Spring cleaning tips for defrosting your fridge

Spring is here and the start of this season is synonymous with new beginnings. Many of us engage in the old-age tradition of spring cleaning our homes as a symbolism of fresh energy making its way into nature and into our lives.

Your fridge is one of the most used kitchen appliances and making sure that you defrost and spring clean it is not only good for food hygiene, but it will also help in keeping it running well for as long as possible.

Here are 6 spring cleaning tips for defrosting your fridge:

1. Empty your fridge

The first thing you should do before defrosting your fridge is to empty it. Remove all your food items and place them on your counter. Most of your food will survive being out of the fridge for a few minutes.

2. Switch your fridge off to melt the ice

To defrost your fridge, switch it off at the plug. This ensures that the fridge doesn’t produce ice, and causes the existing ice to melt away. Make sure you put newspapers on the floor before you switch your fridge off so that the melted ice doesn’t cause too much of a mess in your kitchen.

3. Boil a pot of hot water and place it in your fridge

Sometimes waiting for the ice in your fridge to melt by itself takes a long time. To make the defrosting process quicker, simply boil water, place it in a pot and then place the pot in your fridge with the door closed. The steam from the boiling water will cause the ice to melt quicker.

4. Scrape the ice off

Another way to remove ice from your fridge is to scrape it. A spatula usually does the trick, although you can purchase an ice scraper to do this efficiently. When scraping ice off, do it with caution. Make sure you take your time, as scraping too fast can possibly result in an injury.

5. Use a hairdryer

Apart from helping to style hair, hairdryers can be used to defrost fridges. All you have to do is plug your hairdryer in (although a portable one is recommended) and point it at the ice you’d like to melt. The hairdryer should be on the highest setting to make the job easier and get done faster.

6. Baking soda is your friend Now, you’ve melted all the ice in your fridge, so it’s time to clean all the gunk out. Baking soda is a cost effective and great way to clean your fridge. All you have to do is mix baking soda with water and wipe off all the marks and spills in your fridge. Baking soda will not only remove the stains, but it will also neutralise odors, making your fridge look and smell clean!

Making sure that you defrost and clean your fridge is an important part of spring cleaning. Use the tips above to get started on giving your home a clean finish.