Cleaning the Inside of Your Fridge
Fridge interior cleaning is one of the tasks most often included in professional deep cleaning and move-out cleaning in Ontario — and one that homeowners most often defer between professional visits. Here's how to do it properly and what a professional clean of the fridge interior should include.
How Often to Deep Clean
A complete fridge interior clean — shelves removed, drawers out, interior wiped down — should happen every 3–4 months. A quick wipe of spills as they happen is maintenance; a full empty-and-clean is the deep clean that matters.
The Process
- Empty the fridge completely. Move everything to a cooler or the counter. Use this opportunity to discard anything expired
- Remove all shelves, drawers, and door bins. These are the hardest areas to clean with items in place
- Wash removable components in warm soapy water. Most fridge shelves and drawers are tempered glass or plastic that can be washed in the sink. Important: let them come to room temperature before washing if the fridge was very cold — thermal shock can crack tempered glass
- Wipe interior walls and ceiling. A solution of warm water with a small amount of baking soda (1 tbsp per quart) is effective and food-safe — it cleans and deodorizes without leaving a chemical residue that could transfer to food
- Dry everything completely before reinstalling. Moisture left in the fridge contributes to bacterial growth
The Freezer
Freezer interiors accumulate frost buildup (in older units without auto-defrost) and ice cream and frozen food spills. Empty the freezer, let it come to room temperature in a frost buildup situation, wipe down with the same baking soda solution, and dry completely before restoring frozen items.