment is the perfect conditions for bacteria and mould growth. To avoid this and reduce any risks of contamination, it’s important to ensure you fully dry each part of the fridge after cleaning and before returning your food items inside.

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