We Asked 3 Pro Cleaners, and This Is Hands-Down the Germiest Spot in Your Fridge

After the pandemic shut down schools and businesses and changed life as we knew it, I started to rethink the way I keep my home clean and free of germs. I really started to spiral when I thought of all the old food, fingerprints, and bacteria that probably get built up on the inside and outside of one part of my kitchen specifically: my fridge. 

According to Diane Wright Hirsch, a food safety expert at the University of Connecticut, a dirty fridge can be a breeding ground for pathogens like salmonella, listeria, E. coli, yeast, and even mold if spills are left uncleaned or food is stored improperly. That’s why Hirsch says it’s especially important to deep-clean your fridge monthly. 

To understand how to best clean my fridge, I reached out to three experts for their thoughts on which spots tend to get the germiest (and smelliest) in the fridge — plus, their best methods for cleaning them. Here’s what they said:

Ashley Kidder, chief operating officer at Dashing Maids, notes that one of the dirtiest spots in your fridge is actually on the outside: the door handle. This probably isn’t all that surprising since we touch it more than any other part of the fridge, dozens of times a day, which is then multiplied tenfold if you live in a household with several people. That many hands means that all kinds of nasty bacteria, fingerprints, and other pathogens can build up on the outside of your fridge and cause issues like foodborne illness and cross-contamination. 

Kidder suggests using a microfiber towel and a disinfectant cleaner to wipe down the outside of the door handle every few days. That’s a really simple way to get rid of any nasty bacteria or pathogens and keep your fridge looking smudge-free! I really like this 12-pack of microfiber towels because they hold up well over time and can be used all around the kitchen, plus they’re easy to throw in the wash to clean. The best part? They’re less than 60 cents a piece!

Have you ever opened your fridge and been hit with a pungent whiff of who knows what coming from who knows where? Well, a very likely culprit could be the forgotten fruits, vegetables, or spills that tend to get lost in the mix of things at the bottom of your crisper drawers. 

The crisper drawers (aka humidity drawers) are usually at the bottom of your refrigerator and offer a more humid environment to store things like fresh produce or meats, poultry, and fish. If food is stored properly and cleaned out regularly, they can be great for extending and preserving the shelf life of food, but when loose vegetables and fruits are forgotten down there, it can turn into a messy problem, say Kidder and president of Molly Maid, Marla Mock. 

“Crisper drawers can get smelly because moisture tends to get trapped in the drawer,” Mock says. “The bottom drawer can also get smelly. It’s typically the coldest spot in the refrigerator and where raw meats are often stored. Leaks from raw meat packaging have the potential to lead to bacterial growth.” That’s why it’s important to clean up any spills or leaks right away and to throw out any old produce weekly or during your regular shopping and fridge restocking trips. 

“I think any spot can be the smelliest or dirtiest if there’s a forgotten spill or stain,” says Rhonda Wilson, quality lead cleaner at FreshSpace Cleaning. “If it sits there for too long, that will dry up and become sticky, harder to clean, and bound to trap even more food bits.”

Wilson recommends using an old toothbrush to clean those especially hard-to-reach nooks and crannies in your fridge with a multipurpose cleaner like Mrs. Meyer’s or Method. She also recommends using a natural deodorizer like a bowl of activated charcoal to absorb any unpleasant smells in your fridge. Even if you follow these expert tips, if you start smelling something funky in your fridge, it might be time for a spot-cleaning and a drawer check — and don’t forget the handle!