Refrigerators are more important than ever today for storing food, and for keeping things fresh, however if they aren't cleaned properly, then they can also be a breeding ground for germs and grime. These same germs can also cause food to spoil, and for pungent odors to begin to emanate from your fridge. Fortunately however, removing odors and germs from your refrigerator is a fairly easy process, and doesn't require all kinds of expensive cleaners and equipment.
Most smells from refrigerators tend to come from spoiled food, in particular salad and fruit items kept in salad drawers. The reason that these items tend to go bad is largely due to the fact that they don't stay fresh for very long compared to other items, and are often forgotten about. The danger of this is that often there is little or no wrapping between the salad and fruit items, meaning that if one becomes moldy, anything else it is touching will also be ruined.
Many people make the mistake of keeping food from the night before, with the intention of eating it the next day. However, this is rarely what actually happens, and more often than not, plates of food will tend to build up and sit for weeks. This not only means that the food itself will spoil and begin to smell, but that it will often clutter up the fridge and mean pieces of food will fall from the plates and spoil other food.
If you are someone who tends to keep a lot of jars and sauces in your fridge, then making sure they are clean and in date is essential. The tops and bottoms of bottles and jars tend to accumulate germs, and any spills will stick to the bottom of them. Out of date sauces and jars will not only begin to smell, but they can also cause food poisoning if someone were to eat them unwittingly.
Another cause of refrigerator smells is that drawers used to keep salad and fruits tend to build up water which leaks from the food over time. This rancid water is often a mixture of different kinds of foods, and as such is not healthy for keeping other foods around. Not only this, but it can cause spoilage, and can also leak into other areas of the fridge, coating everything with the foul smelling water.
If your fridge is in a sorry state of cleanliness, then the best way to clean it is to start by taking everything out and checking it over. If you have anything that has reached the end of its eat by date, then it should be disposed of, as well as anything that seems discolored or moldy. Also you should take this opportunity to get rid of any old dinner plates or fast food boxes that might have found their way into your fridge.
After you have disposed of all the old food and moldy items, then the next thing to do is to wipe down the bottoms of all the jars and bottles that you keep in there. The reason for this is that spillages will often stick to them, and putting them back into a clean fridge will simply make a mess once again if they aren't cleaned.
After the jars and bottles have been cleaned, then wiping down the shelves with disinfectant is the next thing to do. If the stains are particularly stubborn, then you might want to remove the shelves entirely, and give them a more thorough cleaning. This will ensure that all the dried on stains are removed and that all the germs are killed.
Drawers and condiment shelves are the next thing that should be cleaned which can be easily done by removing them and soaking them in warm soapy water. Any remaining grime should then fall away easily or with a little gentle encouragement with a wash cloth. Some of these shelves are dishwasher safe, although many older models aren't, so this should always be checked before you attempt to wash them in this way.
Although soapy water is usually adequate for cleaning most of your refrigerator, some people tend to rely on other cleaning solutions such as baking soda or disinfectant spray. A little baking soda mixed with warm water will usually perform the same job as soapy water, although is said to be particularly good at removing odors. Disinfectant spray is also good for making sure that all germs are gone, although some of them tend to be rather string smelling, so diluting this with some water is often a good idea.