Spring clean your freezer
Print
EmailJust like spring cleaning your house, it is important to spring clean your freezer.
When spring arrives we know it’s time to deep clean for the coming season. Usually we think of spring cleaning as cleaning the house and yard. It is also important to deep clean refrigerators and freezers. Let’s talk about cleaning the freezer and just how important it is to maintain.
To keep food safe it is important to keep the freezer clean of frost and food particles. Michigan State University Extension recommends defrosting the freezer at least once a year to maintain a clean freezer environment. Defrosting your freezer enables you to wipe down all the food particles that seem to find their way on the shelf. A buildup of frost can also decrease your amount of freezer space, as well as make your freezer work harder to maintain a constant temperature of 0 degree.
To manually defrost the freezer, remove all frozen food items, checking dates as well as checking for freezer burn on items. Throw out the expired food and any itemsthat appear old and dried out. If there are signs of crystals on the inside of packages this may mean that the food item has thawed at one time and may need to be thrown out. Pack the rest of the items you will keep in another freezer or a cooler until they can return to the freezer you are cleaning. Unplug the freezer and clean as quickly as possible. Read the manufacturer’s instructions on how to further clean the defrosting freezer.
After the frost weakens, place towels in the bottom of the freezer and loosen pieces of the frost. Collect in the towels and discard in a sink to melt. Wipe down the freezer with one tablespoon of baking soda in one quart of water. After, wipe with clean water before turning the freezer back on. Let the freezer cool down for about 30 minutes before placing the frozen goods back into the freezer.
