Refrigerator
A cold cabinet of plastic liners, rubber gaskets and glass shelves, where the manufacturer's longest instruction is a prohibited list and the strangest is about temperature.
What not to do
Mild cream cleanser is unsafe on Refrigerator
Unsafe
Do not do this. The risk is established, and it is described below.
Why we say this
Supported
The abrasive half of the same prohibited list, recorded against the domestic product class.
Sources
Cleaning the Interior of the Refrigerator
Whirlpool Corporation · Manufacturer documentation
Relied on for: That abrasive cleaners and scouring cleansers must not be used on plastic parts, interior and door liners, or gaskets. (states this directly)
Verification: a person has read the passage relied on.
Read on — The cleaning solutions, the prohibited-cleaner list, the glass shelf instruction, the gasket instruction, and — from Sprint 31 — the maintenance-tips section and the FAQ block. Supports the claim as stated. Corrects a published statement. how-often-clean-fridge said in terms that no source read gave an interval and that CleaningHQ would not invent one — while the interval sat in the unread half of a source already held. Three intervals are now carried as this manufacturer's, tiered by task, and the intent moves to covered. The same failure shape as Sprint 30's wax finding: a claim of absence made from a partial reading.
Last reviewed by a person on .
Ammonia is unsafe on Refrigerator
Unsafe
Do not do this. The risk is established, and it is described below.
Which rules out most window cleaner, and window sprays are separately named on the same list.
Why we say this
Supported
Stated twice in the same guidance, once as a requirement and once as a prohibition.
Sources
Cleaning the Interior of the Refrigerator
Whirlpool Corporation · Manufacturer documentation
Relied on for: That appliance sprays must be non-abrasive and AMMONIA-FREE, and that window sprays are among the cleaners which must not be used on plastic parts, liners or gaskets. (states this directly)
Verification: a person has read the passage relied on.
Read on — The cleaning solutions, the prohibited-cleaner list, the glass shelf instruction, the gasket instruction, and — from Sprint 31 — the maintenance-tips section and the FAQ block. Supports the claim as stated. Corrects a published statement. how-often-clean-fridge said in terms that no source read gave an interval and that CleaningHQ would not invent one — while the interval sat in the unread half of a source already held. Three intervals are now carried as this manufacturer's, tiered by task, and the intent moves to covered. The same failure shape as Sprint 30's wax finding: a claim of absence made from a partial reading.
Last reviewed by a person on .
Precautions
- Disconnect from the power supply first
- Check the manufacturer's instructions
In detail
A fridge looks like one surface and is at least three, and the manufacturer's guidance treats them separately. The liners and plastic parts, the door gaskets, and the glass shelves each get their own instruction, and only one of those instructions is about a cleaner. The approved routine is unremarkable: warm water with mild dish soap, a soft cloth, everything completely dry before it goes back in. The prohibited list is longer and names its surfaces — abrasive or harsh cleaners, window sprays, scouring cleansers, flammable fluids, cleaning waxes, concentrated detergents, BLEACHES and cleansers containing petroleum products must not be used on plastic parts, interior and door liners, or gaskets. Ammonia-free is specified for appliance sprays, which quietly rules out most glass cleaner. The instruction nobody expects is about the shelves, and it is not chemical. Let glass shelves warm to ROOM TEMPERATURE before washing them, and avoid hot water on cold glass. It also gives THREE intervals rather than one: a WEEKLY wipe-down of shelves, handles and spills, a deep clean every ONE TO THREE MONTHS, and a MONTHLY gasket check. Spills are the exception, and are wiped up IMMEDIATELY.
What works
Detergent is safe on, in specific conditions, Refrigerator
Safe only in specific conditions
This is only appropriate within specific limits. Outside those limits, CleaningHQ makes no claim.
Only within these limits:
- MILD dish soap in warm water - concentrated detergents are on the prohibited list
- a soft microfibre cloth or non-scratch sponge
- glass shelves brought to room temperature first, because hot water on cold glass causes thermal stress
- everything completely dry before it is put back
Precautions
- Disconnect from the power supply first
- Check the manufacturer's instructions
Why we say this
Supported
A clearance with a temperature condition attached, which is rare. The glass-shelf limit is the one a reader would never guess.
Sources
Cleaning the Interior of the Refrigerator
Whirlpool Corporation · Manufacturer documentation
Relied on for: That warm water with mild dish soap on a soft microfibre cloth is the approved solution, that concentrated detergents are prohibited, that glass shelves must warm to room temperature before washing, and that all parts must be completely dry before reinstalling. (states this directly)
Verification: a person has read the passage relied on.
Read on — The cleaning solutions, the prohibited-cleaner list, the glass shelf instruction, the gasket instruction, and — from Sprint 31 — the maintenance-tips section and the FAQ block. Supports the claim as stated. Corrects a published statement. how-often-clean-fridge said in terms that no source read gave an interval and that CleaningHQ would not invent one — while the interval sat in the unread half of a source already held. Three intervals are now carried as this manufacturer's, tiered by task, and the intent moves to covered. The same failure shape as Sprint 30's wax finding: a claim of absence made from a partial reading.
Last reviewed by a person on .
Related
- Refrigerator has the component Fridge door seal
- Refrigerator has the component Fridge shelf
- Refrigerator is commonly affected by Mould
Sources for this page
Sources
Cleaning the Interior of the Refrigerator
Whirlpool Corporation · Manufacturer documentation
Relied on for: That abrasive and harsh cleaners including bleaches must not be used on plastic parts, liners or gaskets, that glass shelves must warm to room temperature before washing, that gaskets are cleaned with a damp cloth and dried fully, and that its maintenance tips give a weekly wipe-down, a one-to-three-month deep clean, a monthly gasket check and immediate attention to spills. (states this directly)
Verification: a person has read the passage relied on.
Read on — The cleaning solutions, the prohibited-cleaner list, the glass shelf instruction, the gasket instruction, and — from Sprint 31 — the maintenance-tips section and the FAQ block. Supports the claim as stated. Corrects a published statement. how-often-clean-fridge said in terms that no source read gave an interval and that CleaningHQ would not invent one — while the interval sat in the unread half of a source already held. Three intervals are now carried as this manufacturer's, tiered by task, and the intent moves to covered. The same failure shape as Sprint 30's wax finding: a claim of absence made from a partial reading.
Last reviewed by a person on .