Before I took on this assignment, I really didn't think that my fridge was that dirty. Well, let's just say that I was wrong. In case you too have fallen victim to that somewhat subtle accumulation of of grit and grime, follow along for my step-to-step guide to getting rid of the mess.
Here's a before photo just so you can grasp the full extent of this transformation. Also, to get this off my chest, I recently returned from a mini-vacation to Wisconsin that involved several brewery visits, so please ignore the disproportionate food-to-beer ratio. The name of the beer below pretty accurately sums up how I feel about revealing the contents of my fridge to you at this point:
Now, with all the disclaimers out of the way, let's get to cleaning....
What You Need
A sponge
Dish soap
Dish towels
Glass cleaner and a paper towel or two
Plenty of counter space for organizing food
A trash can
An old toothbrush (optional)
If you have a stainless steel refrigerator:
Stainless steel cleaner, vinegar, or oil and a soft cloth
If you have an enameled steel refrigerator:
A multipurpose cleaner
Instructions
1 (optional) Unplug the fridge. If the interior needs serious scouring, you can do this to save some energy while you're cleaning. I left mine plugged in because all the shelves were removable, the rest of the interior wasn't that dirty, and I closed the doors in between steps. If you do decide to unplug your fridge, though, rest assured that this whole process won't take long enough to harm any of your foods.
2 Take everything out of the doors and start using up that free counter space I mentioned. You could take everything out at once, but I found it was easier to do this in stages.
3 Get rid of expired products and consolidate doubles. I really didn't need two jars of sambal oelek or that quarter bottle of cooking wine that had been in the fridge for two months. This is also a good time to group like with like. I had several beers hiding out in the door, and the rest were on the other shelves, so this was when I put them all together on the counter.
4 Repeat steps 2 and 3 with the rest of the fridge. Then repeat them with the freezer.
5 Remove all shelves and drawers.
6 Wash them with warm soapy water. I'm fortunate enough to live in a place with a large double sink and a retractable hose, but if you aren't so lucky, then there's no shame in dragging those bins and shelves to the bathtub. Even in my giant sink the produce drawers got pretty unwieldy.
Dry them with dish towels and set them aside. At this point, I also chose to use some Windex on the glass shelves to get them extra clean and streak-free.
7 Wipe down all the fridge's interior spaces with a damp sponge or towel. For those of you looking for a really deep clean, if there are any shelf seams or rubber seals with buried bits of grime, an old toothbrush will get the job done. Put the shelves and drawers back in and admire the transformation.
8 Replace all your food, wiping down any sticky jars before putting them in your newly clean fridge. I found it helpful to keep all my items grouped by use, which is a task I completed as part of step 3. If you need help organizing the fridge, check out these helpful tips. Stick in a new box of baking soda, and if you unplugged the fridge in step one, don't forget to plug it back in.
9 You're almost done! Now that you've cleaned the inside, be sure not to neglect the exterior of the fridge. If you use magnets, tidy up the items they're holding and discard any outdated coupons, etc. Then give the exterior a quick wipe down with your product of choice. If you have a stainless steel fridge, use a stainless steel cleaner and wipe with the grain of the steel. Alternatively, you could use vinegar and a microfiber cloth or olive oil. For enameled steel fridges, a multipurpose cleaner will do the trick.
10 Admire your clean, happy fridge.
(Images: Carolyn Purnell)
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Mmmm New Glarus!!
Lovely fridge!
My fridge gets out of hand a lot. I like to do a clean sweep when I do my fall cleaning and spring cleaning and organize maybe every 3 months.
I was more interested in the organization part, but that was in another post.
Before I lived in a Swiss dorm, where it was mandatory for us to clean the communal kitchen, I had no idea that ovens and fridges need to be cleaned. >.< @RPLOWMAN, I was that kind of person.
I actually really like the fact that Apartment Therapy has a number of "back to basics" posts sprinkled throughout. As someone who spent the majority of her life studying and NOT learning household tasks, these are quite useful to me. Thanks!
Nice handknit washcloth!
Wow not only do you have the same fridge as us but you have the same condiments and the same organisational philosophy. Separated at birth or we simply have the same OCD issues. RPLOWMAN it's not that we don't know how it's just nice to be reminded that's it's not that hard and to do it once in awhile.
I LOVE the hand knit dishrag!
Don't forget about the drip pan underneath and vacuum the coils in the back. The drip pan gets stinky and dusty coils use more power to run. And, my mother would add, "move the fridge and clean the floor underneath! She visits soon so this will be a project to do before she comes over.
The before looks like our fridge, though we have Spotted Cow from New Glarus instead of Totally Naked, haha.
Great post! It is a pain trying to get those big veggie bins in the sink...and the dreaded meat drawer my husband uses. Worth it though to see the gleaming fridge. :)
We have a problem with the white plastic edge on our one shelf getting scratched and stained from dragging the gallon tea jugs in and out all the time. Magic Eraser works wonders for that. Get the brand...the generic I tried once and was not nearly as good.
I do this fairly regularly, maybe once a month. Cleaning and organising the freezer is a lot easier since I started seriously labelling and dating the leftovers. I make sure to rotate the older stuff to the front and use it first. I also use plastic bins from the dollar store to group things in the fridge so I don't have to move so many individual items. Baking supplies are in one, less frequently used items in another, etc. Some day I'd love to have a fridge that's all drawers.
One more thing...remember to clean the door seal.
As usually ... thank you! A few ordered tips can bring the motivation one has been looking for.
I do a variation of this - one shelf at a time, whenever I think of it. This reminded me that I should really do it again as my fridge has somehow turned into a huge mess.
Very interested in the fact that you have a bunch of fancy gourmet beers but you buy cooking wine. I say ditch the cooking wine for the real stuff (you should never cook with wine that you wouldn't drink). You can either send me the leftovers ;-) or freeze them (there was a post on the kitchn about that, my wine never lasts long enough to find out if it actually works).
I don't bother with the box of baking soda. I use a small charcoal filter that they sell at pet stores for fish tanks. They work amazingly well absorbing any odors.
I must be entirely daft as I never considered washing the shelves in the tub and always ended up with puddles on the kitchen floor. I'm going to clean the fridge right now so it's sparkly for my housesitter. Thanks! :)
I saw on Pinterest a great idea for using cling wrap to line your shelves.. it sticks pretty well and is easy to remove when it gets grimy.
Ok, but neither this post, or the post linked to, cover what I don't know about refrigerator organization - how to keep various fruits and veggies fresh for the longest possible time. I have seen some theories, different for different things. Would love to hear peopel weigh in on what works best for them for various items. Plus I have two drawers which have a lever you can move for high humidity or low humidity, and I don't ever know what does better with high or low humidity.
Ooh, what kind of fridge is that? I'm looking for something similar for my studio's kitchen.
@Nikolenka: It's a GE. I couldn't find the exact model on the GE website, but here are some similar models.
@Textiles: I'm not an expert, but I do know that mine also has a humidity setting, and the general rule of thumb is that you should use low humidity for things that get moldy or slimy (like strawberries) and high for things like carrots and celery. You might try a search on The Kitchn because I'd bet that they've got more to say on the subject.
@CD Lane: It's nice to know that I have a long-lost condiment sibling out there!
@HHRI: I do generally drink the wine I cook with, but for some reason I wasn't that into that particular bottle of white, and it got to live in the fridge for quite some time. But thanks for the tip about freezing the cooking wine. I had never thought of it, and it's a handy idea! If the leftover situation happens again, I'll be sure to send it your way :)
@Everythingistaken: Oh, there's some Spotted Cow in there too! Gotta love the Spotted Cow.
And thanks for all the other nice comments!
We have a refrigerator with a glass door on it. When we first had it installed everyone said, with a little bit of fear in their voices "whew...you're gonna have to keep that clean." Yes...we do. I just made it part of my every day cleaning schedule and it became second nature to wipe down the shelves and tidy things up. Do I sound like Monica on Friends? I just said "tidy-up my fridge".
A nice reminder to do this! I also strongly recommend lining your veg and fruit drawers with a piece of newspaper or a paper towel--it does wonders in terms of not having to scrub down the drawers all the time. When a piece of rotting cilantro or onion skin gets loose, you have to just replace the paper rather than soaping up the whole thing.
I need to do this to my fridge soon, and I will check out the charcoal filter idea. The washcloth is cute btw.
I'm from New Glarus! Wheeeee!
Lotusmoss, that is a great idea! The drawers are such a pain to clean -- shelves are easy and I tend to do it whenever I see a bit of a spill, which is often in our family. Drawers I mop up the worst and put off the real cleaning.
Funny I do this pretty much the same way and often. I hate a messy and unorganized fridge. I also use a sheet of paper towel in my drawers via Lotusmoss. Right now my fridge is full of the over abundance of veggies from my garden. I'm canning, freezing and eating as fast as I can but my fridge is full! BTW, I take some crap from my grown children for alphabetizing my spice rack, lol!
I simply rotate everything out every month. I just left an apartment that had a freezer I still had to defrost. I had that, don't you?
If this is your case, turn off the frig, open the doors. Set everything you intend to keep in the sink with about an inch of water. Of course everything you don't intend to keep should go in the trash. Then take out all the shelves (don't forget the ones on the door) and the drawer. Go put them in your bath tub and turn on the shower for a few minutes. Then just turn it off and walk away. In about 30 minutes go back to your frig with your steam cleaner and clean the frig with the steamer; dry it with a clean rag. If you really feel the need to wash it down use baking soda mixed in water. But if you use your steamer there is no need. Leave the door open and take your steamer into the bathroom. Steam all the shelves and drawers and dry. Leave the steamer on while you are carting it all back to Frig and reassemble. Now return to the bath room and clean it with your steamer before you turn it off. Great! All Done? Brew yourself a tea, open a beer if you wish or pour yourself a glass of wine. Fill the bathtub up again, pour in some bathsalts and relax. This entire process, except for the bath, will take you less than 45 minutes every month if you have a steamer. Your mom will be impressed.
ta-taa!
If you sort out, wipe your fridge shelves and clean the outside once a week there is no need for this mammoth task every three months. Are people really that disgusting???
Good information for someone with a messy refrigerator. Wish I had a nice one like the one pictured.
Meredith: Yes, some of us are really that disgusting. I haven't done a major clean on my fridge since the motherboard on its computer gave out two years ago and everything went to room temperature. I wipe up spills as they happen and ruthlessly weed my condiments, but I don't do seasonal maintenance. I'm more focused on cleaning my range every time I use it (just about every day) or doing dishes (roughly same frequency).
Well....I just use Vinegar n Dish soap to get my fridge squeaky clean...n odourless! :D
Lol @ madampince.
I tidy up my fridge *chuckle* once a week as I'm putting groceries away. Just a quick swipe here or there as needed as I return migrating items to their proper places so I can actually find them when needed. Grouping smaller/like items that don't fit on the door in dollar store baskets make quick work of that. Usually do a major clean twice a year - once in early summer to prepare for my garden bounty as I'm freezing/canning & again in winter just before the Holidays.
I do line the drawers as well. Tried both newspaper & paper towels before I finally settled on that cushy, waffle-weave shelf liner cut to fit. It stays put with no slipping around & catches & corrals.errant bits & pieces. A quick shake over the trash can & a swipe with the sponge it's good to go for another round and none of those dried up bits work their way underneath like they did w/the paper options. If there's evidence of a sticky spill that won't wipe off (how does that happen in a drawer, anyway?) I just toss it in the sink & cover it with hot water for a few minutes then rinse & air dry.
One thing that made a HUGE difference in the neatness and function of my refrigerator was to take OUT a shelf. I could not see what was in it well, so one day, then doing major cleaning, it dawned on me: take out a shelf. I love my frig so much better and don't miss the shelf at all.
love the step by step instructions! I need to do this!
One of the things I *always* do when I either clean out my fridge or move is to clean all my jars.
Anything with a screw top lid - especially jellies, jams, honey, etc. - can get hard to open very quickly. Usually I use a paper towel or dish rag and hot water to clean the jar itself where the lid screws on, and I soak the lid itself in hot soapy water and rinse/dry it really well before I reunite them. I use a bit of plastic wrap to keep the contents safe and secure while the lids dry.
Make me feel WAY more happy with my fridge! I also use this opportunity to clean off the ketchup and mustard since they get pretty gross eventually also.
I almost forgot! I once saw a tip that makes a huge difference - line the shelves with plastic wrap. You can get the stuff with designs on it and make it seasonal, which will remind you to change it every few months and keep it clean. Works like a charm!
I read somewhere that it's important to put your meat on the bottom shelf. That way the bacteria doesn't have as much of a chance to contaminate the other food.