Can you imagine living without a refrigerator? Most of us can't; we depend on them for safe, sanitary storage of half of our food. When they were introduced in the early 1920's, electric refrigerators revolutionized the shopping and cooking habits in kitchens all over the world. No longer were housewives forced to shop daily for fresh food, and to cook only what could be eaten immediately.

But refrigerators must be kept clean to be safe; even at temperatures at the recommended levels of 40 degrees, bacteria can grow and contaminate what food we do keep in them. Most refrigerator/freezer units made since 1985 have fewer nooks and crannies to capture drips and spills, but they all still have racks and gaskets and holes in the walls to support the shelves and drawers. If these are not cleaned regularly, they harbor nasty microbes that create un-safe havens for our food supplies.

If you have purchased a used refrigerator, or are bringing one out of storage, make sure that it's sanitized before you bring it into your kitchen if at all possible. You need ample air circulation to clean it well.

Remove all the shelves and drawers from inside. Wearing rubber gloves, use a mixture of half chlorine bleach and half water to scrub down the interior; use a firm brush to reach the crevices around gaskets and irregular surfaces. This mixture will kill any mold or mold spores that may not be visible.

Include the shelves, racks and drawers. You can spray these with your bleach/water solution -- or even a foaming, disinfectant spray cleaner made for bathrooms -- and let them sit while you attack the empty refrigerator. Put them in your bathtub to spray them down if you're working indoors; on a sheet or plastic tarp if you are outside.

Once you've finished scrubbing, rinse with clear water and dry thoroughly with a lint-free cloth.

If an odor persists, put an open box of baking soda or eight ounces of activated charcoal (available from an aquarium supply store)in a shallow pan and leave for one week to freshen.

Once your clean refrigerator is in use, you can keep odors from developing by covering all food securely before putting it in there, especially odiferous things like fish, broccoli, strong garlic flavors. Covering all food will keep it from absorbing the flavor or odor of the strong scented ones.

Some substances will absorb odors and keep them from contaminating food. Baking soda is the traditional standard; keep an open box near the front on a middle shelf and discard it every month by putting it down your kitchen drain under a heavy water flow. It will freshen your disposal and the pipes. Do not use it for cooking after you have used it as a fridge freshener! Besides baking soda, you could use three or four charcoal briquettes kept in an open dish, dry coffee grounds on a paper plate, or half an empty orange skin filled with table salt.

Once a week, use a mixture of 1/4 cup baking soda in a quart of warm water to clean all interior surfaces, and a scrubby sponge to clean up sticky spills that you missed during the week. You will have to move stored food around to do this, so this is a good time to wipe down catsup and salad dressing bottles before they're put back.

Toss any leftovers that are more than a couple of days old. If food has spoiled, you can remove the odor by using a mixture of equal parts white vinegar and warm water OR a solution of 1/4 cup table salt in 2 cups of water, followed by 3 T. of ammonia in a quart of water. Remove all food first and rinse, dry, and air thoroughly afterward.

That will remove the odor, but not any bacteria. If spoiled food has dripped, or been there a while, empty the refrigerator clean it completely with the bleach solution as described in the beginning of the article. Once a month, or as needed, remove all food and interior parts -- shelves, drawers, supports -- and clean thoroughly with the bleach and water solution or a disinfectant cleaner, being sure to clean the rubber door seal. (To maintain food safety while you do this, put food into a cooler with ice.)

If your refrigerator freezer is a frost-free unit, use a baster to squirt hot soapy water through the drain hole to keep it clean and free of clogs; be sure to empty and clean the drain container frequently.

For exterior care, wipe down the surface daily. Use a disinfectant cleaner on the door handle (including the underside) and the door front.

Several times a year move the refrigerator out from the wall and vacuum the coils on the back and underneath with the crevice tool, or dust thoroughly with a long handled brush. At the same time, pull off the grill at the front floor level to access the drip pan, and clean and sanitize it thoroughly.

To prepare a refrigerator for storage, clean it thoroughly and REMOVE THE DOOR! There is no safe substitute to protect children or animals from becoming trapped inside. Put the hinge pins or hinges inside a plastic bag and tape the bag to the inside of the refrigerator. Place a cookie sheet or other shallow pan filled with activated charcoal on a lower shelf to keep odors from developing.

It's not a good idea to use an empty refrigerator to store other items, unless they are lightweight, such as plastic kitchen bowls. Avoid using an empty refrigerator to store clothing, books, or sharp objects which could damage the interior walls.

(Source: eSSORTMENT)