Cleanliness is one of the basic foundations of good health, so you must learn how to clean mold from fridge. While there could be a myriad of unwanted things that could be lurking inside your storage, molds should not be allowed to linger there.
Molds are decomposing organisms responsible for a lot of our wastes, and that includes our food. While it’s a natural thing to occur, you wouldn’t want your meals spoiling too early and too fast. That’s not just a waste of money but truly unfortunate for your appetite.
Assuming you’ve already discovered some mold growth inside your fridge, we’ll start with the steps of removing and cleaning first. We’ll then look into how they were able to get there in the first place. Lastly, we’ll tackle some ways you can prevent the molds from infesting your fridge again.
Steps For Cleaning Molds Off Your Fridge
Molds are one of the many things you don’t want to be ingesting. Most of the time, by the time you notice that your fridge houses molds, they are already in the food you’re about to eat.
Step #1. Take out all the fridge content
Once you’ve discovered molds in your fridge, you need to clean it up immediately to avoid further wastes and problems. The first thing is to turn off the refrigerator and disconnect it from the power line. This way, you’ll be safe from electric accidents and also conserve energy.
Once disconnected, remove all things placed inside for a while. Also, take out removable components inside your fridge. This way, you can also thoroughly clean the nooks and corners of your fridge.
Step #2. Wash out the mold
Now that you have cleaned out the stuff in your fridge of the stuff inside, spray molded parts with vinegar before washing. This can help you prevent the possible growth of mold in the future in that part. After spraying vinegar, it’s time to wash the mold out.
In washing the fridge’s removable parts, it would be advisable to use warm water along with a mixture of soap and baking soda. Scrub off the mold in the interior using a microfiber washcloth. Scrub thoroughly without damaging any interior components and focus mainly on spots where mold has grown.
Step #3. Rinse and dry
After washing out the molded fridge, the next thing to do is to rinse it. Using a washcloth and water, rinse out the soap mixture off the refrigerator. Start from the topmost part and work your way down to the floor apportion of the fridge.
After removing soap residue, use a dry cloth and wipe the fridge until dry. Same as the rinsing process — start from the ceiling going to the floor.
Do the same to the removable parts as well. After that, let it sit for a couple of minutes to ensure that your fridge is completely dried out.
Step #4. Finish up
Now that your fridge is dry and ready, return the removed parts to where they belong. This moment can also be the time for you to re-organize and readjust your fridge compartments.
Place all stuff that requires refrigeration that you have taken out earlier. Wipe the exterior of food and food containers before placing them inside. For you to avoid mold growth, it might be best to put food with much earlier expiry in the front area so that you can consume it before it expires.
How do molds get into your fridge?
The most prominent source of mold in every refrigerator would be food. Rotting food is the perfect spot for molds to thrive on. Place that rotting food in a dark room, and voila: mold starts to grow!
While you may have already thrown the rotting food away, molds, as fungi, have spores that can spread in the air and through surface contact. Molds can also start growing if your fridge has been left unused or unplugged for a while. Remember, dark, damp places are where molds grow, and here’s an article about basic tips on how to remove mold from water damage easily.
Another thing would be mechanical issues, you can check here why your mini-fridge is not getting cold. If it ever happens that the molds keep coming back after our initial steps, then it may be time to consult a professional and get your fridge checked.
How to prevent molds from getting in your fridge
Preventing molds from getting in your fridge is easy. With a bit of management and organizing, molds can no longer be a problem to deal with. Let’s start by placing your food in order.
Food that has a long shelf life and is far from its expiry can be placed in the inner parts of the fridge, while food items that are near expiry should go upfront. Remember to eat or take out any food items near their expiration to avoid rotting inside the fridge.
Also, practice using storage materials such as Tupperware when storing food. This way, you can avoid having your food directly touching the fridge’s surface, and this would also help you save some space. You can also use aluminum foils, and other food wraps in this manner.
Conclusion
That is all you need to know on how to clean mold from fridge. Molds are just a result of leaving something unattended, so it would greatly help you pay attention to simple stuff such as the food in your fridge. Now that you have learned how to clean your fridge, it is also suitable for you to do minor check-ups from time to time.