How To Clean Mold Out Of A Fridge

The issue of how to clean mold out of a fridge is a pretty sensitive one. And this is because fridges usually contain food and mold could be very toxic. Could because there are different kinds.

Now, using bleach to clean your fridge is definitely not a good idea. Granted, bleach does kill off mold. However, bleach is not something you want in your fridge because it will damage your fridge.

Switching Off

Now, like with every electrical appliance, switching off your fridge before you do any cleaning could be a necessary step to take.

However, because of the sensitivity of a fridge, being that it harbors food, switching the fridge off for a long period of time might not be the right step to take, especially considering that removing mold will take some time.

So, we’ll leave the decision to or not switch off your fridge entirely up to you.

Sorting Out

If there is mold in your fridge, it has probably already gotten into some of your food. So, you want to check the contents of your fridge.

Throw out anything that has mold growing on it. And if there is any open food close to something that has mold, you’ll need to throw that away too because mold spores are airborne.

Foods that are properly covered should be able to survive the mold infestation of your fridge.

Washing Up

Instead of going into your fridge with bleach, some dish soap will actually be really effective.

So, first of all remove every attachment that can be removed and then wash them in your kitchen sink with dishwashing liquid.

Rinse those off in a mixture of water and a little bit of vinegar to disinfect them. Then rinse them in some clean water and leave them out to dry.

You’ll do the same for the inside of your fridge and the door too. Get you a piece of cloth (preferably microfiber or cotton in order not to scratch your fridge).

Be very thorough with your cleaning; for those corners and crevices that your fingers are too big to reach, you could use a cotton swab dipped in dishwashing liquid to get to them.

The idea of being very thorough is to ensure that you get out all the mold from inside the fridge so that you can be sure that there won’t be a resurgence.

Don’t forget to clean the door frame and gasket. Those places have been known to harbor mold even when your fridge is on.

Disinfecting

Interestingly, with mold, getting it off isn’t enough. It is possible that mold will continue to cause damage in your fridge if its spores are still all around the place.

So, mix water with a bit of vinegar and spray the inside of your fridge. Allow this to sit for about 10 minutes before you wipe down your entire fridge with a clean damp rag.

Getting Out The Smell

If you decide to use vinegar to disinfect your fridge, you should know that vinegar has a distinct smell. And this smell could get into your food and slightly affect the taste.

Now, after reassembling your fridge, there are two things you could do. 

One, you could strategically position lemon slices at strategic positions in your fridge. This should soak up the smell of vinegar, leaving your fridge smelling lemony.

On the other hand, you could leave a packet of baking soda open in your fridge. You just need to place this in one strategic position and that should do the job.

Here, let’s watch someone do the cleaning:

Preventing The Growth Of Mold In Your Fridge

The most effective means of preventing mold growth in your fridge is to make sure that your fridge isn’t off for long periods. 

However, if, for some reason, you won’t have power supply for a long time, you’ll need to leave the fridge open. This should be able to slow down the growth of mold.

Something else you’ll need to do is to clean up water spills in your fridge immediately you notice it.

Make sure you do not leave pools of water in or around your fridge for any reason.

And if there is an ice tray in your freezer, be sure to empty it as often as necessary.