The trick to long-lasting fridge freshness (and it’s not baking soda)

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – We finish our series Friday helping you clean all things stinky, sticky and stubborn.

On Thursday, Jen showed you how to keep your gym clothes fresh and how to get deodorant stains out of your clothes.

Richard tried two tricks to cleaning your grill on Wednesday to see if they work.

On Tuesday, Melanie showed you how to get stains out of the carpet in your car.

And on Monday, we showed you some household hacks to get the stink out of your shoes.

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Friday we’re focusing how to clean those refrigerators.

While we all know putting a box of baking soda is the most traditional way to combat odors, there’s another trick you might not have tried.

First, be sure to remove everything out of your fridge. Then, get some hot water and dish soap, but the ingredient you need to add to this is lemon juice.

All you have to do is squeeze some lemon juice into that soapy water and wipe down the interior of your fridge.

And for long-lasting freshness, cut a few lemon slices and place them at the back of the shelves. Just replace them every now and then.

Now, moving on to the deep cleaning.

Don’t forget that drainage channel. The condensation drainage channel is the tiny drain hole that can be found right at the back of your fridge at the bottom of the wall.

If you don’t regularly clean it, it can become blocked, which will allow excess water to build up both in the drain and on the walls of your fridge.

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Drinking straws, cocktail sticks, and cotton buds are all great for doing this job.

Simply thread them through the channel, move them around to dislodge any dirt, and pull them back out.

Use your vacuum cleaner to clean your condenser coils twice a year.

Over time, dust and dirt will settle on the coils, acting as an insulator and keeping them warm, which makes it that much harder for you fridge to keep your food cool.

And lastly, you should do a “thoughtful restock.”

The way you organize can actually affect items and their shelf life.

Fruits and vegetables should go in bottom drawers.

Wrapped raw fish and meats should be placed on the lowest shelf where the temperature is the coolest.

Dairy products should be stored on the middle shelves.

And food that don’t need to be cooked like deli meats and leftovers should go on the top shelf.

The door shelves are usually the warmest places in the fridge, so condiments and jams, of course, go there.

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Happy cleaning!