At first glance, our fridge doesn’t look so bad, but let me tell you, it is so dirty. Cleaning it may look like it’s a really big job, but I promise you it isn’t. Let me show you How To Deep Clean A Refrigerator In 15 Minutes, and mark that baby off of your Spring Cleaning Checklist!
The first thing you need to do is empty your refrigerator out completely. This is a good time to throw out any old or expired foods, and take inventory of things you may have multiples of.
Be sure to check the expiration date on all of your condiments, sauces, salad dressings and any other packaged items. Don’t forget to check your pickles too!
Now onto our dirty little secret…well, not really a secret, but it’s definitely dirty. This is our meat and cheese drawer. We mostly use it for cheese of all kinds, lunchmeat, hot dogs, sausages and bacon. This drawer gets a ton of use, obviously.
This is one of the shelves inside of our fridge doors. Can you guess what used to be there? It was BBQ sauce…we have a sick obsession with different types of BBQ sauce.
Now that you’ve seen the filth, let’s move on. Start by removing any pieces that can be removed, except for the main shelves. Remove drawers and any door shelves that you can, and place them near your kitchen sink. Some older models don’t have the option to remove the door shelves, so if you have an older model, no worries…just remove the drawers. Our meat and cheese shelf is kind of hard to remove, so I just left in place.
Now, grab a large bowl and add two tablespoons of dish liquid to really warm water. You will need to grab a clean cloth or sponge too.
Gently scrub all surface areas. You may need to use a scrubber to loosen and really tough food spills.
Be sure to lift the glass on the shelves if they are removable and clean under the lips of the glass and where the shelves rest. Once you have wiped down the inside of your refrigerator with the soapy mixture, use a clean towel to dry and remove any moisture.
Time to clean those drawers. Simply take your soapy mixture and use it to clean the insides and outsides of your drawers and removable shelves. Rinse well and dry with a clean towel.
Put all of the clean pieces back into your refrigerator, then stand back and admire your work! I’m telling you, once you’ve completely cleaned out your fridge, you will be so happy that you did!
Cleaning our refrigerator always feels like just the jumpstart I need to be more aware of the foods that I am eating, and it’s the perfect time to organize our refrigerator so that it makes more sense.
So, what are you waiting for? Just do it…get that refrigerator clean…you will be so glad that you did! If you’d like to grab my Spring Cleaning Checklist, click HERE!
Find all of my Cleaning Hacks and Home Tips HERE on my Home Tips Page!
Do you leave the fridge on while you are cleaning all the parts? I guess you can close the doors as you wash each part in the sink.
Thank you for all your wonderful tips!!!!!
Hi, Patricia…great question! I do leave it on because I don’t typically tackle the freezer at the same time…it just doesn’t get as dirty. Yes, I close the doors while I’m tending to the drawers and in between steps. xoxo Jess
Be sure to wipe off any smears, etc. before putting your food
items back into that lovely clean space. Nothing like a clean
and tidy fridge and freezer.
Hi Jessica! I also use baking soda on hard “stuff” that needs a little scrubbing. I wrap the glass shelves with press n seal too. I keep relish,mustard,ketchup etc in a plastic square container with a handle. It fits on the shelf door. When I am making sandwiches I grab it and no juggling bottles to the counter. I have a turntable too on one of the shelves and it makes it easy to get to things. Love your blog and use a lot of your ideas! Ps you looked great on Rachel Ray !
Lynell. (Canada)
Thank you so much, Lynell! And I love these tips…thanks so much for sharing! xoxo Jess
Make sure you wipe off the bottoms of containers before you place them back into your frig, they are sometimes dirty too.