Clean Your Stainless Steel Refrigerator
Clean Your Stainless Steel Refrigerator

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Taking care of your refrigerator should be included in your kitchen’s weekly maintenance. Keeping the outside of your fridge shiny is a must and more importantly, making sure the inside of your refrigerator remains ultra clean is essential in maintaining a healthy household.

It does not take much to keep your stainless steel fridge looking great. No matter what material your fridge is made from the steps to keeping it nice and clean is the same. If you want to know how to clean stainless steel refrigerator, there are several different cleaning solutions perfect for this purpose.

It is important not to use any abrasive cleaning tools such as scouring pads, steel wool, magic erasers, the rough side of sponges brushes and so on. Abrasive cleaning tools will destroy the finish of your stainless steel fridge. It is best to use microfiber washcloths or the soft side

Surprisingly even regular tap water works great to clean the stainless steel. And remove all the messy fingerprints. All you need to do is use a microfiber washcloth dip one end is tap water and wipe the surface.

When your done cleaning the fingerprints and grease off, use the other end of the microfiber washcloth and dry the surface clean. Remember always to make sure to always wipe with the grain of the steel to not damage the finish.

If you need something with a little more cleaning power than plain water but don’t worry, I made a list of all the best cleaning solutions for you to choose from. Choosing the best one among all these available options can be cumbersome, but it is a great idea to try each one and judge for yourself which one works best.

Several natural cleaning solutions do a great job in keeping refrigerators clean. These are great because they are environmentally friendly and you probably already have these ingredients in your kitchen.

Store bought cleaners that are manufactured using various chemicals also do an excellent job of cleaning but they can irritate skin if not correctly handled. So you do have options, of going natural and using organic cleaners or just buying a manufactured cleaner at the store.

How to clean your refrigerator

Step 1 Choose your cleaner

Natural Cleaning solution v1 – Liquid dishwashing soap and Hot water

For this particular cleaning solution, all you need is a small bucket. Even your sink would do, just cover the drain with a drain stopper. However, if you choose to use the kitchen sink, it would be great to be informed about how to clean kitchen sink.

Once you have that, then pour a teaspoon of liquid dishwashing soap or mild detergent into the bucket or sink and fill it up with warm water. Prepare two microfiber washcloths.

Natural Cleaning solution v2 – Vinegar and Water

You will need an empty spray bottle, one cup of vinegar and one cup of water. Pour equal parts white vinegar and water into an empty spray bottle, twist the top closed. Make sure the sprayer functions as well. Grab two microfiber washcloths to use for wiping down the outside and inside of your refrigerator.

Manufactured cleaning solution – Weiman Stainless steel cleaner or Windex multi-surface cleaner

Weiman stainless steel cleaner is a favourite product for people that own stainless steel refrigerators. You can purchase this product in most department stores or online. It comes in a convenient, easy to use spray bottle.

Windex is also another favorite cleaning product known to clean stainless steel effortlessly and remove any smudges. If you want to know how to clean stainless steel refrigerator, either of these two will work great in cleaning the outside of your refrigerator.

Step 2 Wipe clean

Natural Cleaning solution v1 – Liquid dishwashing soap and Hot water

Soak the first washcloth in the warm soapy water then squeeze all the excess water out. Wipe the surface of your fridge, make sure to wipe with the grain of the steel to avoid any scratches. Be thorough when cleaning the front, the sides, and the top portion of your refrigerator.

Once you are satisfied, you have removed all the smudges, and fingerprints, use the second washcloth to dry the surface. Again go with the grain when wiping the surface, more so if it is stainless steel. Once clean, you can also use baby oil to polish the surface.

Natural Cleaning solution v2 – Vinegar and Water

Take the spray bottle filled with equal parts white vinegar plus water and spray generously on the outside surface of the refrigerator. Make sure to target the extra greasy spots. Grab a microfiber cloth and wipe it down.

Again do not use abrasive sponges or cleaning tools to prevent any scratches and make sure to wipe with the grain as well. Microfiber washcloths are perfect for cleaning this type of surfaces.

You can also use baby oil as a finishing touch to polish the stainless steel and give it that beautiful shiny finish.

Manufactured cleaning solution – Weiman Stainless steel cleaner or Windex multi-surface cleaner

Since these products come in an easy to use spray bottle, all you would need to do is target any fingerprints or grease and just spray away. Grab a microfiber washcloth to wipe the surface clean. Since these products already polish as it cleans you do not need to rub with any other cleaning product.

  • In case you need to clean the inside of your fridge then proceed with the following steps

Step 3 Turn off your refrigerator

Disconnect the power cord from the wall socket. It is essential that the fridge is not left on when cleaning the inside to prevent the compressor from getting overloaded. Since the fridge doors will be open letting all the cold air out, this will trigger the compressor to work and produce more cold air to replace the cold air that is escaping which might cause damage to the compressor.

Step 4 Remove any food from the fridge

This goes for the freezer as well. Take out any food in the freezer and put in a cooler. A manual defrost freezer should be defrosted at least once a year.

If you notice ice on the walls of your freezer that is more than a quarter of an inch thick, then it would be time to defrost it again. Take note of the food you are removing from the fridge or freezer and remember to put them back in the correct place later on.

Avoid keeping food out of the fridge for more than an hour. This fact is also actual for the food in the refrigerator as well. Put any food that is in danger of going bad into the cooler or external ice chest.

If the weather is cold as you are doing this, then it might be acceptable to leave food out for about an hour or so. Throw any food that is spoiled or about to go bad.[G63] [G64]

Step 5 Remove any removable shelves

Do this if your shelves or drawers need to be deep cleaned. Take the shelves and put them by the sink. Fill up the sink with dishwashing liquid and warm water. Submerge the trays and scrub clean with a sponge.

Do not put a frozen shelf in hot water as this may damage the integrity of the shelf, sudden changes in temperature will break the glass.

There is no need to remove the drawers or shelves if you will only be doing a quick cleaning of your fridge. Just use the cleaning solution of your choice. I recommend using the vinegar and water solution to clean the inside of your refrigerator.

Step 6 Apply your cleaning solution to the inside of your fridge

Baking soda mixed with water or dishwashing liquid is an excellent cleaning solution to tackle difficult stains. It is the same solution I used in my previous article ” Cleaning stove tops and everything in between”. You can use this same stain cutting solution to clean the inside of your refrigerator.

Vinegar is a natural disinfectant and will kill any lingering germs as well as remove any stains that may be present in your fridge. Just spray the vinegar water solution generously throughout the inside of your refrigerator, target the blemishes and let sit for ten minutes.

Step 7 Scrub and wipe clean

Use a clean sponge to clean the inside of your fridge. Rinse the sponge as needed and wipe down with a microfiber washcloth or paper towel. Make sure to clean the corners and edges of the refrigerator. Don’t forget the back of the door and any crevices as well.

The water, vinegar solution will work great in cleaning the rubber gasket, apply that and wipe clean with a washcloth.

Step 8 Replace the shelving

Make sure that all the parts have been thoroughly cleaned and dried before returning them to their original positions in the refrigerator. Make sure each shelf is secure, back in its original place.

Step 9 Put all the food back in the fridge

All that’s left is for you to return the all the food that you removed back in the refrigerator. The food that was in the cooler needs to go back into the freezer.

The food that is in the chiller needs to go back there and so on. This should be the most straightforward task in all the steps and you are done. You now have a fridge that is completely clean.

Conclusion:

Cleaning the outside of a stainless steel refrigerator is easy enough. If need to defrost the freezer and clean the inside of your fridge, then that will be a little more work.

Don’t get too overwhelmed with the task at hand. Follow the steps indicated above for really deep cleaning of inside and the outside of your fridge.

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