One of the things that I realized this year is that if you want something done by your maid, especially if she is new, you really have to teach her and train her using step by step instructions. I never had a maid before (since my mom was the one who trained our maids), so I’m new to all of these. But this January, I made it a point to learn all there is to know about house cleaning, cleaning your refrigerator, cleaning the oven, laundry, ironing and yes, a little bit about cooking (I know my friends will gasp at this thought of me cooking).

One of the concerns that I researched about first was cleaning the refrigerator. During the times of my grandmother, they use to have refs that needed to be defrosted. In these times, refrigerators don’t really need to be defrosted anymore, since refrigerators have self-defrosting or auto-defrosting capabilities. So what do you do to clean the refrigerator? Here is my step by step guide to cleaning your refrigerator:

Step 1: Unplug the refrigerator.

Step 2: Empty out your refrigerator of all the food inside.
Check on the expiry dates. For those already in food containers, check for those which are spoiled already and throw it out. What I do is I prepare a garbage bag already prior to sorting so that you can easily toss out spoiled food.

Step 3: Vacuum the refrigerator coils.
If your refrigerator is an area where you cannot see the coils, move it so that you can see the coils. Vacuum the coils to remove dirt and dust. For dirt and dust that cannot be vacuumed, try to brush it out then vacuum the remaining dirt and dust.

Step 4: Clean all the refrigerator doors (outside).
Check also that door seals are cleaned and no food is caught.

Step 5: Wash and clean all of the shelves and drawers.
Take out all the shelves and drawers of the refrigerator. Clean the shelves and drawers using water and dish washing liquid. Be sure that the soap is completely rinsed out.

Step 6: Wipe the insides and walls of the refrigerator.
Using a damp clean cloth, wipe the walls of the refrigerator. See to it that stains are removed and everything is completely spotless.

Step 7: Return all the drawers and shelves.

Step 8: Return all the food into refrigerator.
Clean the outer portion of the food containers before putting them back in. Use a clean towel for wiping. Rinse fresh fruit before keeping them inside the fridge.

For our next cleaning schedule, I will try using this formula for a cleaning solution from Martha Stewart’s site (Marta Stewart Cleaning Products 101): Mix a paste of 3 parts warm water to 1 part baking soda to scrub kitchen stains or clean the oven.

Step 9: Keep your refrigerator odor free.
Baking soda is not only a cleaning solution, but also an odor remover. Yo can actually keep an open box of baking soda open or use this HomeLife Active Carbon Absorber and Gel Neutralizer. We bought this from the grocery. Just be sure to keep this away from your children since this is not edible.

So that’s it for cleaning the refrigerator. I hope that my step by step guide helped you in cleaning your refrigerator. Do you have any more tips that you want to share? Read more tips in this link: http://calgarycleaninginc.ca/dos-donts-cleaning-fridge/

P.S. If you want to know how to clean Upholstery, check out this article: https://www.tipsbulletin.com/homemade-upholstery-cleaner/?msID=c87d9ef8-fe6a-4a50-b081-f9579977ea12

Love lots,