Reading Time: 5 minutes How to Clean a Scary, Messy Refrigerator
This post may contain affiliate links. Read the disclosure.
This is a sponsored post on behalf of Art of Green on how to clean a refrigerator. All thoughts and opinions are my own.
Do you have a scary, messy fridge? By the end of this post, you will know how to get a super, clean fridge in a short amount of time. First, I’ll tell you why it is important to clean your refrigerator. Then, I’ll teach you how to clean the outside and inside of your refrigerator using green cleaning products.
The Perfect Storm for a Scary, Messy Refrigerator
In order to be healthier and save money, we prepare and eat a lot of our meals at home. I send my kids off to school with mostly healthy lunchboxes each day.
After school and during the weekend, my 11 and 13-year old boys are always opening and (usually) closing the fridge. Bags, bottles, and containers are not always closed correctly if they are actually returned to the refrigerator.
Then, in the evenings, the fridge door is constantly opened and closed, drawers slid, and things moved around as we try to find what we need to make dinner that night.
After dinner, we store the leftovers in containers and quickly pile them into the fridge as we are trying to multitask cleaning up, helping the kids with homework, and more.
As you are probably aware, all of these things cause the perfect storm for a scary, messy refrigerator.
As Halloween is right around the corner, I thought this would be a good time to talk about scary messes and especially, how to clean your refrigerator when it gets into this state.
How to Clean Refrigerator
Why You Should Clean Your Refrigerator
Before we start talking about how to clean, let’s first talk about why it’s important to clean your refrigerator. Not only do I enjoy having a neatly organized refrigerator, but it’s also important that I keep my family safe.
By cleaning your refrigerator every few months (or more often, if needed) you can help prevent the growth of bacteria, mold, and contamination.
As parents of 3 little kids, Force of Nature is our go-to all purpose cleaner. It's nontoxic but is EPA approved for use against Covid-19.
We love vinegar, but we use Force of Nature every day.
Also, maintaining and cleaning any appliance helps prevent future problems. Dirt can become trapped in important parts of the appliance and cause it to not work properly with the possibility of completely ruining it. Save yourself the hassle and cost of replacing a major appliance by cleaning it regularly.
Here is the best way to clean your refrigerator in order to keep your family safe and your fridge well-maintained.
How to Clean the Inside of Refrigerator
- Empty the fridge. Remove all food, shelves, and drawers.
- Using a natural or green cleaning product and a microfiber cloth wipe down the shelves, drawers, inside the refrigerator, and the other contents of the fridge such as bottles, containers, and cans.
- Once dried, return the contents to the fridge.
It is important to use natural cleaning products because you do not want your food to have toxic chemicals. I prefer to use green cleaning products from Art of Green®*. A few months ago, I started using these and include them in my small set of cleaning products in the bathrooms and the kitchen.
I like the smell of the products and the fact that they are tough on dirt, grease, and grime. These products are safe for sensitive skin and are even biodegradable!
How to Clean the Outside of Refrigerator
There are different methods for cleaning the outside of the fridge depending on the exterior surface.
In order to clean fingerprints off stainless steel refrigerators, you can use mild soap and water, vinegar, soda water, or furniture polish. But, I think the easiest thing to use is a streak-free cleaner. Art of Green cleaning wipes are a great natural product to use in this case.  Whatever cleaning method you use, be sure to test it on a small spot before cleaning the whole exterior.
If you have a white, black, or even stainless steel refrigerator, GE Appliances says all refrigerators can be cleaned with a mild solution of soap and warm water with a clean, soft cloth or microfiber cloth. Then, be sure to wipe it dry with a clean cloth to avoid streaking or spotting.
In addition, GE does not recommend stainless steel cleaners, soap-filled scouring pads, abrasive cleaners or cloths, bleach, window sprays, ammonia, vinegar or acid-based cleaners, oven cleaners, or alkaline cleaners. So, that is even more reason to choose Art of Green when it comes to cleaning the outside of your refrigerator.
My Scary, Messy Refrigerator and How I Cleaned it With Art of Green
The other day, I realized how scary messy our refrigerator was. We had leftovers in there that were a few weeks old, pushed into the back of the fridge. The shelves were filthy and there were quite a few expired items.
So, I went through the refrigerator cleaning steps and now my refrigerator is no longer a scary mess. We’ll see how long it stays that way.
Learn more about Art of Green. Find it at H-E-B.
* Art of Green ingredients are at least 98% naturally derived with no harsh chemicals. The products have a non-toxic formula free of parabens, phthalates, glycol solvents, artificial color, and phosphates.
Art of Green + H-E-B GIVEAWAY
How would you like some Art of Green and an H-E-B gift card? One lucky winner will get a $100 H-E-B gift card and a set of Art of Green products!
Use the giveaway form below and/or enter to win on the Instagram post. The giveaway ends November 4, 2019.
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Rachel is an Austin blogger, educator, mom, wife, young breast cancer survivor writing about health, saving money, and living a happy life in Austin, Texas.
Rachel has written for HuffPost and Hometalk and has been featured on KXAN, Studio 512, Fox 7 Austin, and CBS Austin.