I tried the 'magic' refrigerator cleaning method that uses vanilla to banish odors

I have a small refrigerator in my very tiny kitchen, often filled to the brim with food – I love to cook. Therefore, cleaning my refrigerator is a must when it comes to food hygiene and smells. 

When cleaning a refrigerator, deodorizing and removing sticky marks is my top priority. But after watching an online trick that used vanilla essence to clean the fridge, I was left wondering how the stickiest substance in my baking cabinet could possibly remove equally sticky rings caused by the bottom of sealed condiment bottles or jars.

I had to give the method a go myself – here's how it went.

Vanilla vinegar cleaner  

I first saw the hack on Australian home influencer Chantel Mila's Instagram. The natural homemade kitchen cleaner uses vinegar to help break down sticky marks and vanilla to help scent the fridge and leave it smelling fresh without using unsafe products for food storage. 

You will need:

•  ½ cup of distilled white vinegar – such as this from Amazon 
• Two to three teaspoons of vanilla extract, clear or brown – available at Walmart 
• One cup of plain water
• A microfiber cloth – such as these from Amazon 
• A clean, dry dish towel – like these cotton picks from Walmart 
• A clean spray bottle – such as this set of two from Amazon 

Making the solution

Making the solution was simple, and only required measuring the ingredients into the empty, clean spray bottle before putting the lid back on and shaking to combine. 

Interestingly, the original recipe uses clear vanilla extract, something I had not seen as often in stores as the standard dark brown flavoring. To keep the hack cost-efficient, I decided to try the method with the brown extract and see if it made any difference to the results of this cleaning tip.

The result was a muddy-looking mixture that didn't look too appealing to clean my home with, but I gave it a go anyway.

Cleaning my appliance

Before cleaning and organizing the fridge, I took everything out, putting any food, jars, and bottles that I wanted to keep out of the way on my counters. As with cleaning a kitchen generally, all there was to do was spray the solution on the shelves and buff it with a clean microfiber cloth. 

I found that the high water content of the solution and cold refrigerator meant that there was a tendency for it to bead or streak. You do not need to use much spray to cover and clean a small area. The good news was that it easily broke down some sticky marks (I had been ignoring them all week) that had somehow leaked from closed bottles. 

I could also hardly smell the strong vinegar scent that you often get when cleaning things with vinegar solutions. The water and vanilla worked wonderfully to neutralize the strong smell that often puts me off using white vinegar.

After wiping down the shelves, I used a clean, dry dish towel to dry them off, preventing streaking and collecting any excess water. 

I had a lot of leftover solution, so I also used it to wipe down the front of my washing machine. 

With the machine living in my kitchen, it is prone to collecting marks, grease, and dust so, after my success with the fridge, I thought the cleaner would be perfect for this too. To my surprise, not only did it break down the grease marks, but also collected dust easily and added a nice shine to the window of the front-loading door after I buffed it dry with the clean towel. 

My verdict

The solution definitely helped to deodorize and clean my refrigerator and clean the washing machine front, but I think the vanilla scent could have been much stronger. Although it did work to add a slightly sweet smell to a vinegar cleaner, the scent didn't stick around after drying the shelves and door.

As a result, if I was to make the spray again, I would add another teaspoon or two of vanilla extract to the mix, or even consider some Vanilla Bean Scented Oil such as this from Amazon to get a really strong scent.  

All in all, the cleaner really does work to get your fridge clean, and smells great as you are cleaning your appliances – just don't expect the smell to linger in your refrigerator for long.

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