How often do you clean your refrigerator?

[awakenedsoul]

I just cleaned my refrigerator and freezer yesterday. It's a chore I put off, but I love how I feel once it's done. I splurged on a Big Chill model after my 15 year old Kenmore needed to be replaced. I'm always surprised at how much food has spoiled. I'm trying to get better at using up the leftovers. I hate to waste. I put the over ripe produce in the compost pile.

How does your refrigerator look?

[iris lilies]

Please allow me to rant: and thanks in advance.

DH and I are cheap and do not have an ice maker. We are fine with that. But DH is so cheap that he keeps using and using plastic ice cube trays that leak. So now I've got 1/2 inch of ice in my freezer. ack. hate that.

[CathyA]

Clean the refrigerator? Are we supposed to? :0!

Actually, I usually just push things around and wipe up the shelves........and not that often.
But I have a manual stand up freezer and I defrost it once a year and clean it out.
I'm thinking when I do that next, after I load everything back into the freezer from all the coolers, I'll clean out the regular fridge big time.

[nswef]

I don't clean mine too often, it has glass shelves, so I wipe them..especially the one that hold milk and half and half. For leftovers I try to put them in the very front on the eye catching shelf so as not to forget them. Seems to work, but I still waste some things. Less than I used to though.

[awakenedsoul]

I try to do that with the leftovers, too. But, since I buy in bulk, my refrigerator is very full. I may cut back my box of produce from the co op to once every three weeks. When I clean the fridge, I pull out the drawers, wash them in hot vinegar water, wipe out beneath them, and clean the lid. That's the most work. I also take everything out, wipe it all down, and then put things away, neatly. I really get messy in there. I've got to keep it organized; it looks so much nicer.

Suze Orman says that people with money have neat and clean houses, clean cars, and clean refrigerators. I've found it to be true. Now I need to go vacuum all the dog hair out of my car!

iris lilies, (Is it my imagination, or does your screen name switch from plural to singular? iris lily to iris lilies?) Can't you just throw the old trays away and replace them? They're so cheap, and it seems like an easy fix...

[Kestra]

I usually just move and clean the fridge then. I guess it's been about 6 months so maybe I'll clean it soon, but probably not. Maybe once a year? I just don't like cleaning.

[Tussiemussies]

Most of the time when DH has gone food shopping, I wipe down our interior with Clorox wipes. We usually as lot eat our produce DH roasts vegetables usually every night. That is as good and easy way to make use of them for us. Shopping is every week so all I have to get rid of is old condiments which doesn't happen a lot!

[iris lilies]

I try to do that with the leftovers, too. But, since I buy in bulk, my refrigerator is very full. I may cut back my box of produce from the co op to once every three weeks. When I clean the fridge, I pull out the drawers, wash them in hot vinegar water, wipe out beneath them, and clean the lid. That's the most work. I also take everything out, wipe it all down, and then put things away, neatly. I really get messy in there. I've got to keep it organized; it looks so much nicer.

Suze Orman says that people with money have neat and clean houses, clean cars, and clean refrigerators. I've found it to be true. Now I need to go vacuum all the dog hair out of my car!

iris lilies, (Is it my imagination, or does your screen name switch from plural to singular? iris lily to iris lilies?) Can't you just throw the old trays away and replace them? They're so cheap, and it seems like an easy fix...

I have two accounts. One has moderator power and the other one does not.

Well, once I discover that DH's ice cube trays have gone bad I throw them out, but by then it's too late, they've leaked all over the place.

[gimmethesimplelife]

I keep baking soda in the fridge in case of odors and I wait until the fridge needs a cleaning, which is quite obvious, and then block off an afternoon and do a really good job. My cousin who owns this house with me lets me do this as this kind of task drive her nuts but I find it relaxing and almost zen like if I am in the right mood when I do it. Probably I should do this - clean out the fridge more often - but my go with the flow approach to it seems to work. Rob

[Lainey]

I'm about the same as nswef. But I heard a good tip the other day - buy some plastic place mats and put them on the fridge shelves, so when spills happen you can just pull the mats out and clean them. So much easier!

[Blackdog Lin]

It doesn't seem to need it all that often. When I open it up and see crud at the bottom I wipe it down. Which is about once a month. Same with the crispers (produce drawers) - when they look dirty in the bottom I pull them out and clean them, which is probably about every other month. As for a full complete and totally sanitary cleaning? It just seldom seems to need it. Once a year. Maybe.

We're lucky in that we cook daily and thus keep good track of what's in the fridge - so we don't have much if any spoilage to clean up.

[frugal-one]

Since we got the fridge of my dreams..... large and easy to see what is inside.... very little food is wasted. I wipe up the glass shelves as needed. So far so good....

[awakenedsoul]

Thanks for all the replies. I think I just need to be more disciplined about keeping mine orderly. I tend to get messy with the way I put things away. When I clean it, and put the food in nicely, it looks beautiful. This model is the studio size, and it's smaller than my old Kenmore. I had been grocery shopping once a month to save money. I can't do that with this fridge. It sure feels better to have it all cleaned and organized.