Chores Made Easy: Clean Out Your Fridge

Ah, the dreaded refrigerator clean-out. De-cluttering the fridge is one of those jobs I like to think husbands are made for, but one of these days I hope to step up to the plate and do it myself. So I scoured the web for some great ideas to make his (um, my) job easier.

Alas, a step-by-step guide to cleaning out your fridge (in less than an hour!):

1) Grab a few cardboard boxes, a laundry basket, or any Rubbermaid bins you've got in your home. Remove everything from the refrigerator. Keep in mind that condiments and/or vegetables and fruits should stay together. Keep dairy (milk, cottage cheese, sour cream, etc) in a separate container so you know these items need to go back in the refrigerator asap.

2) Remove your drawers, trays and dividers and place in a bathtub with hot water and bleach. Let sit, then return to the kitchen for some heavy duty sorting.

3) Put on your rubber gloves and scrub down with a non-toxic cleaner (I love Method's all-surface cleaner) from top to bottom, gathering food crumbs at the bottom and wiping clean. After scrubbing, wipe down with a warm cloth to remove all cleaning agents.


4) Place an open box of baking soda to absorb any smells that are left in your fridge, and head to the bathroom to check on your shelves!

5) Check to see if spots have dissolved in the tub. If not, use your non-toxic cleaner on shelves, drawers and trays, and wipe down with a warm cloth.

6) Back in the kitchen, sort through the contents of your bins, boxes and tubs. If you haven't used a product in six months, pitch it. Anything that's expired is not allowed back in the refrigerator, no matter how much your teenage son will protest his E-Z Cheese in the garbage.

7) Re-categorize your items as you place them back in the refrigerator, keeping like items together. Line your drawers with a paper towel to keep fruit and veggies crisper, as well as collect any food remnants for your next cleaning (in three months or as needed).

Not bad, right? You'll have a clean fridge in an hour, and chances are, you'll re-discover that hot fudge you'd been missing for weeks...Now where's that ice cream?




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