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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

How often do you clean your fridge?

79 replies

Glovesick · 03/07/2021 20:31

Just done mine. Had it all out, cleaned it and put it all back. I am pretty good at not having mouldy or out of date stuff in there, but I clean is maybe 2x a year?

My DM does hers EVERY time she goes shopping and refills the fridge. I am exhausted at the thought of doing that.

OP posts:
CurlyhairedAssassin · 03/07/2021 21:58

I don’t get what people are doing with the food in their fridge while they clean it? It’s hot in my kitchen, I’d have to put it all in a cool bag with an ice pack and I’m not doing that every blooody week

DavidTheDog · 03/07/2021 22:00

I do a shelf or two nearly every time before I go out to the shops. That way it’s dry by the time I get home.
DP likes to keep a lot more things in there than I would, so that’s a bit irritating.

Squirrelblanket · 03/07/2021 22:03

I'll usually do it every time we run the contents down e.g. because we're going on holiday or just before Christmas. This works out at 2-4 times a year, but I do clean up spills/marks as I go, and I clean out the veg tray more regularly.

MatildaTheCat · 03/07/2021 22:03

Three times a day at the same time I steam clean my vagina.

Mum2jenny · 03/07/2021 22:03

Wipe with dettox wipes weekly, remove shelves, baskets, trays in doors to wash properly when I really muck out the fridge is probably every month or so.

Lachimolala · 03/07/2021 22:05

Most sundays, but I wouldn’t say it’s a proper deep clean just a spray with cleaning stuff and a wipe down. It gets a proper deep clean one a month with the microwave, oven etc.

MyMabel · 03/07/2021 22:07

I give mine a soapy wash every time we go shopping too. I suppose I find it easy because it’s only me, DP and toddler DD so the fridge isn’t always packed full unless it’s an occasion or family coming over; so when it’s time to go shopping the fridge is pretty bare. It’s easy to just take everything out, give the shelves and sides a good wipe then put everything back in along with the new shopping. Also means that it very very rarely needs scrubbing, it always just needs a good wipe around to get rid of a few little bits of debris from shelves.

Attheendofthedaywhenallsaid · 03/07/2021 22:08

fortnightly empty and wipe down, quarterly deep clean

ExcitingTimes2021 · 03/07/2021 22:11

Just a quick wipe down and clear out when I’m putting the new shopping away. Deep clean where you do the shelves, back, seals etc 2/3 times a year max! X

Peppallama · 03/07/2021 22:13

Twice a year. Three times if something spills. I wish my fridge didn't have a back so I could push old stuff out of it as I put new things in.

WhoDidAndWhy · 03/07/2021 22:14

A wipe down once a week for three minutes when putting away the grocery shopping and never deep clean because I don’t need to (because: wipe down once a week).

Undertheoldlindentree · 03/07/2021 22:26

Every 6 to 8 weeks. Mine's a small under counter fridge and always stuffed to bursting point. Things get lost and go mouldy, plus the shelves get mould developing if not taken out and washed in the sink with hot soapy water every few weeks. Also do the veg tray, wipe the walls down and clear any gunk out of the little channel/drip hole at the back. No freezer to clean, thankfully!

CeeceeBloomingdale · 03/07/2021 22:30

Every few weeks. Most things are in plastic trays so it’s quick and easy to sort any spillages.

KohlaParasanda · 03/07/2021 22:33

Mine gets a proper everything-out clean about once every 6-8 weeks. I take the opportunity whenever I see that it's almost empty. I think I'm quite fussy about food hygiene, but I'm an amateur compared to some folk on here.

OldTinHat · 03/07/2021 22:37

I cleaned mine this morning because I had shoved a half eaten bag of chocolates (no brand marketing here but the ones that are small, round and come in an array of colours!) from the cinema yesterday and fancied the rest at 5am for breakfast. The buggery bag split as I wrestled it from the fridge, chocs flew all over the contents of said fridge, so I picked the chocs out from tomatoes and red onions and decided that was a good opportunity to clean the fridge (not really, I was just checking for missed chocs...).

Slimmingstar · 03/07/2021 22:39

This thread has reminded me there’s a bit of mould on the top door shelf, so I’ll whizz it through the dishwasher when I get home……..

tomorrowalready · 03/07/2021 22:43

Am I allowed to ask for a recommendation her? I pp about finding bad food in salad drawer, I thought I could get away with cleaning the drawer as i defosted and cleaned 2 weeks ago but I found the whole back of the fridge section is iced up again. I have broken down most of the ice (some landed on my foot - ouch), taken everything outand googled for help where it says problem might be in drain at back. That is currently frozen up so have switched off to try to defrost thoroughly.

My query is should I give it up and get anew one? Have had this one from new for 16 years and problem has got worse. I am hard up so would be looking for a budget version.

DaphneDeloresMoorhead · 03/07/2021 22:48

Every week without fail.

However I used to be a pastry chef and we stripped out our service fridge at the end of every single night, so cleaning the fridge regularly is normal business for me.

DaphneDeloresMoorhead · 03/07/2021 22:53

And I'm super anal about the fridge in general. Dairy on the top shelves. Cooked meats and other non-raw items in the middle and raw meats in plastic boxes on the bottom shelf. Everything is very neat, for example cheese is stored in a plastic basket to keep it all together. Leftovers are in reusable plastic containers.

My boss when I was a chef was horrible and obsessed with cleanliness so it has been a significant factor in my own OCD fridge cleanliness. Every other fridge I see inside gives me the willies. Although MILs is also immaculate

DaphneDeloresMoorhead · 03/07/2021 22:56

And cleaning = all the shelves out and washed,salad drawer, milk and sauce trays. Inside and outside thoroughly cleaned.

JustMeAndWheatley · 03/07/2021 22:59

Once a week, just before my Ocado delivery when it is almost empty.

DaphneDeloresMoorhead · 03/07/2021 23:01

It amazes me that people will bleach and sanitise their loos, a place in which all they do is have a poo and flush it away and the nearest your body gets to it is your bottom sitting on the seat yet the fridge, which is a hotbed of potential cross contamination and the contents of which you regularly eat without further cooking, doesn't get a second thought.

omgthepain · 03/07/2021 23:07

Weekly

theresaguyiknow · 03/07/2021 23:12

Hardly ever. Actually never unless I absolutely have to, like if something has spilled.

Travielkapelka · 03/07/2021 23:18

I don’t get what people are doing with the food in their fridge while they clean it? It’s hot in my kitchen, I’d have to put it all in a cool bag with an ice pack and I’m not doing that every blooody week

It doesn’t take more than about 20 mins to clean a fridge thoroughly. Even if it took an hour your food would be absolutely fine,