Do you wish your refrigerator looked like this? Clean? Shiny? Stocked with vibrant fruits and vegetables, nary a mysterious jar of crusted condiments in sight? Well, Real Simple would like to help you with that. They have a checklist to help you get from grimy to shiny in just 20 minutes. Ready? Go!
This checklist doesn't screw around. It starts with you unplugging the fridge, sweeping under it, (when was the last time you did that?), ruthlessly tossing out anything past its prime, and moving on from there. Set a timer, and get going! This checklist will keep you on task. It's really delightful to have a clean fridge, isn't it?
Get the Checklist: Speed-Clean Your Refrigerator at Real Simple
Is this more or less your own routine for cleaning a fridge? Or are there other things that you prefer to focus on when scrubbing it out?
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I can't say I've ever opened my fridge and seen an opened coconut, eggs in their own individual decorative holders, or naked cheese. Most people have a few (or more than a few) jars of condiments, and I proudly count myself among them!
But, that said, the checklist makes some good points. Step 3 suggests removing the drawers and washing them in the sink. For folks who have a single huge fridge drawer that won't fit in the sink (like me, with my cheap rental fridge), I recommend using your tub or shower stall to achieve the same thing.
There's also a reference that makes me laugh, in the second-to-last step: "Attach the baking-soda pod’s suction cups to an interior wall." There's no context for this, so I'm picturing a little baking-soda spaceship. I would think a 79-cent box from the grocery store works just the same as a "pod." :)
Ohhhh...I need to do this. I just finished my closet and the fridge is next! http://hammer-and-heels.com/2012/08/23/one-day-closet-makeover/
-Anne
I think my fridge contains more condiments than food!
Funny, the checklist doesn't have a step about "Spending the next 45 minutes washing leftover containers that only held fur for some reason."
Here's how mine would go:
Minutes 1-30: remove everything. Keep kids from eating half of what you take out. Inspect what to keep and what to toss. Discover that compost needs taken out before you can start tossing, find the kid whose chore it is and make him take it out.
Minutes 31-60: Spend 30 minutes scraping the crud out of the drawers and then wash them. Dry hands 4-5 times to separate fighting children or help with schoolwork.
Minutes 61-90: Wipe down interior of fridge, after realizing the dishcloth needs to be washed and finding a new one. Discover the kitchen linens have all been tumbled around by kids retrieving linens, and refold them all.
Minutes 91-100: Return things to the fridge. Ask around to figure out where half the food went, and who ate it.
Minutes 101-121: Spend 20 minutes wiping down the exterior, scrubbing off greasy fingerprints, dig around cleaning supplies to find a magic eraser to get what all cleaning agents won't.
Minutes 122-150: Oversee dishwashing by kids whose turn it is, and put up with the gripes over the "fur" inside the containers. Help the oldest retrieve samples of each type and prepare microscope slides for later.
How to clean the fridge in only 2 1/2 hours with 8 kids. :) (Then start on your other fridge.)
I have no kids and it would take me about an hour.
lol at that fridge. all the "fresh" fruits and veggies in there would be a soggy wilted mess in less than 24 hours if stored that way. bananas in the fridge? half of a coconut? unwrapped lettuce, just sitting on a shelf?
@M! I agree, although we often have unwrapped lettuce sitting on a shelf. Lettuce rarely comes wrapped in plastic here, unless it is loose leaves, and we leave it on shelves because we are too lazy to reach down and actually open a drawer.
We keep an organized fridge, but last week when we were down to the bare minimum with food before our next CSA box arrived, I decided to take the opportunity to 'quickly' clean the surfaces. It took me an hour to wipe everything down, remove the drawers to wash in the sink, dry everything, and re-install 2 shelves. I didn't even get to the doors of the fridge... or the freezer... and definitely not UNDER the fridge... before losing steam. That was with an almost empty fridge that stays fairly clean! It does feel good to have it all really clean, though.
@BKK - if I leave lettuce unwrapped in the fridge it is completely wilted within 24 hours. What am I missing??
Staged photos always detract from articles and this one is exceptionally UNrealistic. It's *Real Simple* ....just don't do it. That said, how many fridge-cleaning posts does one need? Don't get me wrong, I appreciate the reminders & tips (and the inspiration/kick in the rear to get movin) but this link could have been added to the recent article on the same subject (albeit, it would have surely resulted in less traffic as most wouldn't have wasted time commenting).
Lol @ Momof8. Point taken. And a 'Momof0' couldn't accomplish this in twenty minutes. Exaggerated time frames are NOT helpful.
LOL @Momof8. Sounds standard!
Unplugging and sweeping under the fridge would probably yield the biggest shocker discoveries. I have essentially an oversized bottle cleaner brush; I like it for cleaning under the fridge, as well as in vents and under the washing machine and dryer. Like this: http://preview.tinyurl.com/awf47xf.