Your refrigerator is more than likely to get the most use out of any other appliance in your entire kitchen, especially if you have a family that likes to peek inside throughout the day and see what there is to snack on. With all that traffic, there are bound to be spills and items rearranged from time to time which is why managing your refrigerator by keeping up on its cleanliness and organization can help you establish order.
Wouldn’t you like to pop your head in and just know where everything is supposed to go? When everything has a set place, you can work more efficiently when cooking and your refrigerator stays in tip-top shape.
For example, when you know where things are, it’s easier locating your needed food items and preparing a meal faster. You can also spot new food debris with a more spaced out and organized fridge preventing bacteria from spreading and producing a foul smell. And lastly, nothing is ever hidden or lost in the back, reminding you to nibble on leftovers and ultimately reduce on food waste.
If you’re interested in getting your fridge’s act together, be sure to follow our simple refrigeration tips and tricks to maintain it so that it’s looking good and running properly for years to come.
1. Clear Your Refrigerator Out
The best way to thoroughly reorganize your fridge is by taking everything out and deep cleaning it. Start by removing all the contents from the refrigerator drawers, side compartments, and shelves so that you are left with a blank slate. Be sure to pay attention for moldy foods, expiration dates, sodas that have lost their carbonation, and other perishables that have, well, perished, so you can throw them away as you go. If you’re noticing that a lot of your fruits have quickly rotted in the short amount of time since you purchased them, this Samsung Two Crisper Drawers feature could save you on food waste. It keeps your produce crisp and fresh while providing you enough space for all your fruits and vegetables.
On a side note, while you want to be thorough with your removal process, be sure to move quickly since your refrigerator doors will be open and will be using extra energy to try and keep everything cool.
2. Wipe Away Any Messes with a Deep Cleaning
When it’s time to dive into a deep cleaning, you’re going to want to have an all-purpose cleaner, a sponge, and a roll of paper towels attached to your utility belt. If you have some real goopy spills that solidified in your refrigerator drawers, soaking a sponge in warm water and scrubbing the messes makes them a bit easier to destroy. Usually spritzing the entire fridge (inside and out) with the cleaning solution, letting it sit for a couple minutes, and then wiping up with paper towels does the job.
If you are looking for a natural DIY cleaner, this chemical-free refrigerator cleaner mixes white vinegar, warm water, and a few drops of lemon essential oil to fight odors as well as efficiently sanitize the area.
Take out anything removable, such as the refrigerator drawers and shelves, so that you can be sure to really wipe out all the teeny-tiny crevices and hard-to-reach places. This Frigidaire 4-Door fridge has the ideal setup with its 2 Space Wise adjustable glass shelves making cleaning and organizing easy and painless.
While you’re elbow-deep in the fridge, don’t forget to wipe down the walls and ceiling!
3. Come Up with a Layout
Now that you have a sparkly empty fridge, it’s time to address all the food just sitting on your countertops and warming up in room temperature; the clock is ticking and it’s time to put everything back! But you won’t want to just stuff it all in without a thought – this will lead to the same messy predicament you’re in now. No, you’ll want to be strategic this time so that every condiment bottle, carton of eggs, and Tupperware container full of yesterday’s pasta has a home. There are a few rules of thumb to keep in mind when restocking your fridge:
- Don’t store milk inside the door of the fridge. This compartment is the warmest part of the fridge and is more used to temperature fluctuations. You want your milk pretty cold, so storing in the upper or middle shelf is always a good spot.
- Fruits and vegetables should be placed inside refrigerator drawers where the humidity is higher. This Sub-Zero fridge has low-temperature/high-humidity storage zones , making sure your produce is locked in at the proper climate for freshness.
- Keep the fruits and veggies separate from each other as they emit certain gases that may spoil different produce.
- Meat should be stored in the coldest spot in the fridge: the very back!
- Save the top shelves for things you are ready to polish off soon. Leftovers, quick snacks, yogurt, etc.
4. Keep an Eye on It
If you want your fridge to stay clean for longer, the easiest way to do so is to wipe up any spills or messes as you see them happen. Not only that but it’s important to avoid overstuffing your refrigerator. Keeping enough space between items so you can see throughout your fridge creates better visibility so that nothing is ever blocked from view, forgotten about, and gradually stinking up the inside. Our Beko refrigerator with advanced IonGuard technology can help in this situation by creating a fresh environment inside your refrigerator to protect and preserve foods longer and ultimately eliminate odor transfer.
We hope these tips for maintaining your refrigerator help motivate you to open your appliance up for a serious deep cleaning. If you still can’t figure out how to get rid of the refrigerator odor, your fridge is not cooling to the proper temperature, or you’re just ready for a new one, give the closest Albert Lee Appliance store a call . We’ll help you find the one with the right smart tech and organizational features to make maintaining your kitchen appliance a breeze. Want to know even more? Check out our two part refrigerator buying guide: Refrigerator Buying Guide part 1 and Refrigerator Buying Guide part 2.