Why don't they make self cleaning refrigerators?

The one-time cost of cooling the interior of a refrigerator from room temperature to say 38 degrees F is relatively low -- on the order of $00.25. Even if you clean your fridge completely once per month, that would be $3.00 per year. If self-cleaning technology could be installed in a new fridge at an extra cost of only $30.00, it would take ten years of power savings to recoup that cost -- not accounting for your "lost opportunity costs" of investing the $30.00 up front rather than over the lifetime of the fridge. Only really lazy people would go for the option -- even if it added only $30 to the cost of the unit.

Looking at it from another way, any "self-cleaning" mechanism would have to take into account the wide range of items kept in the fridge. Most people would object strongly to any sort of chemical spray or even to anti-microbial elements embedded into the plastic surface of the interior -- tho that technology exists and would be viable to prevent growth of bacteria, viruses and moulds on the plastic surfaces. It would not, however, address the matter of cleaning up little spills and smears that inevitably occur in most fridges.

Also possible for the purpose of controlling microbe growth would be the use of ultra-violet light but I have a strong suspicion that prolonged exposure to ultraviolet light would cause flavour changes in fresh fruits, cheese, and even preserves kept in clear glass jars.

The short answer to your question: It isn't worth it. Turn the fridge off while you're actually cleaning it; remember to turn it back on when you're done. You can reduce the load on the compressor to re-cool the fridge if you place all the cool contents into a camp cooler while you're cleaning the fridge. That way, the fridge only has to re-cool the air, not the food contents.

Yeah, just like the self cleaning bathroom on Home Improvements with Tim the Tool Man Taylor! The only solution I see is that only clean the fridge in the winter time, if you live in a cold weather climate. That way when the temp is down outside, you could store everything out there while you clean. As far as self cleaning, I don't think you would want a blast of water hitting the butter or any cardboard items like milk containers in the fridge.

When you clean a fridge, you should remove all drawers, shelves and door inserts. Put the food into some ice chests. Clean the removable items in the sink and dry. Wipe the inside of the fridge quickly. Put the items back into the fridge and put the food back. Done once a year or so should be enuf.

Can't self clean as water would ruin everything inside.

The drain is often located interior the rear of the freezer decrease than the evaporator coils. get entry to it via removing the backside of the freezer. Use warm water and/or a hair dryer to soften any accrued ice. Pour warm water during the drain once you get it thawed out.

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