Welcome back to the Clean Freak Weekly!

Fall has officially begun and as the temperature cools off our minds are drawn to the refrigerator! This sometimes overlooked appliance gathers many a mess, from cooking mishaps and handprints on the outside to drips and mystery stickiness on the inside. Let’s take a deep dive on the coolest appliance in the home.

5 Cool Refrigerator Cleaning Tips 🧊

Refrigerators have come a long way over the last decade. Remember when ‘in door’ ice makers were the new thing? Now we have smart Refrigerators with touch screens that allow you to ‘see’ what’s in the fridge without opening the door. We have antimicrobial drawers, internal water dispensers and even French Doors. Whether you have the latest in refrigerator technology or that trusty older model these tips will help you keep your refrigerator squeaky clean.

#1 Take Pictures (Before you pull the shelves apart)

Before you start dismantling and cleaning your refrigerator we recommend that you take a few pictures with everything in place.

Why? Where was that shelf again??? As mentioned, some of the newer refrigerator models have some very complex configurations. Even the older models can be a little tricky to put back together. A few pictures that you can ‘zoom in’ on later have proven very helpful for us over the years!

#2 Use your bathtub for soaking and cleaning

Aren’t we discussing Refrigerators? Yes, and while some of us may have a very large utility sink in our house most of us have one large ‘basin’ in our home to clean larger items… The Bathtub. We know what some of you are thinking. Ewww isn’t that gross? Well as a Certified Clean Freak your bathtub is probably already pretty clean but we do recommend using a sanitizing product to wipe down and rinse out the tub before you begin. Next, fill the tub about half way with warm water and carefully submerge and soak the refrigerator shelves and drawers for 10 to 15 minutes. Afterwards, carefully wash and rinse the items with clean water. Dry the items and set them on a large clean towel in the kitchen to make sure all the small grooves dry completely.

Caution: ALWAYS let the shelves and drawers warm up and come to room temp before you put them in the tub. If you place cold glass into hot water it can shatter. Also be extremely careful when handling glass shelving, many times it is just set into the plastic frame.

#3 Use a Degreaser

Since most of the spills and mystery odor sources in our refrigerator are from food, a degreaser does a great job breaking down the food grease and grime. In most cases a few drops of Dawn in a bucket of warm water works great. If it's really greasy we will step up to Dawns Professional Degreaser. 

#4 Use A Dry Microfiber Towel on the Outside of your Refrigerator

Has this ever happened to you? The outside of your fridge is clean but you can't get rid of those last few streaks? (especially on a stainless steel finish)

We have found buffing with a dry microfiber towel works great to remove any remaining streaks and makes the surface shine.

#5 Cleaning Water & Ice Dispenser

Since most water and ice dispensers get a lot of use in the home it can quickly get dirty. Also, because of the moisture this is an area where mold and mildew can start to develop. To clean, use a mixture of half water and half white vinegar to wipe down inside and around the ice and water unit. Consult your user manual about intervals to periodically clean the water lines. These unseen areas can also be a source of mold and mildew if not properly maintained.

Caution: Be careful with vinegar and avoid getting it on the exterior finish of the refrigerator. Vinegar is acidic and can etch the finish so be extremely careful with vinegar overspray and dripping.

Clean Freak Of The Week

Congratulations to Tina on being the Clean Freak Of The Week! The winner of the drill brush attachments and Bar Keepers Friend Soft Cleanser.

This week we are giving away a set of my (yet to be released... 👀) Clean That Up microfiber towels! More info coming on those soon.

Just subscribe to the Clean Freak Weekly and you are in the running. Keep an eye on your inbox each week to see if you are the next Clean Freak of the Week!

Thanks so much for joining us this week! We'll leave you with another joke that made us laugh from subscriber Carolyn S

"A clean house is a sign of no Internet connection."

Brandon & James

P.S. If you're new here and want to catch up on previous editions of the Clean Freak Weekly you can find them here!

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