A Bowl Full of Lemons

 
 

Keeping your refrigerator and freezer clean isn’t easy with all the use it receives on a daily basis. Sticky shelves, crumbs, and food residue can be easily wiped up and taken care of in minutes, making cleaning your refrigerator and freezer a simple and easy 15-30 minute task.

 

Time-Saving Tip:

 

Wipe down your refrigerator weekly before you do your grocery shopping. It only takes a couple minutes and it will keep your refrigerator neat and tidy.

 

 
 

Best Tools:

 

My favorite refrigerator and freezer cleaning tools? Warm water, dish soap, baking soda, and a microfiber cloth. The warm water helps the soap bubble up and is perfect for dissolving any stickiness and picking up crumbs. The baking soda helps naturally deodorizes any residual stinky corners or drawers. The microfiber cloth can be rung almost dry making the wiping that much easier.

 
 

 
 

Where to Start:

• Mix up 1 teaspoon of dish soap (or my favorite, Dr. Bronner’s Citrus Orange castile soap), 1 teaspoon baking soda, and about 32 ounces of warm water.
• Start by emptying your refrigerator and freezer. (Work quickly so your food stays cold or frozen.)
• Wipe down the shelves with a well rung out microfiber cloth or dish cloth. Repeat until all shelves and drawers have been wiped clean. Rinse with a well rung out microfiber or dish cloth.  Dry if necessary.

Stainless Steel Appliances? Check out my favorite cleaning tip!

 
 

Want to do more than a quick wipe down of your refrigerator and freezer?  Here’s how to clean the dirtiest parts of your refrigerator and freezer:

1. Ice Dispenser:

The ice dispenser is also a favorite hang-out for yeast and mold. For this one, empty out all the ice and wipe down the interior of the dispenser with mild detergent or dish soap and warm water and follow it up by wiping it down with a clean damp cloth to remove any soap residue.

 
 

2. Refrigerator Meat Drawer:

While this is probably not surprising, the meat and cheese drawer in your fridge ranks as one of the germiest places in your kitchen. Remove it, wash with warm water and a mild dish soap and put it back when it’s completely dry. If you can’t remove the drawer, wash with your soapy cloth and wipe clean.

 
 

3. Refrigerator Produce Drawers:

To clean your produce drawer, follow the same procedure as cleaning your meat drawer. Remove it from your fridge if possible and wash with warm water and a mild dish soap. To control odors, use a solution of baking soda and warm water: one or two tablespoons soda per quart of water. Rinse thoroughly and let it dry completely before putting it back.

 
 

4. Water Dispenser:

The spout on the water dispenser is a great place for mold and yeast to hang out. To clean the spout, you could use a small (clean) scrub brush dipped in vinegar and take care to clean both the interior and exterior of the spout. I use a clean dish cloth dipped in vinegar and wipe the spout first and then rest of the dispenser. After cleaning, run the water for a bit to get rid of any excess vinegar on the spout.

 
 

For more cleaning tips and free printables, come visit! And if you like this natural cleaning recipe you’ll LOVE my book, The Organically Clean Home!

 
 

Tags: cleaning, green cleaning, kitchen
April 2014, Blog, Clean, Clean Mama, cleaning recipes, Green Cleaning Posted in 6 comments