How to Disinfect and Clean a Freezer & Deep Freezer?

Keeping a cleaning checklist and following it helps to keep your home fresh and clean. A  detailed checklist for kitchen cleaning will help you do the job properly. However, we might most probably add the dishwasher, sink, stove, refrigerator, and the other small appliances, but miss the freezer most often. To disinfect and clean a freezer is as important.

Mildew and bacteria that grow in colder temperatures are most likely to form inside your freezer if you skip periodic cleaning. It can lead to unpleasant odours and spoiled food - it can also lead to illness if we eat the food stored inside grimy freezers. Therefore add the freezer to your kitchen cleaning checklist to keep mildew and odour away. 

Here is how you can disinfect and clean a freezer in simple steps.

Ways to Disinfect and Clean a Freezer

Remove and Sort the Food Items In Your Freezer 

Pull out all the food items from the freezer to organise them. Get a trash can and a marker to sort frozen food before restocking them back in the freezer. Keep the food items on the kitchen counter and take inventory to make the process easy. You can use the permanent marker to label foods you decide to keep back inside after disinfecting the freezer. Throw away the food items you have kept inside the freezer for so long. Make sure to throw away discoloured food items too. 

Defrost the Freezer

Defrosting the freezer is the second step to disinfecting it. Several modern freezers come with a defrost setting - the process might be a bit slow, but it is more convenient. However, you will have to unplug your freezer and manually defrost it if your freezer does not come with a defroster. Defrosting a normal freezer will require you to unplug the refrigerator, so make sure that you move the food items from the refrigerator to coolers. 

Keeping a large pot of hot water inside the refrigerator can speed up defrosting; you can even use a hairdryer to melt the ice if you can’t wait for a long time to finish the cleaning, but use it carefully. Keep some towels beneath the refrigerator to catch the water. Take out the shelving and drawers from the freezer and clean them in the kitchen sink while the appliance defrost. 

Move On to Cleaning and Disinfecting

Clean the inside of the freezer with warm and soapy water and wipe the residual dirt and grime using a clean and damp cloth. You can use a small brush (preferably a toothbrush) to clean the grooves in the freezer seal and then wipe the dirt with a damp cloth. Mixing one tablespoon of bleach in a gallon of water and wiping the refrigerator with this solution is an effective way to get rid of germs inside the freezer.

A mild way to disinfect is by using a paste made of a portion of white vinegar, a portion of water, and three portions of baking soda to wipe down the inside of the freezer. White vinegar in the paste is a natural disinfectant, and baking soda helps to lighten the stains and remove the unpleasant smell inside the freezer. Clean the freezer further by wiping it with a clean damp cloth after you wipe the freezer with the paste.

Plug the Refrigerator and Restock

You can plug the freezer after it dries and then shut the door and let it become cold. Put all the sorted food items back when the temperature becomes close to zero degrees Fahrenheit. Remember to make sure that the food items are labelled correctly with the safe date for use. 

How to Disinfect and Clean a Deep Freezer

Deep freezers are beneficial to keep bulk foods frozen, and they are easy to clean and disinfect when compared to normal freezers. There is something more to do while defrosting a chest freezer than unplugging and hosting it out to keep the food safe to use. Periodic cleaning and disinfecting of chest freezers are unavoidable to keep them working in their best condition.

Here are some easy steps to clean a deep freezer. 

Unplug the Freezer 

Unplug the deep freezer while cleaning even if it has a power switch - it is to avoid potential electric shocks. Remember to keep a few towels under the freezer to absorb the melted ice that will come out while defrosting the freezer. 

Take Inventory

Throw out all food items that have been there in the freezer for too long - everything you don’t even remember that you’ve kept in it. You might not be getting the taste you expect from such foods even when they could be safe to use. Label the food items you would like to keep back inside using a permanent marker to identify the food items easily when you need them. 

Defrost the Freezer 

Take out all the removable parts of your chest freezer and wash them in the kitchen sink when the defrosting happens. It can take some time if you keep the lid open for a while and keep waiting. You can use a hairdryer to melt the ice, but make sure that the dryer doesn’t get wet.

Freeze and Restock 

Plug the deep freezer and restock it with the organised food items when the temperature gets to zero. Group all the food items you will not be using soon, keep them at the bottom, and keep the other stuff at the top. Label the new freezer inventory with name and date to use them safely. 

Wipe the racks and seals of the freezer once every two weeks with a damp cloth to remove the dirt and grime from it. It will make sure that the freezer stays cold enough. Take an inventory of your freezer once every three months and give it a thorough cleaning and disinfecting for the freezer to work properly.

Deep Cleaning Service for Freezers and Refrigerators in Singapore

Sendhelper’s deep cleaning services for homes provide thorough cleaning and disinfection of your refrigerators and freezers. Depending on your requirements, you can customise your deep cleaning needs on the Sendhelper app.

On top of cleaning freezers, we also provide steam cleaning of kitchen floors, removal of stains, deep cleaning of kitchen cabinets, waxing of wooden floors, cleaning of mattresses and more.

Book a deep cleaning service today at attractive rates. Keep your home clean and safe from germs.