I try to give our fridge a quick clean-out each week on trash day so that food doesn't sit in our trash receptacle for a week breeding its own germs and horrible smells. This also helps me as I prepare our menu plan to see what food I need to use up to avoid it going to waste.
In addition to these weekly quick clean-outs, I try to do a full cleaning of the fridge once a month. I take everything out of the fridge, wipe the shelves and drawers down, and return everything in a more organized fashion. The last month or two kind of got away from me though and I was left with this mess.
It's not a bad thing to have a fridge full of food. Unless you can't find anything and all that food goes bad.
One of the reasons I have fallen behind in cleaning out the fridge is that it takes some time to empty everything out, remove the drawers and shelves, wipe everything down, and return everything. But, unfortunately, to get to all the stuck on messes and crumbs, that process is often necessary. To help combat this problem, I started looking at refrigerator shelf and drawer liners. To cover my fridge, it would cost around $30 and I just wasn't willing to spend that much.
On a recent trip to our local Dollar Tree, a light bulb went on when I saw some cute cheery vinyl place mats.
I hurried home to measure our fridge and then went back and grabbed 7 of the place mats for $7.
I started my cleaning project by filling the kitchen sink with hot soapy water. This way, I could wipe down all the shelves and drawers easily and also wash any containers that got emptied as I went.
I worked on one shelf at a time, removing the items, wiping down the shelf, measuring and cutting the place mats to line the shelf, and then returning the items. The place mats cut super easy with a rotary cutter and mat. I also used a yard stick to keep my lines straight.
I tossed all of the expired items and rearranged the shelves and the door compartments so that like items were together - drinks on one shelf, condiments on another, left overs together, etc.
With all the place mats in place and everything organized with other like items, things looked so much better! The fridge is bright and cheery and when messes do happen, I just have to pull out the dirty place mat, wipe it down with a damp cloth, and return it to its spot!
For just $7 and about an hour on a Saturday afternoon, our refrigerator is a much happier (and healthier place).
For other kitchen organization tips, check out my Pinterest board: Kitchen Organization
How do you keep your fridge clean and organized? Have you had a light bulb moment at the dollar store?
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