How to Clean a New Fridge Before Use

You do not know where it has been. How often have you said that to your children or had your parents say that to you? It is a standard statement when an item of unknown handling is brought home. The same statement applies to refrigerators.

Even though it looks clean, you do not know who has touched it, how clean those hands were, and so on. The appliance store may have cleaned the appliance before displaying it but that cleaning may not have been thorough or using a disinfectant. Also, the delivery men’s hands are not affected by that cleaning.

All this means is that you need to do a thorough cleaning of your new fridge before you use it. To learn how to do that just continue to read our article. It has the information you need to know about.

What Not to Use to Clean Your New Fridge

When you get your fridge back to your house, it looks great. The interior may even smell great as well. That is because nothing has been put inside of the fridge to ruin that ‘new car’ smell.

But before you put food and other items inside your new fridge, you should give it a good clean. However, not just any cleanser will do. There are cleaners you should not use because they can harm your fridge’s interior.

Any cleaner that contains chemicals or abrasive ingredients should be avoided at all costs. These items can damage the interior before you even get to use the fridge. They create this damage by scratching the surface as you clean.

Then they may leave behind a foul odor that will let you know it is present every time you open the fridge door. It is best to err on the side of caution and while those chemical cleansers will kill germs, get rid of dirt and grime, they are not fridge friendly.

How to Clean Your New Fridge

That is the amazing thing about new items. They look clean but they may not be clean. Before you reach for those easy-to-use chemical-laden cleansers or hard scouring pads, remind yourself that there are better items to use to clean your new fridge.

There is an old principle called KISS. All those letters mean is keep it simple, stupid. That is all you have to do when you are cleaning your new fridge. There is no sense in overthinking the chore or going to extremes.

All you need is a good mild dishwashing soap and a nice soft, clean cloth. That is it. Then you need to do a thorough job of cleaning all the nooks, crannies, drawers, and shelves in your new fridge.

The reason you do that is that you just do not know what has been placed in those spots and it is better to be safe than sorry. Once you are done, let the fridge air out a bit. Close the door when you are ready and wait for the 24-hour period to let the Freon settle in place before putting food inside and plugging it in.

 

Some Tips for Cleaning Spills and Stains in Your Fridge

The good news is you only have to clean a new fridge once. But once you start to place food, drinks, meals, etc., inside, it is now a used fridge and you will find that you have to keep cleaning the fridge. Here are some tips to guide your cleaning the ‘used’ fridge:

1. When you have a tough stain, mix some salt in warm water. Then place the mixture on the spill and let it soak in before wiping the stain up. The slat should loosen the stain up.
2. When you have some foul odors inside your fridge, place an open box of baking soda inside to capture those odors and keep your fridge smelling great.
3. To freshen your fridge’s interior odor, place a drop or two of vanilla extract on a sponge and wipe down your fridge’s interior. This will add a nice fragrance to the interior.
4. To avoid spills and bad odors, keep the food in sealed containers and mark their expiration date clearly on the container. Then throw them out once the date has passed.

Cleaning your new fridge before you use it is a smart idea. That little effort helps protect you and your family from any bacteria or other germs that may have found their way inside.

This task won’t take long to do and as they say, ‘an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure.’