02.05.2024.

Is your refrigerator overdue for a refresh and currently holding a recalled food item? A clean fridge not only looks great but also helps keep your food fresh and safe. You can turn your fridge from cluttered to sparkling with just a few simple items: sealed bags, hot, soapy water, clean towels, and a water-bleach solution. 

Follow these five easy steps to give your fridge the thorough cleaning it deserves, as the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommends!

If you have a recalled food item in your refrigerator, it’s important to throw it out and clean it. Germs in the recalled food could spread to drawers or shelves in your refrigerator.  

1. Throw out the recalled food and any other foods stored with it or touching it. Put it in a sealed bag in the garbage. If the recalled food was stored in a reusable container, wash it with hot, soapy water before reusing it. 

2. Empty the remaining items in your refrigerator and put them on a counter or table while you clean. Take out shelving, drawers, and any other removable parts. Don’t leave foods out that need to be kept in the refrigerator for more than two hours.

3. Wash shelving, drawers, and any other removable parts with hot, soapy water. Dry with a clean towel. Don’t run cold glass shelves or drawers under hot water – the glass could crack. Let them come to room temperature first.

4. Wipe the inside of the empty refrigerator with hot, soapy water, then rinse with clean water to remove the soap. Dry with a clean towel. Don’t forget to wipe inside the doors and any drawers that cannot be removed.

5. Put the shelves, drawers, and other removable parts back in the refrigerator and the other items you took out. Wipe food and drink containers with hot, soapy water before returning to the clean refrigerator.

AND DON’T FORGET! Once you’ve finished cleaning, wash your hands with water and soap. Use hot, soapy water to wipe kitchen counters that hold food, drinks, refrigerator parts, and cleaning materials. Wash any towels you used to dry the refrigerator before using them again.

Source: 

https://www.cdc.gov/food-safety/communication-resources/index.html