Free basic installation*
The not-so-bad exterior of a refrigerator might sometimes make you assume that its inside is also nice and clean. However, that’s not always the case. Since you’ve chosen the best refrigerator to store food for your beloved family, let’s make sure it’s in tip-top condition for everyone’s own best interest.
In today’s article, Electrolux Malaysia will give you a complete step-to-step guidance on how to clean your refrigerator the right way. Good news is these tips are applicable for both 1 door and side-by-side 2 door or any big-sized fridges. Plus, you will also find some extra after-cleaning tips such as how to turn on the fridge at the end of the post.
Before the cleaning
Before we roll up our sleeves for the deep cleaning job, let’s make sure to get the following things done first:
Schedule a proper timing for your fridge cleaning
Timing your refrigerator cleaning before the weekly or daily delivery of your grocery shopping will make your life easier. If yours is a fridge freezer, you would also want the freezer compartment as empty as possible when you start the clean-up.
Prepare surface area for temporary food storage
Since it’s obvious that we will need to completely empty the fridge before cleaning, preparing enough surface area for temporary food storage would be a good idea. You might want to empty your kitchen sink as well.
Gather items needed to clean your refrigerator
Here is the list of supplies you will need for your cleaning:
- Vinegar or baking soda
- Spray bottle – the container for our food-safe cleaner made from vinegar/baking soda and hot water
- Scrubby sponge or cloth
- A large microfiber towel to place at the bottom of your refrigerator to absorb the water drops if any
- The recycling bin – put it somewhere nearby as you might be tossing expired items.
Turn off & empty your fridge
Now turn off your fridge and make sure to let the plastic shelves come to room temperature before you start removing them in the next steps. Trying to remove plastic shelves from your fridge when it’s still cold might cause unwanted cracks or other damages.
While you are transferring all the contents of your fridge onto the kitchen countertops or any surface area, remember to:
- Check for use-by dates and through away anything that’s already expired or spoiled.
- Clean the bottom of sticky jars or bottles.
- Consider putting your perishables in a cooler, especially if you are planning for a really thorough clean.
>>> Read more: How to get rid of fridge smells
Step-by-step on how to clean your refrigerator properly
Step 1: Remove & soak the shelves and drawers
Now that the fridge’s inside must have come to room temperature, take all the shelves and drawers out and soak them in the kitchen sink. If they won’t fit your sink, spray them with dish soap and hot water.
Leave them there while we are heading to work on the inside of the fridge.
Step 2: Soften the accumulated gunk from inside of the refrigerator
Spray all over the interior of your fridge with the DIY vinegar solution mentioned earlier. Concentrate on areas with gunk. The simple combination of vinegar and water works like magic at cleaning up not only sticky germs, but also smelly fridges as well.
Leave the fridge’s interior to soak while you get back to the disassembled shelves and drawers earlier.
Step 3: Wash the shelves and drawers
The gunk on the shelves and drawers should be loosen by now. It’s time to wipe and clean them in dish soap water. Let them dry while you return to wash the inside of your fridge.
Step 4: Clean the inside of your refrigerator
First, give the fridge walls an initial scrub to wipe out any gunk. Then, clean the fridge’s interior surfaces thoroughly with a soft, damp microfiber cloth. Make sure to have it rinsed and squeezed out regularly.
Step 5: Dry and reassemble all washed parts
When all the parts which are disassembled in the initial steps are dry completely, you can start having them reassembled.
Step 6: Clean jars and bottles before putting them back
It’d be pointless if we put sticky jam jars and crusty bottles back into a thoroughly cleaned fridge.
If you have already cleaned the bottom of those containers at the very first steps while clearing out your fridge, that’s pretty much all the main work. However, sometimes gunk has accumulated around the edges of the cap or the seal, so you might want to take the lid off and wash it in the sink before putting them all back to the fridge.
Step 7: Wash the outside of your fridge, too
Once everything is in place in your sparkling clean refrigerator, spray the vinegar solution all over the outside of the fridge. Then use a soft and clean microfiber cloth to wash it off. Don’t forget to give a good cleaning to the refrigerator handles, edges, and seals.
After the cleaning
How to turn on your refrigerator after the cleaning?
Good news – once your refrigerator is clean and dry, it's ready to go. You can turn on your refrigerator right after the cleaning without having to wait anytime at all.
Clean kitchen counters or surface areas that held food, drinks, refrigerator parts
Don’t forget to wash your kitchen countertops or any surfaces that held your food and refrigerator parts. Give the floor a quick clean-up is also a good idea as the whole cleaning process might leave your floor dirty.
How often should you clean your refrigerator?
It’s advised that you should give your refrigerator a deep clean every 3 or 4 months. According to the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics though, a light clean-up for your refrigerator should be done once every week.
Keeping your fridge sanitized is important. It’s obvious for health reasons but other than that, regular cleaning will make sure your fridge work properly and thus, last longer.
Not only providing useful tips on how to pro-long the lifespan of your home appliances, Electrolux also ensures customers’ a peace of mind while using our products by offering general warranty package for any purchases made from Electrolux Malaysia official stores.
Extra tips on how to clean a side-by-side or 2 door refrigerator
As big-sized refrigerators obviously contain a lot more stuff than 1-door counterparts, here are 2 extra tips for owners of side-by-side, 2-door, or any sorts of large refrigerators:
- Use folding table or a few chairs to get more space for temporary food storage. Whatever you might use, make sure you prepare at least enough space to hold a shelf’s worth of stuff.
- Clean shelf by shelf: Not everyone has enough space on kitchen countertops to hold all the stuff taken from the fridge before cleaning. So, working shelf by shelf is the go-to cleaning method for owners of side-by-side, 4-door, 2-door, or any big refrigerators. By doing so, your perishables won’t be left out for too long.
>>> Read more:
- Frequently asked questions about refrigerators
- Find the Support you need for your Electrolux refrigerators
Electrolux refrigerators can stay clean and fresh for longer
Let’s enjoy the satisfaction of a sparkling-clean fridge, for a while. If you want to keep it smelling fresh for longer, try using some refrigerator fresheners.
To free you from frequent maintenance process, Electrolux UltimateTaste refrigerators come equipped with the latest technologies to keep your fridge not only clean but also last for longer. Keeping your food fresh longer also means maintaining your fridge clean for longer.
While the TasteLock feature maintains a humid environment to keep fruit and vegetables fresh with flavor for all week long, the TasteSeal compartment ensures a consistent temperature to keep your ingredients in prime condition for up to 7 days without freezing. Check out our articles for extra tips to store fruits and vegetables in the fridge.
Choose yourself a quality-proven product from the following Electrolux UltimateTaste refrigerators:
