Cleaning Your Freezer

No matter the type of freezer you have, cleaning a freezer is much easier than cleaning a refrigerator. In our garage we have a top-and-bottom refrigerator/freezer, as well as a stand-up freezer. In our kitchen, we have a side-by-side refrigerator/freezer. Again, it's my opinion that it is much easier to clean any of our three freezers, than it is to clean either of our refrigerators. I think the reason is because the freezers are opened far less than are the refrigerators, leaving fewer instances for dirt and spills to occur in the freezers.

That being said, there have been times when we've had frozen orange juice containers burst, and frozen fruit spilled, leaving a sticky mess to clean up. Follow these guidelines when cleaning your freezers to keep them clean and in good working order:

• Unplug the freezer from the power source.
• Lay down a tarp, newspapers, or paper toweling on the floor in front of the freezer to catch any water, ice, or debris.
• Prop open the freezer door, if need be, and remove everything from the freezer. I like to place everything in my empty kitchen sinks when I clean the freezer. If there is too much food for the sinks, I place it in tubs on the kitchen table and cover the contents with thick bath towels or blankets to hold in the cold.
• Once you've removed everything from the freezer, use a spray cleaner such as Formula 409 or Windex and spray everything inside the freezer cabinet.
• Allow the spray cleaner to work, so you won't have to work so hard, and inspect the gaskets around the door. While the spray cleaner is dissolving grime and foodstuffs, you can take a Q-Tip, spray it with cleaner, and go around the groove inside of the door gasket to clean it. Doing so not only cleans the gasket groove, but gets rid of any food particles that might be preventing the gasket from sealing the door shut entirely.
• Using paper towels, wipe down every inch of the inside of the freezer, cleaning the surface to a shine.
• If you have food residue, apply a paste of baking soda and water and scour it with a soft pad. Do not use Brillo pads or steel wool, as those types of pads will scratch and etch the surface of the freezer.

Once you've cleaned the entire freezer, dry the cabinet thoroughly with a clean towel. Replace all of the freezer racks and components, and then put the food away. Close the freezer door and lug the unit back into the power source. Do not open the freezer for at least half-n-hour in order to allow the freezer to reach the proper temperature.