Why it’s so important to keep your fridge clean

Don’t let the shiny chrome or American-style retro look fool you – fridges are often far less cool than you’d think. At least when it comes to cleanliness, that is. Instead of being a temple of freshness, your fridge often harbours hidden biotopes containing all sorts of microbes. Partly because it’s where food is chilled and partly because its encounters with a cloth or sponge are far too rare.

According to this 2020 study, the «end of the food supply chain» (also known as the fridge) often creates «favourable preconditions for food infections». This is down to fluctuating temperatures, poor distribution of food inside the fridge and – yep, you guessed it – unsystematic or even non-existent cleaning strategies. Getting sick from the fridge? No thanks.

More germs live in the fridge than in the toilet

Other studies have pinpointed the most germ-ridden household hotspots, revealing that there are significantly more bacteria in your fridge than in your toilet bowl.

Estimates from scientists such as Markus Egert, a microbiologist and household hygiene expert at Furtwangen University (article in German) have proven fridges to be pretty gross places. If the food inside isn’t stored properly, a refrigerator harbours millions to hundreds of millions of germs per square centimetre.

By comparison, there are 10-100 germs per square centimetre on a toilet seat. The only items shown to be filthier are used kitchen sponges, which house an average of up to 50 billion bacteria per cubic centimetre.

If a fridge is overfilled and exceeds a temperature of seven degrees Celsius, the World Health Organization WHO says this provides ideal conditions for bacteria to multiply quickly. A large-scale study conducted in the US by the National Sanitation Foundation in 2013 unmasked the nasty microbes that might be hanging around your fridge. Salmonella, listeria, yeast, mould and E. coli bacteria were found in the vegetable and meat compartments of the refrigerators tested.

With this in mind, meticulous fridge cleanliness isn’t an OTT luxury – it’s a necessity to reduce health risks. There’s simply no getting around adopting a regular cleaning ritual involving emptying the fridge, storing food elsewhere temporarily and thoroughly cleaning all the surfaces.

How to clean your fridge properly

Hygiene experts recommend cleaning your fridge every 4-6 weeks. Use a mixture of washing-up liquid and hot water (vinegar water is also an option) to clean the compartments and shelves. Don’t forget the seals either. Cotton buds are a handy way to get into hard-to-reach areas such as drainage channels. You can usually see dirt there in the form of dark discolouration, which can be scraped out and wiped away with a cloth.

Start off by emptying the fridge, throwing away any stale or expired food as you go. You can stash any still-fresh items in a cool bag until you’re done cleaning. After that, unplug the fridge and remove all drawers, shelves and compartments. When it comes to the freezer compartment, sprinkling the ice with salt or hot water from a bowl will help speed up the defrosting process.

Once you’ve done that, clean the inside from top to bottom with hot water and washing-up liquid. As we’ve already covered, make sure to thoroughly clean the drainage channel and rubber seals. Don’t forget to clean the outside of the fridge – especially the handles, as they’re usually contaminated by dirty hands. Since kitchen sponges are a paradise for germs, always use a new one. Alternatively, you can use a cloth and wash it at 60 degrees Celcius when you’ve finished using it. Next, wipe everything dry with a clean towel, reconnect the fridge to the power and put your food back inside.

What goes where in the fridge?

The way you stock your fridge determines the shelf life of your food as well as how clean your fridge stays. The bottom shelf, usually made of glass, is the coldest part of the fridge. At 2-4 degrees, it’s ideal for fresh fish, meat and vegan alternatives.

Meanwhile, the middle of the fridge, with a temperature of about 4-6 degrees, is suited to dairy products and sausages. These, by the way, are best stored in airtight containers. Ready-made food goes at the top of the fridge, while juice, eggs and sauces such as ketchup, mustard and mayonnaise belong in the door compartments.

My colleague Maike explains the best way to keep your fridge tidy here:

Not all vegetables need to go in the fridge. In fact, tomatoes and cucumbers prefer to be stored outside. Lettuce, on the other hand, keeps best if it’s wrapped in a damp cloth and stored in the salad drawer. Potatoes, onions and garlic stay fresh when kept in a dark pantry. If you’ve opened a food container, you should mark it in order to keep track of it.

The NSF study conducted in the US states that ready-to-eat items should always be kept separate from unwashed ones in order to avoid cross-contamination.You should always store raw meat, poultry and seafood away from everything else, positioning them in a way that ensures no raw juices drip onto other foods

How do you keep your fridge smelling fresh?

A variety of home remedies can help keep fridge odours at bay. A small dish of coffee grinds, for example, absorbs nasty smells effectively. Alternatively, sprinkling half an apple or half a lemon with a little baking soda or combining it with a baking soda solution (1-2 tablespoons of baking soda to 1 litre of water) in a bowl can create a fresh scent. However, if the pong persists, you’ll need to scour the fridge for spoiled food. A rotten lemon, for example, can go unnoticed for several weeks and turn into a veritable mould monster. Yet another reason to keep your fridge organised as well as clean.