Cleaning Your Refrigerator: Not Just The Inside
Posted on: 24 January 2018
Cleaning your refrigerator means more than just tossing out old food that has gone bad. It's important to do this too, but you refrigerator can build up with all kinds of dust, pet hair and other debris beneath it and behind it that can make your appliance work extra hard to keep all of your food cool. This extra work may cause your appliance to breakdown prematurely. See below for cleaning tips to keep your appliance in great shape.
Open Up The Front Vent
Pull the front vent off of your appliance and take a good look inside with a flashlight. If all you see is a sheet of dust, you need to get to work. Grab your vacuum with the hose extension and vacuum that sheet of dust and any other debris you see. Wash the vent you took off using soapy water to get it clean, then let it air dry. If you have a lot of dust beneath your refrigerator, get what you can with your vacuum, then move it out to clean the floor beneath.
Move It Out And Clean Behind It
Move the appliance out away from the wall and remove any debris that has fallen behind it. Use your vacuum to clean dust and other debris from the coils on the backside. If need be, take a wet rag and wipe down the backside for harder to remove dust. While back there, check that the power cord is in good shape and that the water line is also in good shape (not kinked, which would cause your water to come out slowly).
Remove Items From The Top Of Your Appliance
Adding items to the top of your appliance may seem like a good idea, but all you are doing is making your appliance work harder to keep your food cool. You should never put anything on the top of your refrigerator. These items could fall off and fall behind your appliance, which could be a hazard or could cause a premature breakdown of your appliance when it begins to overheat. Keep the top of your appliance free of clutter, food and other items.
Clean The Inside
Of course, the inside of your appliance should also be cleaned out. Toss old food and anything you don't want. Do this on the refrigerator and freezer side. Be sure to also keep food away from the vents. If you have too much food stacked near the vents, your appliance will not be able to cool properly and you may end up with pockets of warmer air.
Your appliance should be cleaned often, not just the inside, but under, over and behind your appliance as well. If your appliance is not cooling properly, call a professional who specializes in appliance repair for help.
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