The Definitive Guide to Deep-Cleaning your Refrigerator's Interior

Cleaning out the refrigerator can be an arduous task, but it really should be done on a weekly, basis. If you're concerned with both food waste and food safety, it can set those priorities at odds. You want to get every inch spic and span, and to do so properly, your fridge must be empty, and yet food cannot sit outside of the refrigerator very long before entering the temperature "danger zone" and put your food at risk of expediting the growth of bacteria. Make it easy on yourself by waiting until the opportune moment: that being, the time when the fridge is naturally empty or nearly so, right before grocery shopping. Unless, of course, as has happened to me in time past, a container with defrosting chicken springs a leak and drips raw chicken juice from the top shelf onto every innocent, unsuspecting item below. Yikes and Yuck.

Before grocery shopping, it's a best practice to toss any leftovers passed their prime, any wilted or spoiled produce or other things that have gone bad. A good rule of thumb, if you wouldn't take a bite now, you'll never take a bite. Toss it and forgive yourself the waste.

With the excess removed, organize the remaining items into the areas to which they belong, condiments, fruit, veggies, cheese should all have established "homes" in your fridge.

Beginning with the upper most shelf, remove all the items and place them on a near-by counter. (If you do not have a counter near your fridge, you can easily place a laundry basket on a stool to corral items, or pull up a cart or folding table instead.) If the shelf can be removed, take it out. Wipe down any smudges or grime on the sides of the fridge adjacent to the shelf you removed. Close the fridge door.  Bring the shelf to the sink, and wash it in soapy water. Be careful if your shelf is glass not to submerge or douse in hot water immediately, the temperature differential could shatter the glass. Use cool water or allow the shelf to acclimate to the temperature slowly. When the shelf  is clean, dry carefully and then replace the shelf, then the items that belong on it. (Make sure to wipe clean any items you return to your fridge as well, especially pickle jars, condiments, and jellies.)

Continue with each shelf and drawer, following the same procedure, moving downward in the fridge. Before replacing the very bottom shelf, make sure to not only wipe the sides, but the bottom of your fridge as well. A microfiber cloth will work wonderfully, especially if paired with multipurpose cleaner. If you don't have a favorite cleaner, diluted vinegar works well. Some people claim just water on microfiber will remove grime, which is true, but doing this does not truly clean the surface, you need to kill germs, not just make something look clean to be clean.

If you can not remove the shelves in your fridge, still remove all the items off a shelf, then work quickly to spray all-purpose cleaner on all the surfaces of the shelf and scrub/wipe clean with a microfiber cloth. Replace the items on the first shelf and work your way down. Pay attention to how long you've kept the fridge open, and if you need to keep the door open for more than 15 minutes, close the door, take a break for 30 minutes, and allow the fridge to cool down again. You can even purchase a thermometer to ensure it dips below 40 degrees F again before resuming your deep clean.

Now, when you go grocery shopping, you can confidently place all your fresh groceries inside your super-clean fridge!