Refrigerator

Here goes Day 1 of my Top 10 Home Organization Challenge!  This month, I’m working on getting 10 areas of our home clean and organized.  If you missed the first post, you can go here to catch up.  The refrigerator is a logical first place to clean out for the new year.  As we start thinking about treating our bodies right and taking steps to get healthier, maybe cooking more and eating out less, having a good, clean refrigerator will help you do that.  It doesn’t make for the most exciting blog post, but it’s a great step towards starting the new year off right.  And after I publish this post, I’m off to the gym!
It’s embarrassing to share the before pictures, but for honesty’s sake and in pursuit of good blogging, here ya go:

I’ve always felt like we didn’t go a great job picking this fridge, it’s really small and narrow, but we make the best of it.  To get started cleaning, I always begin by clearing out all of the contents of the inside shelves and drawers.  You can see in the upper right hand corner all the leftovers that needing tossing and that a good trip to the grocery store was in order.
The good thing about our fridge is that all of the shelving and drawers can be removed for easy cleaning and a nice scrub with warm soapy water gets all the nasty spills up.  Then, once the shelves are all clean and dry, I wipe down the inside walls.
Sparkling clean!
And then time to put the food back in a more organized way.
And go grocery shopping!  We don’t have the healthiest fridge in the land, but it’s all clean and organized! And so funny when you send a man to the store- I don’t think we’ll run out of Gogurt anytime soon! 😉
As for the refrigerator door, I washed it with soapy water to get all the ick and fingerprints off.  Then, used about two tablespoons of olive oil on a cloth to wipe it shiny clean.  Works great!

So, there’s one thing checked off my Top 10 Home Organization Challenge!  Next up, the pantry.  And I can’t say I’m looking forward to that one- I just know it needs to be done!

Update: You can see the organizing challenges I’ve completed so far here:
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Meet Megan

Hi! I’m Megan, mom to a thoughtful teenager and spunky young girl. We call Houston home and recently moved into our dream home. I traded my lawyer hat to become a full-time blogger in 2010. I love sharing my passion for affordable fashion, home decor, organization, & fitness to help inspire you to take care of you!

35 Comments

    1. That's the problem with this type of fridge- it's small so you have to utilize all the space. The clear organizing drawer I use for James helps because I can take it all the way out if I need to.

    1. We actually do have space for a wider one, I didn't realize how small this one was when I looked at it in the store. In retrospect, I really wish I had researched fridges better- such an important appliance in a home! Our pantry has a hook up for an extra fridge, but we haven't really found the need to put another one in there now.

  1. I deep clean our 3-4 times a year. But, each week when I meal plan I clean it out. Discard what needs to be discarded, wipe down shelves/bins/doors, and take inventory of what we need. This makes such a huge difference. It never gets out of hand. And, it saves us money in the process…we don't waste as much.

  2. First of all I wish a very Happy 2015!
    Great organization post! I just did mine before New Years Eve! My biggest home organization challenge is paperwork and a small junk closet I've got! The oil for the fridge doors is the best !

  3. The fridge looks great. I just did mine too. My worst thing is the closet. I really need to tackle that one.

  4. Hi Megan!
    Not sure if you are using olive oil for being completely natural in products, which is a great idea! But, my favorite product to clean our Whirlpool fridge is Weiman stainless steel cleaner. It brings out a brilliant shine! No streaks, no greasy residue and has a light scent. I've used other products and methods and this one has worked phenomenal! I used to have a cleaning lady and that is what she taught me to use!

  5. Great organization post Megan! My husband surprised me on New Year's Day and tackled ours. I did a happy dance when I saw it. The best feeling ever having a clean and organized frig! I have to try the olive oil on the doors. That is a great tip!

  6. Clean the fridge each week on the day before you do your grocery shopping.

    Rubbing alcohol (either in a spray bottle or simply on a rag) will clean stainless steel, remove fingerprints, give it a wonderful shine, and you won't have spent $$$ on a specialized cleaner and you won't have an oily residue on your fridge.

    A clean, organized fridge is a sight to behold!

  7. I cleaned out our frig for the 1st time in 2 years (hangs my head in shame) right after the New Year and let's just say I found things I didn't want to find. But every time I open the frig now, I smile haha I didn't know about the olive oil so thanks for that tip!
    Linh

  8. I recently just did this as well. Love my fridge bins for easy storage. and i love that you labeled James' drawer, so smart!

  9. Megan, thanks for the push to clean out the refrigerator. Usually I just wipe it out but this time I removed the shelves and drawers like you did and it seems so much cleaner, particularly underneath the produce drawers. I also found a few items to discard.

    Looking forward to the rest of your organizational challenges!

    1. Yes, it's easy to "skimp" and just sorta clean the fridge, but taking everything out, including the drawers and REALLY getting in there and doing a deep clean is well worth it.

  10. Ok, I'm doing this today! My fridge still has the holiday blues – there's stuff in there from before Christmas! And yes, you never know what you'll get when the hubster goes to the store. But as for those go-gurts. I keep them in the freezer! They're perfect in lunch boxes.

    1. I know! My guy buys so much stuff to really stock up. Totally different than how I shop. I never thought of freezing the go-gurt! Thanks!

  11. I just found your blog and have been on for hours!!! LOVE!!! Where did you get your calendar on the side of your fridge??? I NEED to do something like this to show my husband how busy we actually are!!!

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