Why Your Fridge's Drawers Are Always Sticking (And How To Fix It)

A sticky refrigerator drawer is a nuisance when your day is going well, and on a bad day, it can be the proverbial straw that breaks the camel's back. No matter how hard you work to keep your refrigerator neat and tidy, those drawers always seem to turn against you — what gives? According to Whirlpool's kitchen brand manager, Bree Lemmen, buildup along the tracks of the drawers is likely the cause. "Spillovers inside the refrigerator may get into the slide control of the crisper bins or shelves and ultimately cause them to stick," she explains to Mashed.

Virtually any debris can be the culprit behind a sticky drawer, from spilled soda and meat drippings to food particles and dust. And while it can be a bit time-consuming to pull out each drawer to clean the tracks, it'll be worth it once you experience just how smoothly they can open and close.

Keep in mind that you should never use bleach to clean those hard-to-reach spots — nor any part of your refrigerator, for that matter — since your food can end up absorbing the toxins from it. Instead, Lemmen suggests the simple combination of a soft cloth and mild dish soap for the job.

It's easy to wipe down the exterior of your refrigerator to keep it looking shiny and new, but cleaning the interior is an entirely different beast. Keeping food in airtight containers and spot-cleaning spills when they occur are a few ways to help keep the inside of the appliance in tip top shape. However, Whirlpool's Bree Lemmen tells Mashed that the interior surfaces should be cleaned "once a month ... to keep the fridge sanitary."

You can use the same combination of a soft cloth soaked in hot water and dish soap to clean the surfaces. Meanwhile, the best way to clean the removable pieces like shelves and drawers is to throw them in the dishwasher — though you'll want to confirm in the owner's manual that these parts are dishwasher-safe before you do so. Not only will this be easier than hand-washing every individual piece, but it will also give you the perfect opportunity to clean out debris from the drawer tracks to help prevent sticking. Once the interior of your refrigerator is sparkling like new, you can put a few drops of vanilla extract on a cotton ball and place it in the back of the appliance to make it smell as good as it looks.