Best Way to Clean Mold in a Refrigerator

Mold can form in your refrigerator if spills are not cleaned up right away or if something spills down under your drawers and goes unnoticed. Mold spores need to heat to grow, and a refrigerator is more prone to growing mold in the summer months when heat is allowed to enter by opening and closing the refrigerator door frequently. This common problem is easily solved with a little time and elbow grease.

1. Remove everything from the doors of your refrigerator and set aside to replace after you have cleaned the mold from the doors and jams.


2. Fill a spray bottle with one tablespoon of vinegar to each one cup of water that your spray bottle holds; replace top and tighten.


3. Spray down shelves, jams of the door and shelf holders with your vinegar solution and allow solution to sit for 10 minutes.


4. Fill a spray bottle with clean water and spray down the areas that have the vinegar cleaner on them, this will help to rinse the vinegar from the jams where it may become stuck.


5. Dry the area with a clean dry rag ensuring that all moisture is completely removed so that new mold does not form.


6. Replace all of your condiments and food that you took out originally back into your door shelves. 


7. Remove the drawers from the bottom of the fridge and set aside.


8. Fill a spray bottle with one cup of bleach and 4 cups of water. Replace top and secure tightly.


9. Spray down the surface of the area under your drawers and allow bleach to sit on the surface for five minutes to kill any mold that may be present.


10. Wipe clean with a wet rag ensuring that all mold is removed. The bleach will help prevent new mold from forming under your drawers.


11. Replace your refrigerator's drawers back onto the tracks and close the drawers.


12. Remove the rest of your food from the refrigerator and set aside.


13. Spray down the walls and ceiling or your refrigerator with your bleach solution, and allow it to sit for five minutes.


14. Wipe clean the walls and ceiling, and then dry with a clean towel to remove any remaining moisture.


15. Replace your food and immediately shut the door so that the temperature in the refrigerator is not productive for mold growth.