Cleaning can be an arduous job, but some appliances may get overlooked when conducting your cleaning routine. Fridges are an important part of keeping your food fresh, but it can develop a build-up of grime from spillages and splatters.
However, to combat any lingering odours, one cleaning and home hacks TikToker has shared her natural remedy for keeping your fridge spick and span. What’s even better, you can use items you already have around the house. Carolina McCauley said in a recent video: “I’ve been using this mix for a while now and every time I open the fridge, it smells like a fresh bakery. It’s super effective, non-toxic, and smells amazing thanks to the vanilla and essential oils. Plus, no more mystery gunk on the shelves.”
How to clean fridges and get rid of smells
Before you start scrubbing away, it’s best to give the fridge shelves a quick wipe or vacuum first, in order to pick up any lingering food crumbs or dust.
For Carolina’s remedy, you only need four ingredients, using some ingredients you probably already have in your cupboards.
You’ll need one cup of white vinegar, one cup of water, one teaspoon of vanilla extract, and ten drops of an essential oil of your choice. Carolina opted for either lemon or orange oil.
She said: “Vinegar helps break down grease and neutralize bad smells. Vanilla leaves behind a warm, sweet scent. And citrus oils like lemon or orange are great for lifting grime while making everything smell fresh.”
Add all of the ingredients to a spray bottle, before applying liberally to the fridge’s shelves. Carolina advised to then wipe any leftover residue off with a microfibre cloth.
Adding white vinegar to your cleaning solution is helpful due to its level of acidity – as well its acetic acid content – helps dissolve any dirt, grease and grime.
It can also help to kill bacteria on surfaces. Online home magazine The Spruce explained distilled white vinegar and cleaning vinegar are great options for deep cleaning.
Acetic acid helps to dissolve various mineral build-ups, including limescale deposits. It also helps to kill bacteria and fungi that cause bad and unwanted smells as vinegar is a natural deodoriser.
Another benefit of vinegar is that it’s a natural disinfectant, which helps to effectively remove built-up grime.
When using citrus-based essential oils in the solution, not only does it help leave the fridges with an appealing smell, they can also have cleaning properties too.
Using lemon helps to remove unwanted odours, as well as providing citric acid to cut through bacteria.
It’s also a natural antibacterial, antiseptic, and bleaching agent, helping to cut through grease, remove stains, and kill bacteria, making them a versatile eco-friendly alternative to commercial cleaning products.
When it comes to using vanilla extract to help with odours, food extract producer Nielsen-Massey explained that they should be used with caution as extracts are primarily used for baking. They suggested applying a few drops of the vanilla extract to the sponge directly for a stronger scent.
