How to Clean the Refrigerator

With the holidays approaching and holiday menus being planned, it’s important to make sure that the refrigerator is clean so that there is plenty of room to hold all the delicious food that is about to be made. Over the years my family and I have established a cleaning routine that works for us. If you want to learn how to clean the refrigerator quickly and efficiently, just follow these easy steps.

This is a partnered post with Art of Green. As always, all thoughts and opinions are my own.

How to Clean the Refrigerator

I admit that one of my least favorite things to do is clean the refrigerator. Thankfully it’s not a job I have to do often. But when I do, I want to make sure I do a thorough job. If cleaning the fridge is on your to-do list but you’re totally dreading it, here are some tips and tricks to make the process smoother.

Remove all food from the refrigerator. Removing the food from the refrigerator will make it super easy for you to reach into all the cracks, corners and crevices. Since you will be removing refrigerated items from the cooling source, you’ll want to work quickly so that you can get it all back inside in a timely manner so it doesn’t spoil. This entire process shouldn’t take you more than 30 minutes, especially if you can recruit your kids to help.

Tip: If you have a cooler, put the refrigerator contents inside to keep them cooler longer.

Remove all drawers and shelves from the refrigerator. Note: make sure you bring drawers and shelves to room temperature before putting in warm water to wash them. Dry the drawers and shelves completely before returning them to the refrigerator.

Wipe down the interior of the refrigerator. Tip: Always work top to bottom. Start at the very top of the refrigerator wiping down all interior surfaces. I like to use Art of Green wipes to clean the interior of my refrigerator, but you can use any cleaning wipes of your choice. While a warm washcloth will work as well, I love the scent the Art of Green wipes leave behind.

Wipe jars and containers before returning them to the refrigerator. Wipe down all jars and containers with a warm washcloth before putting them back into the clean refrigerator. This is a great job for one of your children. Then, make it a habit to wipe down all jars, containers and rims before placing back into the refrigerator.

Wipe down all door seals. This is another job that you can delegate out to one of your children. This is probably one of the areas on the refrigerator that is really easy to miss. However, it’s important to keep the door seals clean so that they keep the refrigerator working to it’s full potential. After wiping down the door seals make sure you wipe them dry.

Pull the refrigerator out and clean from behind and underneath.  Again, this might be an area you skip by accident. However, dust and dirt can pile up underneath your refrigerator. This is usually a job for my husband, but if he’s not home, I can make it work on my own.

Clean the exterior of the refrigerator. The final step in knowing how to clean the refrigerator is to wipe down all the exterior surfaces of the refrigerator, including the very top. Just like underneath the refrigerator, dust can pile up on the top of the refrigerator.

With a good team and the right products you can easily give your refrigerator a makeover. Some of my favorite products to use are the Art of Green products because of their effectiveness and fragrance. I don’t know about you, but cleaning out my refrigerator with harsh chemicals that smell awful kind of defeats the point of a clean fridge.

Cleaning out the refrigerator is also a great time to take inventory and to get rid of products that are past their best by date. We just went through ours and we tossed quite a bit.

Art of Green products are a line of socially responsible household cleaning products that will change the way you think about the performance and value of naturally derived cleaning brands. More benefits are:

• dermatologically tested
• safe for sensitive skin
• biodegradable formula
• tough on dirt, grease and grime
• not tested on animals
• no harsh or toxic chemicals
• 100% post-consumer recycled material
• 98% naturally derived multisurface cleaner
• USDA-certified bio-based product

Having a affordable green cleaning products in my home that I can easily pick up while shopping for groceries at HEB is a huge plus. Buying green isn’t always an option for my budget, but I love that Art of Green gives me an option that agrees with my checkbook.

I’ve got a giveaway for you just in time for the holidays. Enter for a chance to win a $50 HEB gift card along with a predetermined selection of Art of Green products. Enter now before it’s too late.