You have already taught your child to discard outdated food and organize your refrigerator. You may have already started having them wipe out certain shelves and drawers as needed. Now it is time to learn how to wash out the fridge. 

If you maintain the refrigerator, you will probably not have to do this often. 

There’s some prep work to do before starting this task. First, the kitchen should be thoroughly cleaned. That means all dishes are washed and put away, and the counters are cleaned. Then lay several dish towels or old regular-size towels out on the countertops. This will help with the drying process later. Also, have an old towel in front of the sink to catch the water that may drip.  

Open the refrigerator and have them use their cell phone to take pictures of how things are arranged. The next thing to do is take out everything and put it either in an ice chest, another refrigerator, or on the countertop. Most groceries stay cold throughout this process, just sitting on the counter. But, you be the judge. Then, remove all the shelves and stack them close to the sink. Fill the sink with warm soapy water and add about 1/4 cup bleach. Taking one shelf at a time, submerge as much of it into the water and wash it thoroughly on both sides. Then rinse it thoroughly and set it on a towel to dry. Repeat this process with all of the shelves. 

 Then I pull out all the drawers and any other removable parts and wash them. Start with the driest shelf and towel dry. Put it back into the refrigerator. Refer to the photos that were taken if needed. Take a clean damp rag, and wipe off all jars and containers as they return to the refrigerator. Empty the dishwater, dry off the countertops, and put all the towels used into the washer. Then take them out to dinner to celebrate!