If you recently purchased a new refrigerator, it’s important to the health and safety of your family that you give it a good clean before storing food.

In this article, you will discover how to clean a new refrigerator to ensure it keeps your food fresh and safe to eat.

How to Clean a New Refrigerator

When you first get your new refrigerator, you may be quick to believe that there is nothing you need to do. Just plug it in, add your food and fill your cup full of newly frozen ice. After all, it is brand new, right? Wrong!

While it is fresh out of the box, that doesn’t mean you should assume it is in perfect working order. Think about it – your brand new refrigerator comes to you from the factory where it was built and boxed. That leaves the possibility of residue from the manufacturing process being left behind, which could transfer onto your food or beverages.

When you receive your new refrigerator, you will want to wipe it down with a soft cloth and soapy water. Avoid using any chemical products– soap and water will work best. Wipe the inner walls and all the shelving. If your refrigerator comes with an ice maker or water option, you will want to run some water through the lines before ingesting it. This will remove any particles that may have been left behind due to the building process.

Routine Maintenance

Your refrigerator is a non-stop machine. If you’d like to keep it that way, then you will want to consider performing some routine maintenance that will keep it running in an efficient manner.

Here are a few examples:

• Check the temperature at regular intervals. Consider doing so every three or four months. For optimal usage, you want to make sure that your refrigerator and your freezer are cooling at the best temperature.
• Clean the coils behind and/or underneath the refrigerator. These can get bulked down with dust. The dirtier they are, the harder your refrigerator will have to work. Use a vacuum extension to suck up these dust particles and keep your coils clear.
• Confirm that the door seals are functioning well. If they aren’t, you could be losing cool air and requiring your refrigerator to work harder. Using the dollar bill test, you should be able to determine how well your refrigerator seals are working. To test it, open the door and place a dollar bill half in and half out. Then, close the door. Try pulling the dollar bill out. If it is easy to pull out, you may want to have your seals checked. If not, then you are good to go.

Daily Care

Your refrigerator works hard for you. So, providing a little bit of daily care is worth the effort. Each day you should wipe down the inside and outside of your refrigerator. This will keep small spills from becoming big messes. It will also give you a chance to remove spoiled food before it stinks up your entire house.

Again, using soapy water is all you need to clean the inside of the refrigerator. For the outside, you may want to consult the manufacturer for the best method. For stainless steel refrigerators, a dry soft cloth should be all you need.

What You Should Never Do

Now that you know all the things you should be doing, it only seems fair that you know what you should not be doing to your refrigerator, right?

You may be tempted to use various cleaning products on your refrigerator. To remove the grime from previously-spoiled produce, you might feel the need to use a cleanser inside the refrigerator. Or, you could think that there is no way a soft dry cloth can make the outside of your stainless steel refrigerator look fresh again.

Are you ready for this? Never use cleaning products – especially abrasives –on or in your refrigerator. First, you will smell that cleaning product every time you open the refrigerator door. Second, abrasive cleaning products can scratch and damage the outer shell of the appliance.

Don’t do it!

Tips and Tricks

For those who are serious about your cleanliness, we’ve got a few tips and tricks that will allow you to have a healthy refrigerator for years to come. Check these out:

• For tough stains and stuck-on spills, pour some salt into warm water and then wipe down the area. The salt water will help lift the sticky spillage, making cleanup a breeze.
• If you are trying to keep odors at bay in your refrigerator, consider keeping an open box of baking soda inside it at all times. This is a tried and true trick. However, if you are looking for something more, put a dab of your favorite extract – such as vanilla – on your sponge as you are doing your daily wipe down. This will keep your fridge smelling delightful every time you open it.
• Keep a Sharpie in, on, or near your refrigerator. Any time you place leftovers, produce, or meats inside, mark what it is and the date you placed it in the fridge. Keeping track this way allows you to throw out food before it gets nasty.
• Never take your cold shelves out and wash them in hot water. Always let them come to room temperature first.

There you have it – all the tools you need to get the most out of your brand new refrigerator. Enjoy!