Last night after work I picked up the final items in my old apartment (vacuum, Swiffer, etc) and dropped off my keys, so I am officially out and into the new place. Even though I’ve spent a few nights in the new place already, dropping off the keys makes everything feel final and official in my mind. When I leave work tomorrow, I get to go right home and be that much closer to making my new four walls feel like my home.
With that said, as much as moving sucks, it’s not all bad in my eyes. One of my favorite things about moving (which I’ve likely mentioned a time or two), is that I get a chance to sort through my stuff, throw out what I no longer need and get everything re-organized in a new and hopefully more manageable fashion. Whether I’m talking about my bedroom closet, my kitchen cabinets or the food in my fridge.
Speaking of…did you know today is Clean Your Refrigerator Day? I’m not even kind of kidding. When was the last time you cleaned your fridge?
I have to admit that I don’t do it nearly enough and when my mom offered to clean out my fridge at the old place my initial reaction was, are you sure? She’s the sweetest and of course didn’t mind; she even told me after that it really wasn’t that bad. (Phew!) But it was a good reminder that I need to be better about cleaning my fridge and I have a good feeling you might too, so here are a few items that make the job a whole lot easier.
All Purpose Cleaner
Wipe out the shelves with an all purpose cleaner and remove the drawers and wash with warm soap & water.
Baking Soda
Baking soda helps absorbs odors so if you’re prone to a stinky fridge, this is a must!
Remove old and expired food
If it’s moldy, say bye. If the date is expired, it goes. If it’s questionable, I still toss it.
Wipe down bottles
We’ve all been there…the salad dressing drips down the side of the bottle or something leaks and not only leaves the fridge gross but the bottle too; take this as an opportunity to clean off the bottles as well as the shelves and drawers.
Get organized
I am someone who rarely has more than a week’s food in the house at one time. If I bought something in bulk or ended up going out to eat and have leftovers, the only other food in my fridge is a few condiments so my fridge is never all that unorganized, but I know that’s not the case for many people. One way to make that easier is to get some organizational containers like these in various sizes.
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What tips do you have for keeping a clean and organized fridge?
I am a pretty organized person but my fridge is probably my weak point. In fact anytime I move the fridge is the thing that takes the longest to clean. I suck with wiping down bottles before putting them in the fridge lol.
Great tips.
Dia All The Things I Do recently posted…How Bloggers Can Save Time On SEO & Keywords
I try to clean my fridge out the day before I go grocery shopping. Nothing more frustrating than bringing home a ton of groceries and having no room in the fridge!
That’s a great idea!
I hardly ever clean my fridge! Haha, usually just when something spills. I do keep baking soda in there though.
Christine from The (mostly) Simple Life recently posted…34 Great Goals to Set to Change Your Life
I’m not great at it myself, but working at getting better! 🙂
My husband and I moved a few weeks ago and you should have seen how much we got rid of!
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It’s crazy isn’t it?!
I take care of the fridge at our church. My goodness, what people leave behind! They must believe there mother magically comes in to clean up and sometimes that’s what I feel like.
You are the magical mother… 😉
Ugh this is one of the worst chores ever for me . . between all the extra ingredients for blog recipes, client recipes and feed the voracious appetites of 3 teenage boys (who put stuff back in the fridge EMPTY and GUNKY) I have totally lowered my standards. However, I do get in there about once a month when I can’t stand anymore!
Oh girl…I have no words for you.
Great tips! I really just put things in separate categories and take everything out and start new!
Oh, my goodness… I don’t remember! Clearly it’s been way too long. Thanks so much for the reminder. I’m pretty sure I have some moldy things up in there. ew.
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Oh girl, get those things outta there! haha
The biggest issue I have with keeping our fridge clean is remembering what food is in there. Somehow yogurt and fruit cups or cheese wheels find their way to the back and I don’t find them until it’s too late ?
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Sounds like you need some bins for those yogurts!
These are awesome tips. I probably clean our fridge at least twice a month!
That is great!! Dang, I definitely don’t nearly that often!
Love your tips! I cannot stomach eating leftovers out of a dirty fridge. I always try to keep mine tidy.
This is something my fiance is always making fun of me for. I never remember the stuff we have in our fridge and always end up buying duplicates, or even worse – letting things go bad because I forget they’re there! I don’t longingly stare into the fridge as often as he does, I guess!
I need to get one of those fridges that Kirsten Bell and Dax Sheppard advertise with the app where you can see what’s inside from the grocery store/farmers market! Thanks for sharing these tips!
That is an amazing fridge!
This reminds me, I really need to clean my fridge, lol!
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Girl, do it!
I am a huge fan of organizing and use every holiday as a chance to organize my kitchen, closets, and more. These are great tips. I love keeping baking soda in the fridge for odor.
That is a great idea to use the holidays as an excuse to clean and organize!
I think it’s time I organized my fridge lol. I’m sure there are things in there that don’t need to be mentioned….ew. Thanks for sharing!
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I don’t like when our fridge looks like crap. So, this is something that I need to use. Thank you for sharing. 🙂
Lucie
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I actually do that once a month at least! I am very peculiar about being sanitary in my kitchen. maybe a bit too much, but in my eyes it’s important if food and your health are involved. Does this even make sense? If not, sorry, haha.
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That’s great that you clean it so often!!
I dont wipe down the shelves nearly enough! I bought these organizational bins to keep in the fridge and I love how easy it is to keep things organized with them. They were from Bed Bath and Beyond.
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