Self Help

If you keep up with spills and crumbs that accumulate in your refrigerator, you won’t have a big interior fridge cleanup to do all at once. But if you’ve ignored a bit of grime here and there, you’ll need to empty the fridge, wipe down the walls and racks, and soak the crispers in suds. Use a toothbrush to get particles out of the gaskets, the rubber seals around the door.

Now take a minute to check the foods before you put them back - is everything fresh? Do you need to wipe gunk from any jar lids? If something was sitting in a spill, clean the bottom thoroughly before putting it back again, follow the same strategy with your freezer.

To control odors inside the fridge, place an open box of baking soda on one of the shelves (this is also a handy fire extinguisher if you should have a grease fire). Other good deodorizers are an open container of activated charcoal or a cotton ball soaked in vanilla.

Be sure to dust the top of the refrigerator, too. It’s an easy spot to overlook if you can’t see it at eye level. Sweep or vacuum under and behind the refrigerator, then once or twice a year you should unplug your fridge and vacuum the coils with the crevice tool attachment.