I know, I’m way behind on Simple Mom’s Project Simplify challenge.

That’s ok though.

I’m even being a bit of a rebel by skipping Hot Spot #3 (kids rooms) entirely right now and doing Week #4. (The kids rooms will come at a later date. I’m working on painting now.)

(Here are the posts on Week One: Declutter Your Closet and Week Two: Paper Clutter)

Clean Out Your Fridge and Pantry

Ugh.

I admit I have a weakness in this area of household management.

While I do clean out spills promptly when they happen, and I give the fridge a quick once over most weeks (err.. some weeks), the last time the fridge got a super detail job was several months ago.

Fortunately for me, Thursday is grocery shopping day, so on Wednesday our fridge and pantry are quite bare. Also, since I’ve personally challenged myself to lower the grocery budget by $50 a WEEK this month, I’ve been doing less stockpiling when I see great deals, and more eating from the pantry and freezer.

Hence even more emptiness.

I set the kitchen timer for 20 minutes (baby was strapped into the mai tai sleeping so it was a good time) and I got to work.

How To Clean Out Your Fridge

Here’s what I did:

• Removed all the food and placed it on a towel on the floor.
• Took out all the shelves and drawers and placed them near the sink.
• Grabbed my all purpose cleaner, microfiber cloths (one damp, one dry), baking soda, an old toothbrush, a green scrubbing pad, and a few paper towels (for the super icky jobs)
• I sprayed the yucky spots in the bottom of the fridge so they could soak
• Quickly wiped the cleaner areas with the damp microfiber cloth
• Scrubbed the yucky areas (under the drawers) with the scrub pad, and the edges with the toothbrush
• Wiped that up with paper towels
• Took apart and cleaned the shelves with dishwashing soap and rinsed, then dried them with the microfiber cloth.
• Put the food back in, discarding any iffy items
• Wiped the outside with a microfiber cloth and all purpose cleaner

I ended up having to reset the timer twice. I worked quickly but it still took me 45 minutes total.

I really hate that I always forget to take a “Before” picture. (Err, Freud would say that isn’t quite unintentional. Maybe I don’t want people to see the Before shot!)

Anyway, here’s the after. The pic doesn’t do justice to how shiny and white and clean it is!

What I Will Do Differently Next Time

• Pull out the shelves, taking apart the glass and plastic shelf pieces and chuck them in the dishwasher instead of  cleaning it all by hand.
• Place a large towel just in front of the fridge so that all the detritus I’m wiping out doesn’t get all over the floor and kitchen.