I was today years old when I found out that November 15th is National Clean your Refrigerator Day. Ooops. In true 2020 spirit, here we are, celebrating 5 days late. Sigh.
PSA: If November 15th does not fall on a trash day for your neighborhood, reschedule your celebration of this holiday to avoid attracting unwanted critters and smells to the vicinity of your house.
Here are 5 simple steps to cleaning out the fridge.
- Start by clearing all the expired stuff – this can be time consuming because some genius decided to put the expiration date on a different spot of EVERY. SINGLE. FOOD. ITEM. so half of your time is just looking for the date. I also enjoy making it a competition to see what is the oldest item in the fridge and proudly announcing it to the whole house like I’ve won some award.
- Next remove all the food items and drawers/trays– take the drawers to the bathtub and scrub with your favorite multipurpose or dish soap cleaner. I find it so much easier to wash the drawers in the bath tub and it creates less of a mess around my kitchen sink.
- Wipe the Surfaces inside the Fridge– use some rubber gloves not only to protect your skin from any chemicals but also to save your fingers from frostbite.
- Create a system that works for your family as you add stuff back to your refrigerator. For example, put all the leftovers on one shelf or make the kiddos a special shelf for their snacks so they know their options and have a little independence when accessing. Pro Tip: If you really want to organize, run to the dollar store and grab a couple of plastic baskets to sort items (thank you Home Edit, Episode 7 for the idea). It’s crazy what a huge difference this makes and how much it helps when unloading groceries or cleaning out the refrigerator in the future.
- Grab a small open container and put a spoonful of baking soda. This helps prevent any bad odors from creeping up in your fridge.
