Caring For The Kitchen MVP

Out of all of the appliances in your kitchen the refrigerator is most likely the hardest working - making it the kitchen MVP. Proper care, maintenance and organization will help it function efficiently and optimally. In this article you'll get the uncomplicated know how.

Cleaning

Having a clean fridge will help the food inside stay fresher longer and will help it to work less. Here are some practical strategies to keep your refrigerator clean:

Wipe up spills inside immediately. Use a mildly warm towel. If you allow a spill to dry before cleaning - it will be much more difficult to get up.

Make sure that all containers and items are clean before putting them in the unit.

Keep leftovers in good quality air tight containers. This reduces odor issues and spills.

Keep a fresh box of baking soda for odor control.

Regularly check items for spoilage. Throw out outdated items. Organizing will be easier and it will also make room for fresh items.

Here are 4 proven methods to get it done regularly:

1. Inspect when making up the grocery list.

2. Inspect just before going shopping.

3. When you bring new items to the fridge, see what can go.

4. Just before trash pick up day go through and clean out leftovers, outdated produce and other items.

Daily wipe the handles on the door with a microfiber cloth. These are frequently touched areas in the home that can harbor germs. Refrigerator door handles may hold a bit more bacteria if they are sticky from food stains and residue.

Weekly wipe the front, sides, and top of the fridge with a microfiber cloth and optional mild cleaner.

Use the vacuum to suck up crumbs from the bottom of produce drawers. Of course, don't forget to take the produce out first.

Organizing

The website thekitchn.com recommends a great way to arrange food so that it stays fresh, safe and reduces the possibility of cross contamination:

Upper Shelves: Leftovers, drinks, and ready to eat foods.

Lower Shelves: Raw ingredients that will be cooked.

Door: This is the warmest are in the fridge so only keep condiments here.

Drawers: Every setup is different. Many refrigerators have the drawers on the bottom and are intended for produce. The main goal is to not have any liquids from raw meat come into contact with raw produce. Really, you don't want it to come into contact with anything but definitely not produce. One suggestion is if the drawers are side by side - one side could be for produce and the other for meat. Another suggestion is to use a separate plastic bin to hold raw meat which will isolate it from everything else in the refrigerator. Most likely large amounts of raw meat won't be in refrigerator part for any length of time as meat is usually best frozen to maintain freshness over the course of a few days. Avoiding the complications of cross contamination with raw meat liquid is worth a little extra care.

Appliance Maintenance

Every 3 months or so it is recommended to:

• Clean the door seal crevicesInspect seal for proper fit

• Completely empty and clean

• Unplug

• Remove all refrigerator contents into a cooler

• Throw out any lingering old items (usually condiments)

• Sort through freezer items.

• Discard anything you aren't sure you should use or don't recognize.

• Going forward, label and date all freezer items to eliminate guess work.

• Allow fridge to come up to room temperatureRemove shelving and drawers - clean these

• Clean all interior surfaces

A good cleaning solution is a bit of baking soda- about a ¼ cup - in a bucket of warm water. Do not use dish soap for this because it may leave a residue. To remove stuck on stains and spills rinse a towel in hot water. Wring out almost completely - leaving it in between dripping wet and wrung out. Lay the towel on the spot and let it stay there for 1-2 minutes. This will soften caked on spills. Wipe clean and repeat until spill is completely gone. Allow to dry before putting anything in that spot.

Once everything is cleaned and dried, plug in/turn fuse on, and reload using the organizing guide above.

Another quarterly maintenance chore is to clean the coils of the condenser. In most cases these are found on the back of the refrigerator. Dust, dirt, and grime accumulate here which makes the appliance use more energy and will cause needless wear.

Here's how to do it:

• Pull refrigerator away from wall enough to get behind.

• Unplug the unit and/or turn off fuse for extra safety.

• Vacuum coils with a brush attachment.

• For tough build up use a coil cleaning brush.

• This may need to be done more often if there are pets that shed a lot of hair in the home.

Important Conclusions

Always read and keep familiar with the user manual for your refrigerator. Review it when doing thorough cleaning or quarterly maintenance. While you have the unit pulled out for coil cleaning, remember to wipe down any surrounding walls and the flooring underneath. If you have a water line connected to the unit, be very careful when cleaning around these areas and when moving the unit.

Everything needs some kind of care - especially those things in our life that work really hard like the refrigerator. Initially tackling everything mentioned here may seem daunting. And at first it may take a good amount of time to get the refrigerator cleaned, organized, and functioning efficiently. However, once it's done the first time and kept up with, it will not take as much time or effort going forward. Scheduling and following through with the suggestions in this article will keep the kitchen MVP at its best with minimal effort and issues.

Resource - MarthaStewartLiving; thekitchn.com

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