How to Clean a Refrigerator Before the Holidays (Inside and Out)

The fastest way to clean a refrigerator is to work top to bottom in one pass: empty it, toss anything past its prime, wash the removable shelves and drawers in the sink, wipe the inside with a mild baking soda solution, dry everything, and put the food back in an order that makes sense. For most fridges, plan on an hour or so. If you’re hosting this holiday season, doing it a week or two before the big cooking days clears room for the turkey, the extra drinks and the leftovers that come after.

What you’ll need

• A cooler or two with ice packs for anything perishable
• Baking soda and warm water (about 1 tablespoon of baking soda per quart of water)
• Mild dish soap
• Soft microfiber cloths and a soft sponge (no scouring pads)
• An old toothbrush for door seals and drawer tracks
• Dry towels
• An appliance thermometer, if you don’t already have one in the fridge

Step-by-step: cleaning the inside

1. Empty it and sort as you go. Put perishables (milk, meat, dairy, leftovers) straight into the cooler. Check dates and toss anything spoiled or questionable. Cooked leftovers generally keep 3 to 4 days in the refrigerator, so the container from two weekends ago can go.
2. Pull out the shelves and drawers. Most glass shelves, crisper drawers and door bins lift out. Take a quick phone photo first if you’re not sure how they go back in.
3. Let cold glass warm up before it gets hot water. Glass shelves straight from the fridge can crack if you run hot water over them. Set them on a towel until they reach room temperature, then wash them in warm, soapy water. Rinse and dry.
4. Wash drawers and bins in warm, soapy water. Use a soft sponge and the toothbrush for corners. Dry them fully so they don’t drip into the fridge.
5. Wipe the inside walls, ceiling and floor. Use a cloth dampened (not soaked) with the baking soda solution. Start at the top and work down so drips land on areas you haven’t cleaned yet. For dried-on spills, lay a warm, damp cloth over the spot for a few minutes to soften it, then wipe. Skip abrasive powders, scouring pads and bleach-based cleaners inside unless your owner’s manual says they’re fine; some manufacturers warn they can damage the interior finish.
6. Clean the door seals. The rubber gasket around the door collects crumbs and sticky drips in its folds. Wipe it with warm water and a little dish soap, using the toothbrush to get into the creases, then dry it. A clean, intact gasket helps the door seal properly.
7. Dry everything. Wipe the interior dry with a clean towel, then put the shelves and drawers back.

The freezer

Give the freezer the same treatment, one shelf at a time, so frozen food spends as little time as possible in the cooler. Throw out anything with heavy freezer burn or no label you can trust. If ice has built up in a manual-defrost freezer, let it melt on its own with towels underneath. Don’t chip at it with a knife or other sharp tool, since you can puncture the liner or the cooling lines.

Getting rid of lingering smells

Most fridge odors come from one forgotten item, so a clean-out usually fixes them. If a smell hangs on after cleaning:

• Wipe the inside again with equal parts white vinegar and water, then leave the door open for a while to air out.
• Set an open, shallow container of baking soda or fresh coffee grounds on a shelf to absorb what’s left.
• Check the places people miss: under the crisper drawers, the drip tray area if your model has an accessible one, and inside the door bins.

Use one cleaner at a time and rinse between them. Never mix cleaning products.

The outside, handles and coils

Handles are the most-touched part of the fridge and the one that looks dingiest during a busy cooking week. Wipe them with warm, soapy water and dry them.

For the doors, follow the finish:

• Painted or enameled finishes: a soft cloth with warm water and a little dish soap, then dry.
• Stainless steel: a damp microfiber cloth, wiping in the direction of the grain, then buff dry. Check your manual before using any stainless cleaner, especially on fingerprint-resistant coatings, and avoid abrasive pads that leave scratches.

The condenser coils are worth a look too. Dust on the coils makes the fridge work harder. Many manufacturers suggest cleaning them about once a year, though some newer models don’t need it at all, so check your owner’s manual first. When it applies, unplug the fridge, remove the base grille (or locate the coils on the back), and vacuum the dust with a brush attachment. If your fridge has a water filter, the manual will also tell you how often to replace it.

Check the temperature while it’s empty

Once the fridge is clean, put an appliance thermometer on a middle shelf. The refrigerator should hold 40°F or below and the freezer 0°F or below. A fridge packed with holiday groceries can run warmer than usual, so it’s worth checking again after a big shopping trip.

Restock with the holidays in mind

• Keep raw meat and poultry on the bottom shelf, in a container or on a rimmed tray, so juices can’t drip onto anything below.
• Clear a full shelf a few days before you shop for a big meal. A turkey thawing in the fridge needs more space than most people expect.
• Leave room for air to move. Packing every inch makes it harder for the fridge to keep everything cold.
• Put leftovers in shallow, clear, labeled containers so nothing gets lost at the back.

How often to clean the fridge

Wipe up spills when they happen; sticky drips are much easier fresh than dried. A quick weekly sweep for old leftovers, usually the day before you shop, keeps things manageable. A full clean-out like the one above every few months, plus once before the holidays, is plenty for most households.

If you’re getting the whole house ready for guests, start the kitchen with the fridge and cleaning the oven and racks, since both work hard over the holidays. Our guide to cleaning a stovetop covers the grates, burners and glass tops that do the rest of the holiday cooking. And if you’d rather hand off the rest of the house, a deep cleaning before guests arrive or recurring cleaning through the season can take that off your list. You can check your ZIP code and see your price on our booking page.