Post Holiday Refrigerator Clean Out

The Fridge

If you cleaned your refrigerator and freezer out before the big meal (which you should have), this will be an easy task.  But for those who did not clean out the fridge before the holiday (no judgment from me), this job is going to take some muscle. 

Either way, the best way to begin is by clearing some space on the counter, island or tabletop nearest to the fridge.  You’re going to need empty space to place all the items in your refrigerator.  

Let's start with the big stuff.  If there are any leftovers in your fridge as of today, now is the time to throw them out.  Leftover food is only good for about three days before it starts to grow bacteria on it.  So, to be safe, don’t even freeze it, just grab a large garbage bag and throw it all out.

Pull out everything in bottles and jars and place it on the counter.  Take an honest inventory of these things. Are there any empty bottles?  Have they been in the refrigerator longer than a year, unused?  If your answers are yes, empty and rinse the containers and toss them into the recycling bin.

Continue to empty the fridge, and put everything on the nearest counter or table.  Once it’s completely empty, pull out all of the drawers and storage bins out, then rinse and soak them in your sink with some hot water and Good Vibes All Purpose Cleaner.  If they are soiled with stuck on messes, go heavier on the Good Vibes.  Wash them thoroughly, dry them and put them aside.

Next, pull out all the removable shelving and do the same with them.  As best you can, rinse, soak and wash with fresh hot water and Good Vibes. Once every shelf is clean, rinse it, dry it and put it to the side (create a system to remember which shelf and drawer goes where).

Now that the refrigerator is completely empty, Take a bucket of hot water and Good Vibes and wipe down the refrigerator walls and doors.  Sprinkle a little baking soda on the surfaces for scouring and getting rid of any foul odors.  

Once your fridge is clean and sparkling, put all the drawers and shelves back.  If necessary, wipe down the condiment jars and containers you are keeping and put them back as well. If you don't have the door space or you want to use your door storage for something else, store your condiments in acrylic storage bins made for the refrigerator and freezer.

The Freezer

Now that you have created space in your refrigerator, you can start emptying the freezer. Toss anything that is expired or more than six months old.  Place frozen items you plan to keep in the refrigerator for safe temporary storage while you clean.  Place all similar frozen foods in containers together to prevent a mess. Frozen fruit in one container, frozen veggies in another, meat in another,  and place each container in the refrigerator.

Once emptied, proceed to clean the freezer of any spilled messes and defrost it if necessary. As you begin to put your freezer items back, take inventory.  If you have had any items in the freezer for more than 6 months, it’s probably time to toss it out.  Put the items you will keep back in the freezer in an organized fashion.  You may want to put veggies together, fruits together, meats together, snacks together, crock pot meals, etc. 

The Outside

Now is a good time to clean the outside of the refrigerator as well.  If you have a bunch of papers or artwork posted on your fridge, take it down now.  Put the paperwork where it belongs and find a creative way to hang children’s artwork to avoid cluttering the fridge door.  If you have been storing items on top of the refrigerator now is the time to reorganize.  It is best not to store anything on top of the fridge but if you must place all your cereal boxes up there, try to keep them organized in a nice pretty bin. While you're at it, go ahead and wipe off any splatter from cake and sweet potato pie batter that got onto the fridge now. 

The Trash

Take out all the trash so it doesn't stink up the house and get ready to do it all over again come Christmas, lol. Or, just eat at someone else’s house and bring an apple pie from Whole Foods like I did this year 🤷🏾‍♀️

#Tips 

• Maintain a clean refrigerator by cleaning it out once a week on a day most convenient for you.  Kitchen Monday, grocery shopping day or the day before trash day are all a good time to clean out the fridge.  The key is consistency. 

• If you want to keep the container but toss the food without making a mess, place the whole container in the freezer.  The next day, pop the food out into the trash and take the trash out immediately.  This also alleviates the odor when having to throw out moldy food. 

• To maintain a clean, organized freezer, make a habit of labeling everything you put in it.  Write down what it is and the date you added it to the freezer. If it's still in there six months later, either use it or throw it away.

• Placing plastic freezer bins in your freezer can help you keep things organized and sorted as well.  

• When storing meat, crock pot meals or bulky items in the freezer, spread and flatten them in freezer bags so they store flat and maximize space.

Ever wonder why Fridge is spelled with a "D" when there is no "D" in Refrigerator? 🤔