Decluttering your Refrigerator {Freedom From Clutter in 40 Days}

Welcome back to {Freedom From Clutter in 40 Days} day 30!! Can you see the light at the end of the tunnel?  I bet you can see a lot of things more clearly now that you’ve done all that Decluttering!  Have you joined our Facebook Group yet?  Click here to join so you don’t miss a post, you can see all the other great tips that are shared there and share some of your own.  We’d love to see some pics of the progress you’ve been making!

After I Decluttered my Home Office and  got my taxes in order last week I was ready to get back to Decluttering my kitchen.  It’s really looking quite good.  I’ve decluttered drawers, cabinets and donated tons of unused items.  A couple of old fry pans ended up finding a new home with a friend’s nephew who has his first home.  It’s good to know that my Clutter is going to get some good use!

It was time to move on to a larger project.  The Refrigerator!

I actually do take very good care of my refrigerator and it’s long life is definitely a testament to that.  I’ve had my fridge for 24 years!  Sure I’d love a nice new shiny stainless steel fridge but it’s really not in my budget right now and I really do like my old one. It actually kind of feels like I got a new fridge now that I Decluttered and cleaned it!

This was a big project that I tackled. I did it all at one time but you can break it up by doing a little at a time if that works better for you.  I usually do a quick wipe down of the inside before I go to the market to restock but it was time for the “big clean up”.  Time to get rid of old expired bottles of who knows what or bottles with barely a dribble of anything left in them.  Time to completely empty everything out and give it a good soaking and disinfection!

I didn’t stop with the inside though.  The outside needed some TLC as well.  I cleaned the top, sides, doors and handles. The front gets done on a regular basis but the top and sides were pretty dusty since I actually need to pull the whole fridge out to do it.

While I was at it I pulled off the kick plate and cleaned the cooling coils underneath the fridge too! This is one of those things that my grandmother taught me to do that is actually sooo important. It will make your fridge last so much longer!  Twenty-four years later can definitely attest to that!  I’ve never needed any maintenance for it other than replacing the seal around the door once. If you don’t know how to clean under your fridge or what to use click here for a video that will show you how.  I know…it’s a dirty job but I promise it will save you money in the long run!

So here’s the process you’ll want to follow for Decluttering your Refrigerator:

1. Take all of your food out and place it on your counter. ( You may want to put any perishable things in a cooler.) Go through and get rid of anything that looks like a science experiment gone bad, expired items or almost empty containers.
2. Take all of your shelving out.  You’re going to want to give them a thorough cleaning with warm soapy water.  I can fit everything in my kitchen sink just fine but I  have a friend that actually soaks hers in her bathtub!  While your shelves are drying wash the inside of your fridge.  I use a sponge with a bucket of warm soapy water.  You can also use some baking soda to scrub any tough stains out. Make sure you wipe down all the nooks and crannies on the door too including the rubber seal that goes around it.  It tends to trap all kinds of goodies in there!
3. Once you have dried everything well you can start putting your food back in.  Make sure you wipe down any sticky bottles so they don’t dirty up your clean fridge. Taking fruit out of the plastic bags that they came home in may help them be more easily seen so that they actually get eaten and using square plastic containers for leftovers will make it easier to keep an organized fridge.
4. Now you can focus on the outside and underneath.  Carefully pull your fridge away from the wall.  (You may need help with this if you have trouble. It will be top heavy so use caution.) Unplug the fridge from the wall to prevent electric shock.  Not all refrigerators are the same but if you have a detachable kick plate under the door remove it. You’ll need a long coil brush.  It’s basically a long metal rod with a circular firm bristled brush at the end.  You can click here to watch a video on how to clean with it. Make sure you clean the kick plate while you have it off. Use warm soapy water in your sink and a toothbrush to get in between  any crevices.  Put the kick plate back in place when you’re finished.
5. Wipe down the top, sides and front of the fridge. If you have a stainless steel fridge you’ll want to use a good stainless steel cleaner such as Weiman’s.  If you have a white, almond or other colored fridge  you can use a multi purpose cleaning spray or some warm soapy water.  Use the scrubby side of your sponge to get any stains out. Make sure you clean the handles well since they get touched so often.
6. While your fridge is pulled out make sure you give the floor a good vacuum and wipe the wall and baseboard down. Push your fridge back into place and give yourself a pat on the back!

If you’re anything like me you won’t be able to contain the smile from forming on your face every time you open your fridge now! In fact you may even open it up several times just to admire your hard work! 🙂

Make sure you stop by and see Christina’s post: Decluttering Dilemma: What To Do With Homeless Items and Lydias post: Clearing Out The Stash.

You’ve definitely worked up an appetite after this Decluttering project! The good news is you can find everything in the fridge now that it’s clean.  Here’s some of my latest recipes for you to try so you can refuel!