Routine Refrigerator Maintenance tips and tricks

Don't wait! Clean spills as soon as they happen. 

That puddle of coffee creamer will never be easier to clean than it is right now, and it's the best way to prevent odors and bacteria from setting up shop in your fridge. Use a clean, microfiber cloth. If necessary, use a damp cloth with mild detergent. Make sure you dry the area when you're done. You'll thank yourself later when your fridge stays nice and tidy.

We've all left unsealed ice cream in the freezer for too long. It's still ice cream, but at that point it's more ice than it is cream.

Along those same lines, you should toss out ice occassionally, even if it never gets dispensed.

This keeps the ice fresh, just like that unsealed carton of ice cream.

If you don't do this, the ice clumps together and may even take on a freezer burned flavor. So take time every every other week to dump the ice so the ice maker can make a fresh batch.

And here's a pro tip if you have a garbage disposal: dump the spare ice along with a few lemon wedges into the sink and grind it down to keep your disposal clean and smelling fresh.

Every month it's a good idea to give your fridge a once-over, looking for any spills or crumbs which may have been missed or forgotten.

If you don't see anything, great! Save a more thorough cleaning for later. But if you do see something to clean, now's a good time to take care of the most obvious stuff. A refrigerator opened to show pears, eggs, grapes, and cheese. As always, use a clean, microfiber cloth, and if necessary, a damp cloth with mild detergent, and be sure to thoroughly dry everything when you're done.

You can use this on the outside of the refrigerator too, unless it's stainless steel, but more on that in a second.

Family Hub models even have a Clean Screen mode (available in the Settings menu) that helps you clean the touchscreen panel without accidentally using it. If the outside of your refrigerator is stainless steel, use a stainless steel cleaner or polish like Bar Keepers Friend, and a soft clean cloth. Make sure to wipe along the grain of the surface.

All right, it's spring (or whenever), and cleaning season is here. Yearly deep cleaning is the minimum recommendation for your fridge.

As usual, keep that clean, microfiber cloth handy, or a damp cloth with mild detergent for the tougher areas.
To perform a thorough cleaning, first remove all the shelves, drawers and bins. Clean between and behind them, and wipe down the rubber seals as well. Make sure everything is completely dry before you put it all back in. A hand holding a blue cloth against the outside of a black refrigerator.

Next, raise the leveling legs so you can pull the fridge out. (You may need to unplug it to pull it out enough to get behind it.)

Clean behind and underneath the fridge, and brush any dust off the back. Once you are done cleaning the outside, move the fridge back in and slide it into place. Be sure to lower the leveling legs again after moving it back. After plug in the power, wait for 15 minutes to ensure fridge working as per normal condition.

Note: When you pull the fridge back in remember keep at least two inches of space around those wall at all times.