Guide to Cleaning Your Refrigerator
Cleaning the refrigerator is rarely a planned task for parents. It’s a chore that never makes the to-do list, yet it becomes unavoidable when you reach for something simple—like butter—and discover it’s buried behind grapes in the vegetable tray. As you retrieve the butter, you notice a yogurt spill has congealed over your fruits and vegetables. One item leads to another, revealing moldy or unrecognizable food, and soon you’re emptying the fridge into a trash bag. You might even find jelly jars stuck to the door shelves, demanding a thorough clean. Before you know it, you’re scrubbing with hot water and bleach to prevent a salmonella outbreak, forgetting why you needed the butter in the first place.
The most efficient way to clean a refrigerator is to tackle it all at once. Defrosting is ideal but challenging with a busy family. Start by emptying all contents onto a table, allowing you to check expiration dates and wipe down containers before returning them. Cleaning around items still in the fridge is far more trouble than it’s worth.
Deep Cleaning and Reorganizing
Remove all detachable parts, such as drawers and shelves, and wash them in hot water with antibacterial soap, a vinegar-water solution, or a baking soda-water mix to eliminate mold residue. Ensure these components are completely dry before placing them back to prevent new mold growth. Wipe down stationary interior surfaces with hot water and a disinfectant, such as diluted bleach or antibacterial dish soap, to remove sticky residues.
Before restocking, consider lining drawers and shelves with paper towels. This makes future spills easier to clean, saving you from sticky messes. To avoid cross-contamination, refer to the FDA’s refrigeration storage guidelines below before returning food to the fridge.
Table Courtesy of the FDA – www.fda.gov/
| Storage Times for Refrigerated Foods | |
| Ground Meat, Ground Poultry, and Stew Meat | |
| Ground beef, turkey, veal, pork, lamb | 1-2 days |
| Stew meats | 1-2 days |
| Fresh Meat (Beef, Veal, Lamb, and Pork) | |
| Steaks, chops, roasts | 3-5 days |
| Variety meats (tongue, kidneys, liver, heart, chitterlings) | 1-2 days |
| Fresh Poultry | |
| Chicken or turkey, whole | 1-2 days |
| Chicken or turkey, parts | 1-2 days |
| Giblets | 1-2 days |
| Bacon and Sausage | |
| Bacon | 7 days |
| Sausage, raw from meat or poultry | 1-2 days |
| Smoked breakfast links, patties | 7 days |
| Summer sausage labeled “Keep Refrigerated” | Unopened, 3 months; Opened, 3 weeks |
| Hard sausage (such as pepperoni) | 2-3 weeks |
| Ham, Corned Beef | |
| Ham, canned, labeled “Keep Refrigerated” | Unopened, 6-9 months; Opened, 3-5 days |
| Ham, fully cooked, whole | 7 days |
| Ham, fully cooked, half | 3-5 days |
| Ham, fully cooked, slices | 3-4 days |
| Corned beef in pouch with pickling juices | 5-7 days |
| Hot Dogs and Luncheon Meats | |
| Hot dogs | Unopened package, 2 weeks; Opened package, 1 week |
| Luncheon meats | Unopened package, 2 weeks; Opened package, 3-5 days |
| Deli and Vacuum-Packed Products | |
| Store-prepared (or homemade) egg, chicken, tuna, ham, and macaroni salads | 3-5 days |
| Pre-stuffed pork, lamb chops, and chicken breasts | 1 day |
| Store-cooked dinners and entrees | 3-4 days |
| Commercial brand vacuum-packed dinners with USDA seal, unopened | 2 weeks |
| Cooked Meat, Poultry, and Fish Leftovers | |
| Pieces and cooked casseroles | 3-4 days |
| Gravy and broth, patties, and nuggets | 3-4 days |
| Soups and stews | 3-4 days |
| Fresh Fish and Shellfish | |
| Fresh fish and shellfish | 1-2 days |
| Eggs | |
| Fresh, in shell | 3-5 weeks |
| Raw yolks, whites | 2-4 days |
| Hard-cooked | 1 week |
| Liquid pasteurized eggs, egg substitutes | Unopened, 10 days; Opened, 3 days |
| Cooked egg dishes | 3-4 days |
It may be hard to discard leftovers from four nights ago, but it’s essential to prevent foodborne illness, especially during a thorough fridge clean.
Once cleaned, your refrigerator will look brand new, though possibly empty, with its interior bulbs shining brightly. You’ll have peace of mind knowing harmful germs are gone. While experts like Martha Stewart suggest weekly fridge cleaning, most people only clean when they encounter moldy food or spills. To make future cleanings easier, consider wiping down surfaces weekly to prevent buildup, so the inevitable deep clean feels less daunting.
