Wednesday, January 25, 2012

Refrigerator Cleaning

You're stuck inside anyway, so you might as well make the most of your time and get some much needed cleaning done.  And one project that many put off for far too long, but gives huge satisfaction is cleaning the refrigerator.  Opening up that gleaming, organized cold box makes everything feel better and somehow makes the food much more enticing.


Supplies  Begin armed with serious ammunition: you'll need all-purpose cleaner, a sponge and hot water, and a steel wool scrubber in case you have gnarly spills to clean up. Disinfectant wipes ccan also be handy.




Break down the task by shelf. Start by taking out the contents of the entire top shelf. In addition to cleaning the shelf itself, be sure to wipe down the sides of the fridge, too.




Rather than simply tossing expired bottles, rinse them thoroughly so that they can either be recycled or repurposed for something else (like homemade condiments).


 
Consolidate. Sometimes several containers your most popular food can get hidden behind everything else in the refrigerator.  Condense the same unexpired items into one container.



 
Pare down your condiments by throwing away those that look funny, smell weird, or have expired. Also get rid of other items that you know you're probably never going to use.
 
 


Put like items next to one another. For instance, you may have six jars of cured or pickled vegetables, but all are different. Place them all in a line side by side in the refrigerator, so you know exactly what needs to be used up.




Wipe down stains and sticky spots on bottles. This will help keep the refrigerator as clean as possible.




If you know an item's going to expire soon (like this mustard, for instance), mark it with the label "use first." That'll help remind you to reach for the Dijon mustard that expires next month before you grab the yellow mustard that will still keep for the next year.



Remove crisper drawers completely from the refrigerator and scrub them clean with dishwashing detergent and hot water.


 
Label your herbs and spices so you know exactly what is in every bag. It only takes a minute, but it'll save tons of produce from going to waste.



Source:  YumSugar.com

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