Are you stuck on how to properly clean and deodorize your fridge?
Use these three easy steps to overhaul this often overlooked area of the home to naturally clean and deodorize your fridge.
The kitchen can be one of the most wonderfully chaotic spaces in our homes. It’s where we start the day, pack school lunches, bake cookies together, hang out on the island, and cook countless meals.
But, it’s also where we often drop the mail, stack the dirty dishes, forget the leftovers, and splatter an untold amount of spills. While dishes always manage to get washed and the counters wiped cleaned, there one place in the kitchen we sometimes forget.
And when we do, we’re faced with some unwanted surprises – like the last bowl of chilli waiting in the fridge, mold lurkling in a jar of sauce you’ll never finish, and bags of lettuce, celery and green onions filled with oozing green liquids.
It’s enough to keep anyone up at night, wondering what might be hiding at the back of the fridge!
I’ll be the first to admit cleaning the refrigerator is not on the top of my to-do list. It’s one of those things most of us tend to put off until we just can’t stand it any longer.
If that’s how you’re feeling, I’m glad you’re here, because I’m sharing my three-step approach to cleaning the refrigerator quickly. And I’m revealing the best cleaning hack to deodorize the fridge with lasting results – so, let’s get started.
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When is the best time to clean up and deodorize your fridge?
With all the foods we stuff into the refrigerator… and sometimes forget, it can gain some unpleasant odors and grime. Am I wrong?
I’ve found it’s best to deodorize and deep clean the fridge the day before or the day of grocery shopping. Essentially, when your fridge is the least full.
Which benefits you in three ways:
Who doesn’t love to have a sparkly clean fridge when they return from grocery shopping? Using a cue like grocery shopping to regurally clean the fridge, is an Atomic Habit, worth forming!
Related: Odor Eliminating Lemon Zest Hand Soap
My 3-Step Technique to Clean and Deodorize Your Fridge without Chemicals
One of the most important areas to deep clean in our homes is the fridge, no doubt! But you don’t need any harsh chemicals or as-seen-on-TV cleaners to get the job done. All it takes are a few natural ingredients to make just what you need.
And when use these three easy steps to overhaul this often overlooked area of the home, you’ll be giving your fridge a much-needed fresh start!
#1
Clear It Out
You’ll want to start with a clean slate.
Yes – it’s time to clear out the fridge!
In addition, make note of what you are out of, or running low and need purchase at the grocery store, during the process. It’s easy to do with a magnetic pen and a menu planner with a shopping list on the fridge!
#2
Clean Every Surface
Soak:
Start with the shelves and drawers you removed from the fridge. Place them in the sink to soak in hot, warm soapy water.
spray:
Spray down all surfaces inside the fridge with a natural Multipurpose Surface Spray.
scrub:
For spills that may have been there longer than you’d like to admit use my Heavy Duty Kitchen Cleaner to scrub the grime away.
wash:
Dry all the surfaces inside the fridge with a super absorbent towel. Then close the fridge so it can start cooling again.
Wash and dry all the shelves, drawers, or storage bins (I love these fridge organizers), you have soaking in the sink.
Then place each back into the fridge and return all contents you set aside.
#3
Deodorize Your Fridge
Now that you’ve cleaned everything and your food is chilling again it’s time to deodorize. And lemon can do it in no time at all with results to last!
- Pour 1 cup of baking soda into a small bowl.
- Add 8 to 12 drops of lemon essential oil and whisk to combine.
- Place the bowl on a shelf or in the door of your refrigerator, uncovered.
This mixture helps to absorb odors and offers a fresh breeze of lemon every time you open the fridge! I refresh my bowl every month with essential oils and make a new batch just 4 times a year.
The start of new season, it great time to refresh this easy deodorizer! In the autumn, I like to use orange and clove essential oils. And in the winter I love eucalyptus with juniper essential oil. You can experiment with yours too, just make sure at least one of the oils is good odor-reducing oil.
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Now that you’ve cleaned and deodorized your fridge thoroughly, it will be MUCH easier the next time.
Especially if you can commit to giving it a deep clean once a month! I’ve found that the more often I clean anything, the easier it gets.
The other I love about commiting to this 3 Step Approach is that, in addition to a clean fridge, we’ve cut down on food waste and saved money on groceries. (My husband has a tendency to buy duplicates, instead of checking to see if we have something first…)
If that sounds familiar, get one of these Waste Less Trackers! It’s the easiest way to track perishables, stop over-buying, and reduce food waste!
Awesome idea. Love the way you made it. Have to try this DIY project out.
Thanks Joanna, I hope you do!
Thanks for this! How long will the DIY fridge deodorizer work? About a month? I usually put the Arm & Hammer Fridge & Freezer box in there and that says to switch out every month, but I’m trying to cut back on the amount of packaging I’m buying.
Tory, I totally understand you, I’m always looking for ways to cut back on waste too. I refresh mine every month with essential oils and make a new batch completely 4 times a year. So at the start of new season, I make a new batch. In the fall I like to use orange and clove. And in the winter I love eucalyptus with juniper. You can experiment with yours too, just make sure at least one of the oils is good odor-reducing oil.