How to clean a fridge: defrosting, odours, door seals and the right temperature

To clean a fridge, empty it and switch it off, take out the shelves and drawers, let them warm up to room temperature, and wash them and the interior with lukewarm water, a mild detergent and a soft cloth. Wipe the door seals, dry everything, and after switching the fridge back on wait until it has cooled down. Defrost a freezer without NoFrost beforehand. Finally, check the temperature: 0–5 °C in the fridge and around −18 °C in the freezer.

When to clean the fridge and why to get it done before Christmas

Wipe up spilled liquid or crumbs of food straight away; dried-on stains are harder to remove and can be a source of odour. A thorough clean with the shelves removed is worth doing regularly, and whenever something in the fridge smells unpleasant or has gone off.

Before Christmas it pays to plan the cleaning for when the fridge is at its emptiest, roughly one to two weeks before the big shop. You use up leftovers, throw away out-of-date food and free up space for biscuits, meat and salads. How fridge cleaning fits in with the other tasks is described in the pre-Christmas cleaning plan for the four weeks of Advent.

What you will need

• a cool bag or box with ice packs for the food,
• a mild detergent (for example washing-up liquid) and lukewarm water,
• soft cloths or a sponge without an abrasive side,
• a dry tea towel or paper towels for drying,
• cotton buds or a soft brush for the grooves and seals,
• for the freezer, additionally a towel or a shallow container for the water from the melting ice,
• rubber gloves, if you use any cleaning product.

If you want to use a special fridge cleaning spray, always read the label, ventilate the room and test the product first on a hidden spot.

Step by step: the fridge

1. Empty it. Take out all the food and throw away anything out of date or spoiled straight away. Put chilled and frozen goods in a cool bag or in a cold place.
2. Switch it off. Switch the fridge off with the button or pull the plug out of the socket.
3. Take out the shelves and drawers. Put them on the worktop and let them warm up to room temperature; only then wash them in warm water.
4. Wash the interior. Wipe the walls, ceiling and floor with a soft cloth dipped in lukewarm water with a little detergent. Work from top to bottom so that dirty water does not run onto areas you have already cleaned.
5. Wipe the seals and the door. See the separate section below.
6. Check the drain. If your fridge has a drain channel with a hole on the back wall, make sure it is clear.
7. Dry it. Wipe the interior, shelves and drawers thoroughly dry.
8. Switch it on and put the food back. Switch the fridge on and put the food back only once it has cooled down again. Store raw meat and fish at the bottom straight away (see the section on temperature).

Shelves and drawers

In its instructions for cleaning fridges and freezers, Electrolux recommends letting the shelves warm up to room temperature on the worktop, washing them and the drawers with warm water, a neutral detergent and a soft cloth, and not using abrasive products. According to the same instructions, wash shelf accessories by hand, not in the dishwasher. For other brands, follow the instructions for your model as to whether particular parts may go in the dishwasher.

Door seals

According to the Electrolux instructions, wipe the seals so that they are clean and free of dirt. Crumbs and liquid residue collect in the folds of the rubber, so clean them with a damp cloth or a cotton bud with detergent and then dry them. Do not stretch the rubber or rub it with sharp objects. A clean, undamaged seal helps the door to close properly.

Drain hole on the back wall

If your fridge has a channel ending in a small hole on the back wall, it carries water away from the wall. Food residue in it can block the drainage, so check it and clean it when washing the fridge. The procedure differs by model, so follow the instructions for your appliance and do not poke sharp objects into the hole. If water still collects at the bottom of the fridge after cleaning, contact the manufacturer's service.

How to defrost a freezer

Freezers with NoFrost usually do not need defrosting; it is enough to wash them. In other freezers frost builds up over time and it is a good idea to defrost them. The Electrolux instructions for freezers without NoFrost give the following procedure:

1. About 12 hours beforehand, lower the temperature in the freezer so that the food stays frozen for longer.
2. Switch the freezer off or pull the plug out of the socket.
3. Move the food to a cold place, ideally wrapped in a cool bag.
4. Leave the door open and protect the floor with a cloth or a container for the water.
5. You can speed up the melting by placing a container of warm water in the freezer.
6. Never scrape the frost with sharp metal tools.
7. Wash the interior with lukewarm water and neutral soap, rinse it and dry it thoroughly.
8. Switch the freezer on at the lowest temperature and let it run for at least 3 hours before putting food back in.

According to the same instructions, do not use aggressive cleaning products, abrasive powders, products containing chlorine or oil-based cleaners to wash the freezer.

How to get rid of odours

Odour in a fridge almost always comes from a specific source: spoiled food, liquid spilled under a drawer, dried-on residue in the seal or a blocked drain. Fragrances alone only mask it.

1. Find the source and remove it; also check the space under the drawers and the door compartments.
2. Wash the fridge following the procedure above, including the seals and the drain channel.
3. After drying, leave the switched-off fridge to air for a while with the door open.
4. Store strongly scented food in sealed containers.

Some people put an open bowl of bicarbonate of soda in the fridge. It does not replace washing, however. Some models have a carbon air filter; for its CleanAir+ filter, Electrolux states replacement every six months. For other models, you will find the interval in their instructions.

The right temperature and food storage

In its guidance on chilling and freezing food, the UK Food Standards Agency states that a fridge should be at 0–5 °C and a freezer at around −18 °C. It recommends checking the temperature with a thermometer once a week. In its recommendations on preventing food poisoning, the US CDC gives the fridge as 4 °C (40 °F) or lower and the freezer as −18 °C (0 °F) or lower.

According to the Food Standards Agency, store raw meat, poultry and fish covered or in a sealed container on the bottom shelf so that they cannot drip onto other food. For accurate measurement a fridge thermometer is worthwhile, especially when you fill the fridge before the holidays.

What to avoid

• washing cold glass shelves with hot water,
• rough sponges, powders and abrasive products,
• products containing chlorine and thinners inside the fridge and freezer,
• mixing cleaning products: the CDC warns that mixing chlorine bleach with other cleaners can release dangerous fumes (more in the article which cleaning products should never be mixed),
• scraping off frost with knives or other metal tools,
• putting food back into a fridge that has not cooled down.

The fridge as part of cleaning the kitchen

While you are cleaning the kitchen anyway, it makes sense to combine cleaning the fridge with other appliances. We have described in similar detail how to clean an oven, including pyrolysis and catalytic walls.

If you do not have time for a thorough clean of your whole home before the holidays, Úklid 1-2-3 offers deep cleaning, the scope of which you can agree in advance. You will find indicative costs on the page how much deep cleaning costs.