How To Clean Refrigerator

There comes a time in everyone’s home when the refrigerator needs a good old-fashioned deep cleaning. We try to tackle this housekeeping task before we go on a big grocery trip, that way the fridge is pretty empty when it comes time to do a fridge clean out.

Also, it’s a great idea to go through everything in your fridge before you add more food in. Out with the bad, in with the good.

This post contains affiliate links, but nothing that I wouldn’t recommend wholeheartedly. Read my full disclosure here.

Fridge Clean Out: Before Pictures

Gross, right? It definitely needed a deep cleaning and there was FOR SURE some questionable food in there.

Supplies for refrigerator cleaning:

• Scrubber sponge
• A dirty fridge
• Multi-purpose Cleaner
• 2-3 Dry Cloth Towels

1. Do one section at a time

To avoid leaving the refrigerator doors open the whole time you are cleaning, I like to just focus on one section at a time (ie: inside of the left door, inside left shelves, inside right shelves, drawers, inside of right drawer, etc.). I start by taking ALL of the contents out of the section I am working on and placing them on the kitchen counter.

2. Wipe all surfaces with a sponge

This part is super simple….Take some warm water on your non-abrasive scrubber sponge and ring it out so it’s not dripping wet and simply scrub the surfaces of the refrigerator.

If there are any tough spills or messes where the water and sponge aren’t working, you can spray a little multi-surface cleaner on the spot and scrub again.

Honestly, I only needed to do this once or twice. Otherwise, the sponge and water worked to clean up everything else.

3. Dry surfaces with a dry cloth towel

Keep a couple of dry, cleaning towels nearby and simply wipe off the surfaces to dry and finish cleaning.

4. Take out any removable drawers and clean in the sink

If you have any drawers or shelves that can be removed, it may be easier to rinse them out in the sink. Our Samsung fridge has a few nooks and crannies that are hard to get to, so I disassembled the drawers to clean them thoroughly.

5. Go through food and check for expirations

I, honestly, haven’t taken the time to do this for a while so I took the chance to go through everything one by one and check the expiration date before placing it back into the fridge.

6. Add back in food and organize

Once your fridge is nice and clean, you should be able to add the food back in and get things a little more organized. Ya know, instead of things thrown in wherever there is room – you can actually put the meat and cheese in the meat and cheese drawer, etc.

7. Clean the front of the fridge

A sponge also worked perfectly on the front of our fridge, which is stainless steel. I, again, just used warm water and the sponge.

Then I followed up with a dry towel and lastly used a stainless steel polish to finish.

Our fridge is looking oh-so pretty after a nice deep cleaning!

Can’t believe how easy it was to deep clean our fridge with just a sponge, water, and towel. Ready to head to the grocery store to fill her up again!

When was the last time you did a fridge clean out?

Let us know in the comments below!