by Brian Lamacraft

Created on: April 14, 2009   Last Updated: June 20, 2009

Your refrigerator is one of those appliances that needs to be cleaned on a periodic basis. There are several strategies you can use to make this process an easier task for you to accomplish.

Remove All Food items From The Refrigerator

If you have a spare refrigerator you can put your food items into that fridge. If you only have the one appliance you can store the food on the counter and use plastic storage bins if you have them for organization. Make sure you empty the refrigerator out completely.

Inspect Your Food

Now would be a good time to go though every food item that has been sitting in your refrigerator and inspect it for spoilage and expiration. Any food that has a foul odor or has been sitting in the fridge for a long time past the expiry date should be thrown out. If you are not sure about an item just throw it out. Make a list of the items you have thrown out and you can buy these again at a later time.

Wipe The Refrigerator

The second step you need to do is to give the front of the refrigerator a good cleaning. Take down anything on the front of the appliance such as magnets and other items and apply a cleaning solution to the front and sides of the refrigerator. Give it a good scrub and you should be fine. You may also want to move the refrigerator from its location and clean behind and under it. You can also remove some of the dust on the back of the appliance. Once the outside has been thoroughly cleaned, you are ready to clean the inside.

Cleaning the Inside Of Your Refrigerator

Start by removing the crisper and storage bins that are inside your refrigerator and give these a good washing with soap and water. Be sure to rinse them good so no soap residue can contaminate your food once you put it back into the refrigerator. If the storage trays or racks in your fridge are removable you should take these out and clean them off too. Soap and water should do fine as long as you scrub them well. If you need to use stronger cleaners be sure to rinse well and get all the chemicals off the trays. Wipe down the inside walls of your refrigerator and remove any accumulated buildups. Once the inside is clean you care ready to put your food back inside.

Restocking Your Refrigerator

Once your refrigerator has been cleaned you can restock it. Now would be a good time to organize your refrigerator a little better if it has been cluttered in the past. Try to keep similar items together in their own spaces and buy storage containers for larger items such as pickles and lettuce. These containers free up space in your refrigerator and gives you more room. Place the items you use daily close to the front and items you don't consume all the time toward the back. Make sure opened food gets wrapped well before placing it inside the refrigerator as this can keep the food fresher for longer periods. Another good idea is to label containers that contain leftovers with a date on it. You can use a simple post-it style note for this purpose.

Your refrigerator should be cleaned every few months. Try to keep a regular cleaning schedule for the health and safety of your family.

Learn more about this author, Brian Lamacraft.
Click here to send this author comments or questions.