Excess water: Fridges are full of electrical components, said Evatt, and too much water can mess them up. It also poses a risk of electric shock. Condensation is usually not an issue during five-minute intervals, he explained, but if you see any moisture form while you clean, use a paper towel or a clean towel to wipe it up.
Warm air: Don’t clean your fridge on hot or humid days, or while you’re cooking—doing so would add heat and moisture to your fridge. If your refrigerator is in a garage, basement, or any other setting that is warmer than room temperature (normally about 72 °F), you should unplug the fridge and remove all food before cleaning it completely in one sitting.
Scrubbing: Refrigerator walls have thin plastic liners and seals around the doors that you can damage if you scrub with too much force or with a coarse material, said Evatt. Stick with non-scouring sponges or dishrags.
Damaging the freezer’s back wall: Don’t press too hard on the back wall of the freezer, said Evatt, as many mechanical components are stored behind it. If your fridge has a second cooling element (called an evaporator coil) in the fresh-food compartment, be careful when cleaning its back wall, too.
This article was edited by Ingrid Skjong and Courtney Schley.
