How to Clean a Fridge and Remove the Smell

Fridges get cleaned less often than they should, almost always because it is awkward: there is nowhere to put the food and the job looks long. In fact it takes an hour including dwell time, and for half of that there is nothing to do. A smell that returns after cleaning nearly always has one cause — a blocked drain, not badly washed shelves.

What you need

• Baking soda — 2 tablespoons per litre of water
• Half a lemon
• White vinegar 9 % — for the door seal

• Microfibre cloths, two
• A soft sponge
• Cotton buds or a small brush for the drain hole
• A cool bag or a bowl of ice for the food

Time: 60 minutes.

Step by step

1. Switch off and empty. Food into the cool bag; anything spoiled straight into the bin, or the smell comes back with it.
2. Take the shelves out. Wash glass shelves only once they have reached room temperature: cold glass cracks in hot water.
3. Wash the cabinet. Two tablespoons of soda per litre of warm water, top down, soft sponge, no pressure.
4. Clear the drain hole. It is at the bottom of the back wall of the fridge compartment. Cotton bud first, then flush it with warm water from a syringe — that is where the stale smell comes from.
5. Wipe the door seal. Vinegar at one to three, cotton bud along the folds of the rubber: mould lives there and stops the door sealing.
6. Dry and air it. Leave the door open for twenty minutes before reloading.

Method 2 — the smell

If the cabinet is clean and the smell persists, an absorber works: half a lemon cut side up, an open box of soda, or ground coffee in a saucer. Replace monthly. Ready-made activated-carbon absorbers do the same and last longer. All of this only makes sense after cleaning — an absorber does nothing against dirty shelves.

Method 3 — the freezer

A frost-free compartment only needs wiping with the soda solution. A manual-defrost freezer must be defrosted fully first: more than 5 mm of ice costs up to a quarter of the efficiency and holds smells. Do not speed it up with a hairdryer or a knife — a punctured evaporator is a repair bill.

What to avoid

• Scouring powder on the plastic lining. The scratches yellow and never wash clean again.
• Chlorine products inside. The smell lingers for weeks in a closed cabinet and transfers to food.
• Hot water on cold glass. The shelf cracks immediately — the commonest household breakage during cleaning.
• Soda on the door seal. The abrasive wears the rubber and it stops flexing.

The order that saves an hour

Most of the time goes on moving things, not washing. Do it this way: take everything onto the table and sort it at once into keeps, eat today and throw out. Then wash the empty cabinet, which takes twenty minutes. Reload by principle: what spoils fastest at the front, stores at the back.

Wash the shelves in the sink, not inside the fridge: in a confined space it takes twice as long and still leaves streaks in the corners.

Where the dirt actually hides

• The drain hole. The main source of smell, and completely missed in an ordinary clean.
• The fold of the door seal. Mould settles there, which is why the door stops sealing.
• The tray under the salad drawers. It lifts out separately and there is always moisture beneath.
• The back wall behind the bottom drawer. The coldest zone, where condensation freezes and thaws.

When to call a cleaner

A fridge is not the hardest item but it is the least pleasant: you work bent over in a cold, cramped space, and unloading and reloading take as long as the washing. With us fridge cleaning costs from UAH 450 and is nearly always taken with the other kitchen items — the oven at 499 and the hood at 350. Your part is only deciding what gets thrown away.

Frequently asked questions

How often should a fridge be cleaned?

Fully every two to three months, shelves as needed. Clear the drain every time.

Why does the smell come back after a week?

Usually the drain hole or the seal fold — the two places an ordinary clean misses.

Can shelves go in the dishwasher?

Glass ones can, once they are at room temperature. Plastic is better by hand: high temperatures warp it.