Believe it or not, spring is less than a month away! While some days are still too cold for enjoying the outdoors, now’s a great time to clean and organize your refrigerator. Maybe it’s not the most exciting activity, but it will leave you with a feeling of accomplishment.
How many refrigerators are stocked with more than one container of mustard or ketchup? Once organized, you’ll know exactly what you have on hand, saving you food and money.
Begin by taking out all of your condiments. Once opened, condiments should be date-marked to determine how long they’re safe to eat. Date marking is an important habit to get into, and a black marker works well.
This table shows how long some condiments are good in the refrigerator after opening
Next, remove everything else and toss out or compost any leftovers older than 4 days.
Remove produce drawers and shelves to wash them with hot soapy water. Also clean any shelves and surfaces that can’t be removed, including handles, with hot soapy water, then wipe them with clean water to rinse off the soap. Dry with a clean towel. After cleaning, an optional step is sanitizing by diluting 1 tablespoon of liquid bleach in 1 gallon of water. This is especially important if any meat juices have spilled.
Wipe down any sticky containers or jars before placing them back in fridge. After returning all of your fresh food, stand back and admire your work!
The next challenge is keeping organized. If the bins are not an adequate size for your routine, consider adding extra clear bins. This will help similar items stay together, such as leftovers, sandwich fixings, smoothie ingredients, sauces or condiments. A clear bin labeled “Eat Me First” could help you avoid wasting food that is about to go bad. A can dispenser will save space for cold drinks, while providing easy access. A lazy Susan placed in the back of the fridge makes it more difficult for items to get lost.
Once you have gone to all the effort to clean and organize, wipe up spills with a cloth and warm water as they occur. Keep an open box of baking soda in the fridge to absorb any odors. This worthwhile effort could make “mystery food” a thing of the past.
