Cleaning Your Refrigerator:
Are Creepy Things Lurking Inside?
Let's face it: if we don't do a good job maintaining the fridge it can become quite grody. Luckily cleaning your refrigerator is not as daunting a task as it may seem. David Allen, during his "Getting Things Done" lecture, asks a "profound" question: "Have you ever cleaned your fridge by accident?" and then proceeds to explain that it happens when you find something that has expired, then start looking for other expired items, and next thing you know you've removed everything from the shelves and drawers and find yourself cleaning your refrigerator with a damp cloth. While that may happen with some people, most of us have to make a decision [ugh!] to clean the refrigerator and then follow through with it. Here are some tips to get you over this hurdle.
Materials: baking soda (by the way, check out over 500 uses for baking soda
Steps:
- Remove everything from the fridge
- If you think it will take a while, put whatever stuff that needs to be kept cold into a cooler
- Pull the fridge away from the wall, unplug it and vacuum the coils on the back (it helps you gain back some efficiency that is lost due to dust and dirt)
- Put a piece of tape over the light switch, or unscrew the light bulb (fridge lights are not made to stay on for a prolonged period of time) and turn up the temperature
- Take all the removable parts (shelves and drawers) and place them in the sink (they need to be washed thoroughly)
- Use a mixture of baking soda and water to clean the interior; make sure to get into all of the seams, edges and any other hidden areas
- Rinse with warm water and allow to dry; meanwhile wash the removable parts that are in the sink
- Wipe them down well with a dry rag to get rid of extra moisture, as well as any leftover moisture inside the fridge
- Now you are ready to start putting things back: put back the parts you removed, and turn the temperature back down
- Start adding things back into the fridge, wiping bottles and jars to get rid of condensation, spills and moisture
- While you're at it check all expiration dates and toss all the expired stuff
- You can keep it smelling good by placing a fresh box of baking soda
in it
Do not use any strong chemical cleaners! No 409, no PineSol, no bleach, etc. (if you wouldn't clean your dining plates with it, then don't use it to clean your fridge)!
For help with keeping your house clean without toxic fumes, read this article on The Natural line of household cleaners or check out the book Naturally Clean
Maintaining Your Freezer
You want to ensure that the food you freeze is stored safely. As opposed to a fridge, the more your freezer is kept well stocked, the better it will work (think of the frozen food as acting like ice blocks). So keep your freezer about 75% full and the better its efficiency will be.
Its temperature should be around 0°F. If your freezer doesn't come with a thermometer installed you will want to buy one for that purpose. Don't put warm food in the freezer to cool it down, as it makes your freezer work much harder. Also, never re-freeze an item that has already been frozen and defrosted once.
As for defrosting a freezer (if it's not the kind designed to defrost itself automatically), it is better to wait until the ice has built up to around a quarter of inch in thickness. Try not to leave it any longer than that will, as it will reduce its efficiency. It is a good idea to time defrosting to coincide with the point at which your freezer isn't too full.
For more tips on cleaning your refrigerator as well as ensuring its safe operation, you should refer to your fridge's owner manual.
