The kitchen is the heart of the home, and your fridge and oven are heavy duty appliances. Think about how many times a day your fridge and oven are opened and closed – it’s probably a lot, isn’t it? The constant use of our fridges means food and drink spillages are inevitable. Nobody wants dirty stains in their fridge and oven, so it’s essential they get some deep cleaning once in a while. By giving your fridge and oven a regular clean; it not only keeps up the good hygiene standards, but also maintains the quality of the fridge and oven, ensuring it lasts for longer!
Did you know the salad drawer can contain up to 750 times what is deemed to be a safe level of bacteria? That is why it is essential to regularly clean out both your fridge and oven. Cleaning your fridge and oven is actually simpler than you think and doesn’t need to be a long-drawn-out task. By following these five super simple steps every few weeks your fridge and oven will be in tip-top condition.
Step 1: Plan Ahead before oven and fridge cleaning
Before you start the cleaning process, decide a time to do it. We at Effective Cleaning Services recommend cleaning the fridge and oven before you do your weekly shopping or make meals that may require you to use the oven. This will mean there will be less food and drinks inside the fridge making the whole cleaning process much easier and quicker; as well as no meals that need the oven for the food to be prepared. Get into the habit of checking what you already have in the fridge, freezer, and oven before you do your cleaning. Look out for foods that are approaching their use-by date and other fresh foods that can go off over time and try to use them up first. This includes fruit and vegetables meat and fish cheese, milk, or other dairy products.
Step 2: Get rid of expired food.
If your fridge is full, start checking the use-by date on all products, throwing out any products that have surpassed it, to make it easier as well. When emptying the fridge, go through all your items and ensure they are all still in date or in good condition. It’s not uncommon to find an old, opened jar lurking at the back of the fridge. Anything which is no longer edible, throw away immediately! If you feel like you cannot throw away food our second choice when decluttering food in the fridge is to donate it. This is much more difficult to do with food from the refrigerator though, just because a lot of it is perishable, or cannot be donated once it is opened. With the oven, if there is any food left inside, take the tray out, and remove the old food (if expired or has gotten spoilt throw it away).
Step 3: Declutter the shelves and drawers.
Now your fridge is empty, it’s time to grab your trusty rubber gloves because the proper cleaning can commence! Pull out everything from that shelf or drawer and then decide if it will go back into the refrigerator. Removing everything from the entire shelf can help you find something that has gotten shoved back into the back and gotten hidden. This is often when you find the stuff that needs to be decluttered the most. Take out any drawers and shelves from inside the fridge carefully and put the drawers and shelves in a sink full of hot soapy water and give them a good clean, ensuring you don’t break any glass for safety reasons.
Once cleaned, leave them on your drying rack to air dry. If you can’t remove the drawers and shelves from the fridge itself, just give them a clean with an antibacterial spray and follow up by wiping them down with a clean cloth. This process also applies to your oven. With the oven, remove the shelves to give them a good clean with hot water as oven stains may be harder to remove compared to the ones in the fridge. This may require extra effort.
Step 4: Wipe and clean down the interior and exterior.
Now it’s time to focus on the inside of the fridge and oven. Vinegar is a fantastic natural household ingredient that can help with this step. Fill a spray bottle with lukewarm water and vinegar in equal parts and simply spray the interior of the fridge and oven. Gently rub the mixture in and then wipe down with a clean microfibre cloth. You can also use a toothpick to remove any food residue which may have been collected in the crevices within the fridge and oven as these areas may be hard to reach with a microfibre cloth. For the exterior, spray the fridge and oven with a multipurpose cleaner. An old toothbrush can be used to remove grime from crevices. Use a disinfectant spray and a clean cloth to wipe down the door and handles as well.
Step 5: Put the food back in, wiping down jars and bottles.
Finish your quick fridge and oven clean by putting your fresh drawers and shelves back inside, and wiping all jars and bottles that stay in the fridge such as your bread spreads, milk, etc. When returning food, consider the best way to organize it.
What we recommend is:
· Top shelf- ready-to-eat foods e.g., dairy products, yogurts, cakes…
· Middle shelves- cooked meats, leftovers
· Bottom shelves- raw meat, poultry, and fish
· Salad drawer- salad vegetables, fruit, and vegetables
With that being said keep in mind that seeking a professional for assistance with detailed deep cleaning for your fridge and oven could also be the best solution. We at Effective Cleaning Services understand that it may be time-consuming to do it by yourself. We offer satisfactory certified services, and we will help you get your kitchen appliances clean and germ-free. We are here to ensure that you don’t have to worry about doing all the cleaning by yourself as we can gladly do it for you!