“I’ll do it tomorrow, for sure!” Ever had this conversation with your refrigerator? Every day we open the fridge with guilt and feel that eerie glare, of the stain that lines the wall, on us. With a weak smile we shut the fridge door and make a false promise to clean it the next day. End of story.

There’s more than one stain hidden in there and it’s a subtle sign sent by the fridge-verse to deep-clean our fridge. To keep up the fridge’s health and prevent breeding of germs, a deep-clean is essential every 3 to 4 months. You have to reach the deepest parts of the fridge to scrub out the accumulated dirt in the crevices and subtle bends of the fridge.

For an effective deep clean, empty all the shelves of the fridge and store the contents in a cooler. Dispose off expired food items and those age-old leftovers  you know you’ll never eat again. Discard old ice from your freezer too. Next, turn off the refrigerator’s main switch and switch on your clean-freak mode! You’ll need a cloth, sponge, an old toothbrush, warm water and some washing soap or baking soda.

Start off with the inside of the fridge and freezer, take out the shelves and containers and take them over to a sink (the bigger the sink, the better!). Rinse them with water and scrub with a sponge and some baking soda. Once they look squeaky clean, set them aside and run a dry cloth over them. Next, we head to the walls and hidden nooks of the fridge. Use a cloth and some washing soap and wipe the surfaces clean. You may whip out that toothbrush to scrub the dried out stains in the corners. After the insides have been thoroughly cleaned, wipe the surfaces with a dry cloth.

Now we turn our attention to the exteriors of the fridge. When countless greasy, food and drink-stained hands have touched that handle, one can only imagine what has accumulated on the fridge surface. To restore the shiny, elegant look of the fridge, wipe the surface with a cloth soaked in warm, soapy water. Dry the surface with a microfiber cloth. Do not forget to clean the top of the fridge as well!

Hang in there, you’re almost done now! Time to place everything back inside. Start with shelves, trays and containers you removed. Put them back in their correct spot. Use a cloth dampened in hot water to wipe the jars and food containers before placing them back in. With a Liebherr, the compartmentalized interiors help in maintaining optimal freshness for your produce. For instance, the Vegetable Sorting System helps in segregating the leafy and hard vegetables and the SpiceBox, designed specially for India, provides a comfy spot for your spices. Apart from these, there’s VarioSafe, FlipBox a which make sure that your produce stays snug in freshness!

Now, switch on your refrigerator’s main switch and let your food nap for a little before it’s cleaning day again. See you again in 3 months!