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Molds are microscopic fungi, which are related to yeast and mushroom. They can grow everywhere and they play an essential role in the process of decomposing organic items.
Unfortunately, fridges are a perfect breeding ground for mold to grow. With loosely sealed food leftovers as food, persistent darkness, and suitable growth conditions, it’s only a matter of time before they’re all over the place.
However, you can easily get rid of them! In today’s article, I’ll walk you through a step-by-step guide that shows you how to clean mold out of the fridge. Let’s dive in!
Why You Should Get Rid of Mold in Your Fridge
You should know that mold isn’t particularly one thing. Instead, it’s a collective term that describes these species that can infect everything from food items to the walls of your house.
Regardless of the type of mold you have growing in there, you have to get rid of it because they’re a serious health hazard.
For starters, mold produces and spreads tiny spores for reproduction, which are known to be one of the world’s most common allergens, causing sinus congestion, asthma worsening, watery eyes, and intense coughing.
Other types of mold can speed up the process of food spoiling, wasting a lot of perfectly good food, which is very inconvenient, especially if you store it for long-term use.
They’re also one of the main reasons why your fridge might have a rancid smelling air even when it’s empty.
The worst mold can do is causing serious food poisoning and diseases. These types produce toxins that can be fatal for those with compromised immune systems, babies, and the elderly.
How Does Mold Grow in a Fridge?
Molds are not animals or plants, and they can’t make their own food. For that reason, they have to nourish themselves by infecting food to absorb nutrients directly.
They need specific conditions to grow, such as the abundance of moisture and food with minimal air movement.
Since not all mold strains are able to survive in the low temperature of your fridge, only a few species of mold can be found in fridges, such as black mold or “Stachybotrys chartarum”.
Black mold and other strains that can grow in a fridge will first show around the gasket of the door and pull guides of the drawers, but will then roam everywhere if they’re allowed to.
That’s why you need to make sure that your fridge is mold-free by cleaning it up properly and frequently.
How to Clean The Black Mold in Your Fridge
Now that you know how essential it is to prevent those specks of mold from showing up in your fridge, it’s time to know how to do so.
Luckily, removing mold out of fridges is usually an easy task that won’t take long to achieve. You also most likely won’t need professional help to get it done.
1. Prepare All the Necessary Tools and Put on Protective Items
As you know, one of the primary reasons you’re cleaning mold out of the fridge is to prevent its harmful impact on your health. On the other hand, a lot of strong chemicals used while cleaning can be very irritating to your skin and eyes.
Since we shouldn’t get rid of a health hazard by introducing another one, you should make sure that you have all the proper protection tools that you need for that project.
Ideally, wearing gloves to protect your skin from chemicals and mold is essential. If you also suffer from asthma or have allergies, you might want to also wear a ventilation mask as well as protective eyewear during the process.
With your protective gear on, you can now handle and prepare various cleaning solutions without worrying about them causing any irritation.
I always prefer to bring all the necessary items for the cleaning project before I start. This allows me to waste no time on fetching items and save me the effort of going back and forth around the house. Here’s a quick list of all the items that you’ll need for that cleaning project:
- 2 empty spray bottles
- Undiluted (distilled) white vinegar or household bleach
- Baking soda
- A set of clean rags
- Paper towel
- Cotton swabs
- Dish soap
2. Create a Black Mold Cleaner for Your Fridge
While cleaning mold out of a fridge is relatively easy, not all cleaning products will do the job. This is because killing mold is all about penetrating it for disinfection and deodorizing the interior of the fridge.
Ideally, I use two major components to clean fridge mold, which are white distilled vinegar and baking soda.
Vinegar is an acid that penetrates and kills mold conveniently while baking soda with warm water naturally removes the nasty smell in the fridge produced by mold.
Make sure that you don’t combine the two components together because they react, producing a less powerful compound than when they’re used separately.
Fill a spray bottle with distilled (undiluted) vinegar and another spray bottle with 1/2 tablespoon baking soda and 250 ml (8.5 fl oz) of warm water.
Some people might also recommend using diluted household bleach spray for the process instead of vinegar. This solution is usually prepared by adding one cup of bleach to one cup of water in a spray bottle.
Chlorine bleach is a strong acid that can instantly kill molds. It can also kill the non-porous shells of mold spores, preventing them from growing back.
Yet, the undiluted vinegar solution does the job without being too corrosive or difficult to breathe around, so I always recommend that you try out white vinegar first.
Similarly, some large appliance companies warn against using baking soda while cleaning the fridge because it’s mildly abrasive, even when you dilute it with water.
Make sure that you test out the baking soda mix on a small and inconspicuous part of the fridge first before applying it.
3. Move All the Food Items out of the Fridge
To avoid electric shocks, make sure that you turn off the fridge by unplugging it from the wall. If the fridge is too large for you to pull forward or a built-in unit, you should cut its power through your home’s breaker box.
After turning the fridge off, you should consider taking all your food and beverages out of the fridge. Emptying the fridge will make it far more accessible and easier to clean, so you’re able to return the food back shortly.
You might be worried about your food getting spoiled. After taking out the food, you should try to keep them in a cool area, especially if you’re doing so in summer.
Keep in mind that most food items can survive unfavorable temperature conditions for one to two hours, according to the FDA guidelines for food safety.
So, you need to make sure that the cleanup won’t take longer than that. In winter, food can last a bit longer than that on the counter.
A pro tip here is to make the cleanup process around the time where your fridge is already low on food before going for your next grocery trip, so there isn’t much food to worry about.
Using a cooler would also extend the time that you can devote to the cleaning.
4. Take All Shelves and Other Removable Items out of the Fridge (Optional)
You don’t necessarily have to remove the shelves and the drawers as you clean them. Mold tends to grow in the seams and crevices created for the shelves, though. Doing so will help you get an in-depth cleanup.
It’s also much easier to clean them in the sink with regular dish soap or even soak them in warm water, then scrub them just before returning them.
5. Locate the Black Mold You Need to Clean
Taking the shelves off while cleaning has another benefit, which is helping you have a better look at the amount of mold that’s lingering in the hidden parts behind fridge compartments.
Assessing the amount of mold you need to clean can help you minimize spillage and dedicate enough time to the project, so you’re not rushed through the process.
6. Clean Shelves, Drawers, and Other Detachable Parts
To make sure that the mold doesn’t return quickly to the fridge, make sure that you clean all the detachable parts that you take out.
You can easily do that by using regular dish soap and warm water first. They are great at removing the sticky residue from spills and food remains off the plastic. This step removes the main source of mold formation and smelly fridges.
You should then spray them with the vinegar solution or bleach and let them sit. Make sure that you cover all the tiny guide rails and tracks with the disinfecting solution.
After 10 to 15 minutes, rinse the drawers with cold water and use wet cotton swabs to wipe off the solution from tight spots.
7. Clean the Walls of the Fridge
With all the attachments of the fridge removed and cleaned, it’ll be much easier for you to wipe the walls of the fridge clean.
Start by wiping away any visible molds with a rag and carefully getting rid of them. After that, go ahead and spray the walls of the fridge with the cleaning solution of your choice, whether it’s vinegar or bleach.
You should only pick one and never mix bleach and vinegar because they produce chlorine gas, which is very toxic to inhale!
Make sure that you cover the whole interior of the fridge. This includes the walls, the ceiling, and the bottom floor.
Pay extra attention to all the tight corners and shelf ridges because these are the spots where most molds grow. Additionally, spray the door of the fridge with the cleaning solution, especially the tricky corners.
Allow the disinfecting solution to sit for 5 to 10 minutes, then scrub the interior walls with a rag to get rid of any invisible mold spores that the solution has killed. While scrubbing the walls, be careful not to scratch the walls.
Instead of rinsing the walls with water, use a damp cloth to wipe off the disinfectant then follow up with a clean dry rag.
8. Clean the Fridge Gasket and Door Seals
Unfortunately, mold can spread to the rubber seals and gaskets around the fridge door. In some cases, they cause minor bulges in the rubber and make the door not close properly.
While cleaning the gaskets, you should avoid using bleach because it’s highly corrosive and can damage the rubber seal if left for a few minutes.
Instead, you should only use diluted or distilled vinegar to avoid any kind of unwanted damage that will require you to replace the rubber seal on the door.
Spray the gaskets and let the solution sit for about 5 minutes before you wipe it off. You should also use cotton swabs to clean the folds of the rubber seal.
Simply soak the cotton swab in vinegar then run it along the inner folds of the rubber. Remember to resoak it or replace it with a new cotton swab every 3 to 5 inches to ensure full coverage.
After letting the solution soak for a while, make sure that you rinse it clean to remove the disinfectant and prepare the fridge for deodorization.
In some cases, the mold will grow back on the rubber just a few days after you’ve cleaned it. In that case, the mold has penetrated the rubber and you can only solve this by replacing the rubber seal with a new one.
9. Deodorize the Fridge
After wiping off the fridge and all its compartments, you might want to complement the disinfection step by removing the nasty odor produced by mold.
Although the smell will probably wear off once you properly clean the fridge, you can use the baking soda solution with warm water or other commercial fridge deodorizers if your fridge’s plastic is sensitive to baking soda.
Moreover, once you’re finished, you can keep an open box of baking soda in the fridge so that it acts as a natural deodorizer.
10. Leave All Detachables and Cleaned Interiors to Dry
After repeating the cleanup and rinsing steps as many times as necessary, you must allow the washed parts to dry.
As you probably know, mold thrives on moisture. That’s why the drying step is almost as crucial as the cleanup and rinsing parts.
Whether it’s the detachable parts or the insides of the cleaner, make sure that all the items cleaned in the fridge are completely dry before restocking the fridge.
I usually use paper towels or a dry piece of cloth to make sure that even the tiniest droplets of moisture are wiped off and speed up the drying process.
While the fridge parts are drying up, carefully get rid of all the moldy remains that came in contact with your rags and launder them with a detergent to make sure they’re mold-free.
How to Prevent Mold from Growing Back in the Fridge
To make sure that the mold doesn’t return back in a few days, you need to carefully inspect all the food items that you reintroduce to the fridge after you clean it.
Any food items that appear to be affected by the mold of the fridge should be immediately discarded.
Also, any food or beverage that started smelling weird shouldn’t go back to the fridge even if it looks good.
Another way to make sure that mold doesn’t form quickly is by wrapping all the food items inside plastic wraps or airtight containers.
How Often Should You Clean Mold out of Fridge
Another great way to make sure that the mold doesn’t return to the fridge is by not giving the mold spores enough time to regrow. The best way to do that is by making it a regular habit to clean the fridge every month or so.
Not only will it keep the mold away, but it’ll also make the cleaning process easier and protect your food and beverages from going bad sooner than they’re supposed to.
Wrap Up
Now you know how to clean mold out of the fridge and prevent it from ever showing up again.
By doing so, you won’t only be preserving your food better, but you’ll also protect your family’s health from all the dangers of those parasitic creatures!
As a rule of thumb, cleaning mold off a fridge is a simple job and won’t require a professional. However, if the problem and odor persist, this is an indicator that mold has reached into the insides of the fridge, such as the motor or water dispenser.
In that situation, opting for professional help or getting a new fridge (in case of very old ones) might be your last resort.
Just make sure that you know why mold reached those spots first, so they won’t grow in your new appliance too!
Further Reading