How to clean a very dirty refrigerator, including the mold in the drawers
About 7 minutes to read. Published . By the House & Hedge team.
A refrigerator hides most of its dirt in the places you do not see every day: the back of the drawers, the rubber seal around the door, the drip tray under the box and the coils behind or underneath the cabinet. Spills run down into the gaps, food goes off unnoticed at the back of a shelf, and damp air collects in the drawers where mold starts. A thorough clean takes an afternoon, and it removes the smells and the mold that make the whole kitchen feel unclean.
Plan the job so the food stays cold. Perishable food should not sit above about 40 degrees Fahrenheit for more than two hours, and sooner in a warm kitchen. Set aside a cooler with ice, or use a neighbor’s refrigerator if you have one, and clean one section at a time.
What you need
- A bucket or sink of warm water and a little dish soap
- A small bowl of baking soda, or a bottle of white vinegar, for odors
- Microfiber cloths and a soft sponge
- A soft brush or an old toothbrush for the door seal and the drawer runners
- A vacuum with a brush attachment, or a long soft brush, for the coils
- Paper towels and a trash bag for anything that is past its date
- A cooler with ice, for the food
Emptying the refrigerator and checking the food
Start by taking everything out. Put the food into the cooler, and check each item as you go. Throw out anything past its date, anything with mold on it, and any leftovers you cannot remember cooking. A jar that has been open for weeks, a bag of salad that has gone slimy, and a container of leftovers that has lost its smell are the usual culprits.
Pull out the drawers, the shelves and the door racks. Most of them lift out of their runners, and some have a clip at the back. Check the manual if you are not sure how the shelves come out, because glass shelves can be heavy and should be lifted straight up.
Washing the shelves, drawers and door racks
- Wash each shelf and drawer in the sink with warm water and a little dish soap. Use a soft cloth or sponge, and pay attention to the corners and the edges, where food gets trapped.
- Look for mold in the drawers, especially at the back and in the rubber channels that hold them. Mold in a drawer often means the crisper is holding too much moisture, which you can fix by adjusting the humidity setting.
- For mold, wipe the affected area with a cloth dampened in white vinegar and water, leave it for a few minutes, and wipe again. Rinse the cloth often. Vinegar is a useful choice for food-contact surfaces.
- Dry everything with a clean towel before you put it back, because wet shelves can start a fresh smell.
Glass shelves can be cleaned with the same mixture, but do not use cold water on a warm shelf, which can crack it.
Cleaning the inside walls and the door seal
Wipe the walls and the ceiling of the refrigerator with a cloth dampened in warm soapy water. Start at the top and work down, so drips do not run over areas you have already cleaned. For sticky spots, let the cloth sit on the spot for a few minutes before you wipe.
The door seal is the strip of rubber around the edge of the door. It traps crumbs, spills and mold, and a dirty seal lets cold air escape, so it is worth cleaning properly. Wipe it with a cloth and warm soapy water, and use a soft brush in the folds. Dry it thoroughly, because water left in the folds encourages mold. Check the seal for tears or stiffness as you go, since a damaged seal is inexpensive to replace and it affects how hard the refrigerator has to work.
If the walls look stained or have a film that does not lift with soap, use a little white vinegar in warm water on a cloth, then rinse with clean water and dry. Avoid abrasive pads on the liner, which can scratch it.
Clearing the drip tray and the drain
Many refrigerators have a drip tray at the back, often near the floor, that catches water from the defrost cycle. It is easy to forget, and when it is full of old water and food it causes a strong smell. Find the tray by checking the manual, and remove it carefully, since it may hold a little water. Empty it, wash it in warm soapy water, and dry it before you put it back.
The drain hole is usually at the back of the freezer or the refrigerator compartment. If water is pooling inside the refrigerator or dripping onto the floor, the drain may be blocked. Pour a cup of warm water slowly down the drain channel, and check that it runs out into the tray. Use a thin brush or a pipe cleaner to clear any debris. Do not use a metal tool, which can puncture the drain.
Cleaning the coils
Dust on the condenser coils makes the refrigerator run longer and hotter, and it wastes electricity. The coils are either at the back of the refrigerator or at the bottom behind a grille, depending on the model.
- Unplug the refrigerator, or switch off its circuit at the wall. Never clean the coils while the refrigerator is plugged in.
- Remove the grille at the bottom, if there is one, and pull out any dust with a vacuum and its brush attachment.
- Brush the coils gently with a long soft brush, working from the top down. Vacuum up the loose dust as you go.
- Put the grille back, plug the refrigerator in, and check that it hums normally after a few minutes.
Clean the coils every six months if you have pets, a dusty kitchen, or a refrigerator that runs noisily. Once a year is enough for most homes.
Odors
A persistent smell comes from food that has gone off in a hidden place, or from a blocked drain. After the clean, put an open box of baking soda on a shelf, and replace it every month or two. Baking soda absorbs odors without adding its own, and it works well in the freezer too. Keep strong-smelling foods in sealed containers, and wipe the inside of the containers before you put leftovers in them.
If the smell is sharp and sour, check the door seal and the drip tray again. If it smells of mold, look for mold in the drawers and behind the shelves, and clean those areas again.
Keeping it clean
Wipe spills as they happen, while the shelf is still cold and the spill has not dried. Check the refrigerator every week for food that has been pushed to the back. Once a month, wipe the drawers and the door shelves, and look at the seal. A full clean once or twice a year, with the coils done every six to twelve months, keeps a refrigerator in good working order and means the inside smells of nothing at all.
When you put the food back, group it by type, put raw meat on the bottom shelf in a sealed tray so it cannot drip onto anything else, and check the date on the leftovers. A clean refrigerator with a sensible order is easier to keep clean.
When to call a technician
If the refrigerator is not cooling, is running constantly, or makes a loud new noise, a cleaning session will not fix it, and the cause may be a failed compressor, a fan or a faulty thermostat. If water is leaking from the refrigerator onto the floor and the drain has been cleared, call a repairer, because a leak can damage the floor and the cabinet beneath it.
