Apart from your dishwasher, your refrigerator is perhaps one of the most used appliances in the kitchen. This means that you will find spills, food debris, drips and sticky spots. Even the cleanest of cooks have to clean their refrigerators on a frequent basis failure to which it may have a bad odor. Here are tips on how to keep your refrigerator clean and organized:
Pull the refrigerator away from the wall and clean the coils
To ensure that you thoroughly clean each and every part of the refrigerator, it is essential to pull it away from the wall and start cleaning the coils. These coils are located at the back of the refrigerator and they are responsible for the proper functioning of the refrigerator. If not cleaned over time, these coils may accumulate dust and dirt and this will force the compressor to increase its energy usage. This is inefficient and eventually, the refrigerator will break down.
Empty the entire refrigerator
Remove all food items from the refrigerator while checking for odor, past expiration date and those that look stale. Get rid of all those that you identify by disposing of them.
Wash and wipe all the shelves, compartments and bins
Remove all the shelves and other removable parts and put them in the sink. Using warm soapy water, thoroughly clean all the shelves and wipe the interior parts of the refrigerator with a clean non-fluffy cloth.
Towel-dry all the shelves and bins
After cleaning the shelves and bins, use a dry towel to wipe them. You can also use the same towel to wipe the interior parts of the refrigerator. This will ensure that there is no water remaining in the refrigerator.
Wipe bottles and jars
After cleaning the refrigerator, it is a good idea to also wipe the bottles and jars before placing them back in the refrigerator. It will be useless to clean the refrigerator only for you to put back dirty sticky bottles and jars.
Organize the refrigerator
Organize the food items according to the food type. You can also use bins for specific food groups. A good way of organizing your refrigerator by using the professional models whereby foods are organized according to food safety. For example, food items that require no cooking are placed on the top shelve and then the rest are organized downwards depending on the temperature the food item requires to cook. The food items that require the highest temperature to cook is placed at the bottom of the refrigerator.
It is advisable to at least clean your refrigerator once per week to keep it fresh and well organized. A well maintained and cleaned refrigerator will serve you for a very long time.
