A simple wipe down of the interior and exterior of your refrigerator with a damp cloth should be part of your weekly house cleaning routine. While it is recommended that at least twice a year, you should give your refrigerator a top-down, inside and out, front-to-back thorough cleaning. Here is an easy to follow guide of what to include in the cleaning cycle of your refrigerator. 

1. Remove Food and Items

You may find yourself asking, when is the good time to schedule your deep-clean? Generally, that is when you have less food in the refrigerator, meaning fewer items to take out in preparation for an extensive cleaning of your refrigerator. A good idea is to place the foods you are taking out of the refrigerator into a cooler until after completing your deep cleaning.

2. Wipe Down Interior

Make sure to remove all the slide-out shelves and bins within your refrigerator. You can clean the refrigerator’s interior with a solution of two tablespoons of baking soda and one litre of hot water. (As food absorbs the odours of the cleaning solution, it is recommended to use unscented mild cleaners). After scrubbing with the solution, it will require rinsing with a damp cloth, then drying with a clean towel. It is easier to soak the removable sections in a bucket or sink, and you can use the same solution; scrub, rinse, and dry.

3. Dry Drip Pan

Once you remove the base grille of the refrigerator, you will generally find the drip pan located under the refrigerator. If it’s full of water, you can mop it up with paper towels, then remove and wash the pan with warm, soapy water. If you find that your drip pan is fixed in place and cannot be removed, you can clean by wrapping an absorbent cloth around the head of a long-handled brush or similar; dip it in warm, soapy water and use it to clean the pan.

4. Dust Coils

An efficient refrigerator requires the remaining clear of dust and debris. To keep your refrigerator running as efficiently as possible, unplug it from the power and use a coil brush or your vacuum’s brush attachment to clean the dust from your condenser coils at least twice a year. Refrigerator models with the coils on top should be cleaned more often, up to 4 times a year, as they collect more dust. This also applies if you have pets that shed hair in your home, which will also clog the coils easily.

5. Clean Exterior

Wipe down the doors with a cloth dampened with mild soap and water, paying special attention to the seal as that is likely to have a build of dust and grime. It is also worth paying attention to the areas around the handles, as they are the most touched part of your refrigerator and are often smudged with fingerprints. With stainless steel exteriors, make sure to use a commercial stainless steel spray and always wipe in the direction of the grain; to prevent streaking once dry.

Why not print out this to-do list and place it on your refrigerator to remind you what to do next when you clean your refrigerator.

EMCOR will be providing more deep-clean guides for your other kitchen appliances soon, so stay tuned for more ways to maintain your favourite appliances.