Timely tips for cleaning refrigerators and freezers

Keeping your refrigerator and freezer clean is not only important to the appearance (and smell) of your home, it's also crucial from a sanitation point of view. There are three aspects of keeping fridges and freezers clean: removing dirt, killing germs and then deodorizing the interior.

• So there's no need to haul out the cooler to keep your refrigerated goods cold, unless it's a particularly hot day.
• Instead, empty one shelf at a time, so food on the other shelves can stay chilled.
• Remove the first shelf and spray it liberally with a disinfecting all-purpose cleaner to vanquish the inevitable sticky spills. (Glass cleaner probably isn't going to do the job.)
• Or, sanitize it with a squirt of good old white vinegar in a spray bottle.
• Wipe the shelf dry with a paper towel and reinsert it in the refrigerator.
• Repeat the procedure with each shelf.

• Pull them out of the fridge one at a time, place them in the sink and then fill them with warm water and a healthy squirt of dishwashing liquid.
• Let the water sit in them for about 10 minutes.
• Then pour the water out, rinse with fresh water and wipe them dry with a clean dish towel.

• Meat and poultry juices dripping on refrigerator surfaces are not only unsightly; they are potentially harmful vehicles for the spread of salmonella and coli.
• Even though a refrigerator's temperature is low, it isn't low enough to stop the growth of all bacteria.
• Some bacteria can grow even in refrigerated temperatures. And, while some are harmless, some can make you very sick.
• For instance, when you're thawing meat or poultry in the fridge, and if those juices drip or contaminate a shelf, it could lead to serious health problems.
• So as you remove each shelf, spray the inside of the refrigerator with a disinfecting, all-purpose cleaner.
• Remember, just because it looks clean doesn't mean that it is clean.

• This isn't quite the same ordeal as cleaning the refrigerator.
• Most freezers aren't so big that they take more than 20 minutes to clean, and it takes frozen food hours to thaw, so you probably won't need to enlist a friend's freezer or even your trusty cooler. Just put the food in the sink.
• If you pile frozen items on top of each other, they'll keep each other cold.
• Soak a sponge in warm water and squeeze out enough water that you won't create trickles that will add to your work.
• Wipe each rack in the freezer, top and bottom.
• If you have a thick, frozen spill, scrape it first with a stiff plastic spatula that has a thin edge (no metal), and then spot-clean it with a soapy sponge.

• This is perhaps the most important aspect of fridge cleaning.
• When you're preparing food it's best to wash your hands each and every time you handle raw meat. That's easy to forget in the midst of creating an elegant entrée, however, and when you transfer that contamination to the door handles, another family member who uses the refrigerator could pick up the germs.
• The solution is to keep all-purpose wipes near the refrigerator and make it a habit to wipe off the handle frequently.