Tips for Cleaning the Refrigerator

Cleaning the refrigerator 101!  #MiFabuloso #CollectiveBias

I often feel like I’m on the brink. On any given day things could go either way – If I stay organized and on track I just might be able to get everything done or… I could throw in the towel early. Maybe crawl back into bed and pretend the day never happened. Usually, I operate somewhere in the middle. Mild frustration combined with long to-do lists and moderate accomplishment.

To be honest, I work best in insanity. If I had a few things to do, nothing would get done. With three kids, a full time job, and the semblance of a social life? I accomplish quite a bit. Occasionally things spiral out of control. When that happens? I clean. Some people stress-eat. I stress-clean.

Last week I was feeling particularly stressed out, so I tackled a big project: Cleaning and organizing my refrigerator.

I don’t think many of us put much thought into the fridge. We moved into our house almost two years ago. When we did, I was anxious just to unpack everything. Things went into the refrigerator without much thought, and the system of where things went stayed the same.

I’m fairly certain I haven’t ever actually cleaned the refrigerator before. Sure, I’ve gone on missions to uncover a foul odor, and I’ve wiped up mysterious juices from the bottom of drawers. But this time, I did it proper.

I’m so proud of it, in fact, I decided to share it with y’all.

First things first – take EVERYTHING out. Yup, everything.

Start with the shelves and bins, then move to the drawers. Keep the trash can and recycling bin nearby. Anything expired? Toss it. If it’s near it’s expiration date – ask yourself if you’ll use it in time. If not, toss it.

I discovered one very rotten bag of green onions, a really gross pork-juice situation pooling up at the bottom of the fridge, several expired dressings and condiments, and one container with something in it. It may or may not have been alive. I also chucked a few bottles and jars of various condiments that have so many preservatives they could be passed down from generation to generation. But do I use them? No. They hit the trash can too.

This is not the time to be frugal or sentimental. It’s time to pare down.

Now, it’s time to bust out the Fabuloso®.

Available at Walmart, this is a my go-to cleaner for deep clean projects.

Pull out all of the removable shelves and bins. Soak any serious stuck-on grime and take a sponge soaked in Fabuloso® (I like the Lavender scent) and give them a good wipe down. Take a clean towel and make sure they are totally dry. Next wipe down any shelving that you couldn’t pull out of the fridge.

Really, try and get everything you can – when is your fridge ever going to be completely empty again? Yeah, I thought so. 🙂

Once everything inside the refrigerator is clean, re-install your clean shelves. And – I know this is crazy – but you could put them back in a different place if it makes sense!

Begin by filling up your door-shelf space. Put like ingredients together. Make sure every bottle is wiped down of goo and not expired before you put it back!

Next fill up your bins. I like to keep veggies in one drawer, onions and potatoes in another bin, and then I have a drawer for cheese. We like cheese.

I’ve learned that onion peels tend to mess up my fridge the most, so I got a spiffy new container to put them in. That way I don’t have to empty my entire fridge next time. Just the onion container. Brilliant!

I also got a few containers for the main shelves of the fridge. Oh, and my favorite addition? The fruit basket. Not sure how long I’ll be able to keep my fridge this organized, but it does make me feel all warm, fuzzy, and healthy when I open my fridge to see a few apples at the ready!

So what do you think?  Are you doing any spring cleaning projects?  Let me know what I should tackle next!