Monday, May 15, 2017

~The Keeper of Home Series:The Importance of an Organized Refrigerator~




About once a week, I like to organize my refrigerator.  I wash it out about once every two weeks while I reorganize the food.  This is a photo of the organized refrigerator.  
This is what it looked like before I cleaned it out.  I had been sick a couple of days last week, so my husband got take out for dinner both nights.  Our fridge had take out boxes front and center, and the good healthy food was deep inside.  It was crowded and just a plain mess.  I start by taking everything out and throwing away the items that are no longer good.  I then wipe down the shelves with soapy water and then a natural disinfecting spray.

During this process, I will food prep anything that needs to be done.  Here is a cucumber I bought for my daughter Lauren.  I just took the skin off and chopped it into bite size pieces so that it is easy for her to have as a snack.


I also found the baby spinach I purchased for Megan and Justin to eat.  It will be fresh for only a little while longer, although it lasts past the expiration date usually.  I put it front and center so it is easy to grab and have a healthy snack.  They like to eat the spinach with lime juice on top, so I put the limes into a bowl and put it right beside the spinach. Sure enough, yesterday for snack, Justin enjoyed a spinach and lime salad.  
During this process, if the drawers are dirty, I will take them out and wash them with soapy water, and wipe out the inside of the fridge, where the drawers would go.  Once I have washed one drawer, I dump the soapy water into the next one to reuse.  
I do not use my good dish towels to clean out the refrigerator, but rather my old wash rags that I keep in the living room closet.  
It is also important to thoroughly dry the drawers before you put them back.  I like to use these flour sack dish cloths.  I purchase them from Walmart.  I believe they are mainstay brand.  They work wonderful for drying dishes and such.
I also will consolidate items such as these tomatoes, into smaller containers that take up less room, once I have used some of them.  I also do this with chopped fruit that once needed a large container, but only a small portion remains.  This also helps people to want to eat it, as it is more appealing to have the look of a full container, rather than a large almost empty one.
Next I look at our condiment door.  I throw away anything that is gone, or expired and add that item to my messy kitchen list to purchase soon.  I then organize like items together, so they are easy to use.  
Here is the door after I tweaked it a bit.  

Now I move on to our freezer.  Here is the before shot.  Our freezer is unorganized and needed some items to be purged.  I follow the same process with it as with the refrigerator portion.  I remove all items and let go of things that we do not want.  Then I organize like items together so that I can easily see what I have inside.
Look how much better it looks after I am done.  If I wanted to avoid my freezer getting so disorganized, I could just organize it any time I go shopping.  However, I usually do not do this, as I am tired after shopping and usually still have house work to complete.  
For the most part I like to keep my magnets and weekly menu's and sports schedules and such, on the side of the refrigerator rather than the front.  I just think it looks cleaner.  
Every now and then I do put something special on the front of my refrigerator door.  Today I have Justin's States and Capitals test.  He has worked so hard to learn these and got 100% on his last exam.  I thought that deserved a place on honor.  

I truly think it is important to just organize your fridge every so often.  I tend to do the actual refrigerator part about once a week, because it is so important to keep healthy snacks easy for people to access.  However, I don't wipe down the shelves each week I clean it out.  I tend to do that just a couple of times a month.  It also makes me happier when I cook, to know just where everything is, and how much we have left.  This is one of those many things that we clean, and it gets messy so fast.  However, I do not believe in letting that upset me.  This is our home, not a museum, and even though I clean daily, it gets messy each night.  That is okay with me, because our family lives in our home and I want them to enjoy living here.  

Have a happy Monday.  Hugs.  Juli

4 comments:

  1. My refrigerator needs cleaning too. I think wednesday will be the day!
    I can´t have magnets on the refrigerator door, because our cat likes to take them down and chew on them... ;P
    Have a wonderful week!
    :)

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  2. Hi Paula. Thanks for stopping by my little space. I hope you have a wonderful week as well. Hugs. Juli

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  3. Juli,
    Love this!
    If my fridge is not clean and organized, my brain isn't either!!!!
    Hope you had a great Mother's Day. : )

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    1. I know I just am more at peace when things are organized and clean. I did have a nice Mother's Day. I was on your blog earlier and saw your Mother's Day Post. It looked like you had a very nice day. Hugs to you. Juli

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