The kitchen is the heart of every home, and your refrigerator is one of the most important appliances in the space. It can also be the source of illnesses and bad odors if you don’t keep it properly sanitized. While quick cleaning is likely part of your weekly routine, you’ll want to give your refrigerator a thorough cleaning quarterly. Here’s the most efficient way to get a clean fridge.
Housekeeping Oak Park IL
Empty Contents
The best time to clean your fridge is before you go grocery shopping for the week. This is when the contents of your refrigerator are at their lowest point. Grab an ice-filled cooler and place highly perishable food items in your refrigerator and freezer. Remove the rest of the contents so that your refrigerator is completely empty.
Remove and Clean Drawers and Shelves
Food particles inevitably drop from to-go plates and find their way into cracks and crevices inside your refrigerator. You can easily reach those hard-to-get crumbs and forgotten juice spills by removing drawers and shelves. Place drawers and shelves in a sink of warm, sudsy water to soak while you clean the rest of your refrigerator and freezer.
If your refrigerator has developed a bad smell, cleaning its drawers and shelves will go a long way to restoring freshness. Odors are caused by bacteria. While the cool, dark space in your refrigerator isn’t the best environment for bacteria overgrowth, it can become a petri dish if food particles or spilled beverages remain in the grooves of drawers or shelves.
Unplug and Pull Out Refrigerator for Behind the Scenes Cleaning
You’ve scrubbed your refrigerator inside and out just last week, and you still detect a foul smell coming from its direction. The problem may not be your refrigerator; it may be what’s beneath your refrigerator that’s causing the issue. Food crumbs, pieces of kibble from your pet’s food bowl, and dirt inevitably find their way under your refrigerator. If those items aren’t cleared away fast, they can cause unwanted smells. They can also draw pests.
Be brave. Unplug your refrigerator and roll it from its space against the wall to find out what’s lurking underneath it. Sweep and mop the area for a cleaner kitchen. Don’t forget to empty, wash, dry, and replace the drip pan that’s beneath your refrigerator.
While you have your refrigerator away from the wall, take time to dust its coils. This will help to increase the efficiency of your appliance, and it could help you save some money on your monthly electric bills.
Clean and Wipe Interior
After you’ve removed everything from your refrigerator, cleaning its interior won’t be such a tedious chore. You’ll want to start with a baking soda and warm water cleaning solution. The baking soda is only mildly abrasive, allowing you to clean effectively without scratching surfaces. It has deodorizing properties that help to erase lingering odors and is extremely affordable.
Wash the inside of your refrigerator with the baking soda and water solution. Follow up by rinsing the cloth with fresh water before wiping down your refrigerator’s interior.
Disinfecting high-touch surfaces is a big concern in today’s post-pandemic world. When disinfecting your refrigerator’s interior, you’ll want to go as eco-friendly as possible. Hydrogen peroxide is a natural germ-killing agent that’s safe to use on food preparation surfaces. It leaves no smell behind that can seep into stored foods and ruin their flavors. Like baking soda, hydrogen peroxide is also inexpensive.
Clean Exterior
If you’re blessed with one of those sleek-looking stainless steel refrigerators, you’ll need to wipe down the appliance’s exterior with a commercial spray cleaner that’s designed specifically for stainless steel. Otherwise, clean your refrigerator’s exterior with the same baking soda and warm water solution that you used for its interior. Disinfect door handles and pulls with hydrogen peroxide for a completely clean fridge.
Cleaning Service in Oak Park IL
A clean fridge is a must-have appliance for a happy, healthy household. If after sanitizing your fridge, you’re inspired to have the rest of your home thoroughly cleaned, give us a call. Helping Hands Cleaning Services specializes in making homes throughout Oak Park sparkle. Contact us today to get your home the professional cleaning your family deserves.