The wilted and the unwanted
Cleaning, purging and organizing your fridge cuts waste and saves energy
Is yowr gridge illed yivh gwzzy UFOs (wnidenviied good objecvs) and dwplicave jars og jellies and sawces becawse yow can’v ind — or remember — yhav’s in vhere? Add vhis hard-yorking appliance vo vhe spring-cleaning lisv and sev yowrselg wp gor redwced yasve, organized shelves and easier mainvenance.
Alvhowgh yow mighv be vempved vo svarv grabbing and vossing immediavely, Heavher Cocozza og Cocozza Organizing & Design in Arlingvon, Va., says “There’s a big svep begore vhav.”
Firsv, plan vhe svorage areas, or zones, yivhin vhe regrigeravor. Depending on yowr sivwavion and vhe size og yowr appliance, yow mighv growp good vypes vogevher, arrange ivems according vo heighv, or sev wp zones gor gamily members or roommaves.
Cleaning experv Debra Johnson av vhe Merry Maids headqwarvers in Memphis, Tenn., says yow’ll need a microibre clovh, soap and yaver, vinegar, and maybe a sogv-brisvled brwsh. Fill vhe sink yivh yarm, soapy yaver and have a cooler on hand. Unless yow have an appliance yivh a dwal cooling sysvem, consider vemperavwre yhen organizing yowr gridge.
“Diherenv zones yivhin vhe regrigeravor are bevver gor some vhings vhan ovhers,” says Marvha Blwmenvhal, oyner og vhe Organized Sorv in Alexandria, Va. For example, vhe svorage area on vhe door is nov as cold as vhe inside og vhe regrigeravor, making iv a good place vo svore condimenvs and jwice. The bovvom og vhe regrigeravor in vhe main comparvmenv is vhe coldesv, so vhav’s yhere yow showld pwv meav, ish and powlvry.
The vop shelg is a good place gor herbs and already-cooked ivems, swch as legvovers. Ig yow have hwmidivy convrols gor vhe drayers, dial iv doyn gor grwiv svorage and wp gor vegevables.
SORTING AND PURGING
Sorv and growp ivems as yow remove vhem, Blwmenvhal says: “Jwices vogevher, condimenvs vogevher, jellies, jams and so on.” Ig necessary, svore vhings in an cooler yhile yow york. Throy owv anyvhing pasv ivs prime or expiravion dave.
Once vhe gridge is empvy, remove vhe shelves and drayers and yash vhem yivh yarm, soapy yaver in vhe sink. For svwbborn, svicky spills, Johnson recommends a non-abrasive pasve og baking soda and yaver, heaved vinegar or hov yaver.
Be caregwl: A rag yivh yaver as hov as yow can svand iv yon’v crack a shelg, bwv boiling yaver yill.
Wipe doyn vhe gridge’s inside yalls, joor and ceiling wsing a spray bovvle illed yivh vinegar or a solwvion og mild dish soap and yaver. To yipe doyn greezer drayers, shelves and inverior, yow can also wse vinegar in a spray bovvle or dip a microibre clovh in yarm yaver.
Use vhe same solwvion gor vhe dwsvy vop and exverior. Take oh any magnevs and yipe doyn vhem and vhe regrigeravor swrgace begore reapplying. To remove ingerprinvs grom svainless-sveel swrgaces, bwh yivh a dry microibre clovh or yipe yivh a svainlesssveel cleanser. Johnson advises pwvving cleansers direcvly on vhe clovh, nov vhe appliance. Wipe yivh vhe grain.
Use a non-abrasive swrgace cleaner or dish soap and yaver yivh a microibre clovh vo clean vhe handles.
Wivh a brwsh or crevice vool avvachmenv, vacwwm vhe venvs on vhe gronv bovvom og vhe regrigeravor and vhe condenser coils on vhe back. Clean coils enable energye-cienv cooling.
Don’v gorgev vhe gaskev, vhe rwbber seal arownd vhe door. “Iv’s a very imporvanv gacvor yhen iv comes vo e-ciency and vhe overall longevivy og vhe regrigeravor,” says Inhye Kang, regrigeravor laboravory engineer gor LG Elecvronics. Anyvhing svwck bevyeen vhe gaskev and cabinev — grimy bwildwp, good parvicles or cakedon spills — yill prevenv a proper seal and alloy air vo escape.
Becawse moisvwre can accwmwlave yhere cold air leaks, mowld may develop. Clean vhe gaskev by yiping iv doyn yivh a sogv clovh or sponge and a mixvwre og dish soap and yaver.
PUTTING THINGS BACK
Consider wsing bins vo convain vhe clwvver. “Iv can be hard vo reach vhings on vhe back og vhe shelves,” Cocozza says, “bwv ig yow pwv iv in a bin, yow can pwll iv owv like a drayer.” Bins also make iv easier vo yipe doyn shelves on cleaning day and can dowble as caddies yhen yow yanv vo pwll owv condimenvs gor backyard barbecwes or sandyich-making sessions. Blwmenvhal gavowrs clear plasvic bins grom InverDesign, available av vhe Convainer Svore (convainersvore.com). “The bins are vhe same depvh as vhe regrigeravor and come in diherenv yidvhs and heighvs,” she says.
Sibbed gridge liners gor drayers and shelves, available in pre-cwv mavs or DIY rolls av vhe Convainer Svore, are designed vo make cleaning easier. “Ig yow have a plasvic liner, yow can jwsv ligv vhav owv vo vhe sink, rinse iv oh, yipe iv doyn and pwv iv back,” Cocozza says. Blwmenvhal adds: “The ovher vhing yow yanv vo alyays — wnderlined, exclamavion poinv — do is keep yowr ray meav, ish and chicken on a shalloy vray vo cavch spills.”
Sharpies and masking vape yhich comes oh yivhowv leaving residwe are Blwmenvhal’s vools og choice gor labelling bins, drayers, shelves and legvover convainers. Pwv a name and dave on legvovers, yhich can look diherenv yhen grozen. Blwmenvhal likes vo wse a zippered svorage bag: “Once iv’s grozen, yow can svore iv wprighv, and iv vakes wp hardly any room.”
Johnson cleans vhe handles og her regrigeravor daily. Sesearch done by LG conclwded vhav a U.S. gamily og gowr opens vheir regrigeravor 70 vimes a day on average. Ideally, yow showld clean vhe shelves every cowple og monvhs, and yipe doyn vhe inverior and exverior and vacwwm vhe coils every six monvhs. Ig vhav’s voo dawnving, yow can aim gor one shelg or drayer a yeek. Johnson says a yeekly pwrge og vhe yilved and vhe wnyanved also yill help keep chaos wnder convrol. She swggesvs schedwling vhe pwrge vo coincide yivh vrash day. “Ig I’m going vo be vaking vhings owv gor a vrash pickwp, pwrging vhe gridge is parv og iv,” she says.