Why clean the fridge?
A clean, well-organized fridge is a winner! As well as preserving your products in an optimal, well-thought-out way, organizing your fridge is an excellent way to avoid wasting food and having to deal with expired or even rotten food. What’s more, a well organized fridge saves users an enormous amount of time, as they can quickly see the entire contents of the fridge. Last but not least, a well-organized fridge saves space, which is much more pleasing to the eye than a jumbled fridge overflowing everywhere.
Part 1: Cleaning the refrigerator
Before you embark on your refrigerator organization project, refrigerator cleaning is crucial. Indeed, unless it’s already been done, a refrigerator can accumulate a significant amount of bacteria over time, especially when regular cleaning isn’t carried out. So it’s important to wash the fridge first.
1 Prepare your work tools
To avoid reheating your refrigerated food too quickly, it’s important not to waste any time! That’s why it’s a good idea to have your refrigerator cleaning tools and products ready.
We recommend using hot water with a little dishwashing detergent to clean your empty fridge. To disinfect your fridge, you can use a solution of one tablespoon of bleach to one gallon of water. For reference, a gallon is equivalent to 16 cups. Dry your fridge with a clean microfiber cloth.
2 Unplug the refrigerator
Before starting to clean the refrigerator, unplug it from the mains. This will avoid unnecessary energy losses during cleaning. It’s important to note, however, that some refrigerators have an off button, so you don’t have to unplug the fridge completely.
3 Take out the products
The first step in cleaning the fridge is to remove all food from the fridge. For frozen products, we suggest you store your food in a temporarily frozen place, such as a cooler filled with ice cubes. This way, you ensure that your frozen products don’t break the cold chain. You can also take out all removable refrigerator components, such as drawers and shelves.
Once you’ve taken the food out of the fridge, take the opportunity to sort it out. Throw out any rotten food and check the condition of expired products.
4 Wash the inside of the refrigerator
You can start cleaning the refrigerator once all detachable parts and products have been removed. Wet your sponge or cloth in warm water mixed with dishwashing detergent and start cleaning, always starting at the top. Be sure to clean any components that cannot be removed.
Once your refrigerator has been cleaned, you now have the option of disinfecting it. It’s best to consider this option if you rarely clean your fridge and/or if there are odors. Disinfecting the fridge takes just a few minutes longer and prevents the proliferation of bacteria and germs, thus reducing the possibility of food poisoning.
If you choose to disinfect your fridge, simply mix a tablespoon of bleach in a gallon of water (16 cups). If you have an antibacterial cleaner, you can of course use that too. Then wipe down your fridge with a clean cloth.
5 Wash the inside of the freezer
For anyone with a combined fridge and freezer, this step is for you! To clean your freezer, you can use a solution of water and white vinegar. Vinegar is food-safe, which is why it’s so useful. When your solution is ready, pour it into a spray bottle and, using a sponge or microfiber cloth, wipe down the walls and shelves. Before you start scrubbing, make sure your freezer is completely defrosted, which may take a few hours.
How to deodorize a freezer
If there are odors, it’s probably a sign that your freezer needs to be disinfected. To do this, you can use the same method as for disinfecting your fridge, i.e. a solution of bleach and water. Once your freezer has been disinfected, it’s important to leave the freezer door open for a few days to allow the odors to dissipate. It’s also important to provide a temporary storage place for your frozen products.
Part two: refrigerator organization
1 Your refrigerator capacity
An energy-efficient refrigerator should be two-thirds full. An overfilled fridge can result in blocked air vents, while an underfilled fridge can consume excess energy for nothing. So plan your trips to the supermarket accordingly.
2 Shelf organization
Top shelf
It’s a well-known fact that the top shelf is the hottest part of the fridge. So it’s important not to put products that tend to spoil quickly, such as milk and eggs. The top shelf is ideal for snacks that only need to cool slightly, as well as leftover meals.
The central shelf
The central shelf is the place with the most stable and controlled temperature. This is where you can place milk, eggs and fruit of your choice.
Bottom shelf
The bottom shelf is the coldest part of the refrigerator. This is where you should store dairy products such as cheese, yogurt and sour cream. However, never put fruits and vegetables with a high water content (cucumbers, grapes), as they could freeze and spoil quickly.
The drawers
Ideally, refrigerator drawers should be used to separate your meats from your fruits or vegetables. Indeed, to avoid cross-contamination, meats should be placed in one drawer. Of course, it’s important not to mix the contents of the two drawers.
What’s more, vegetables and fruit should ideally not be placed in the same drawer. Why do you ask? The reason is that vegetables perish less quickly in a high-humidity environment, and fruit in a low-humidity environment – the opposite. We therefore recommend putting your vegetables in the humidity-controlled drawer and leaving your fruit in the middle shelf of your refrigerator.
The doors
In the same vein as the top shelf, the doors represent a relatively unrefrigerated storage space. So it’s crucial not to place your dairy products and eggs here. However, the door compartments are an ideal place for condiments, sauces and other highly salted or vinegar-laden items.
3 Use of baskets, bins and trays
Recently popularized on social networks, the use of storage accessories such as baskets, bins and trays seems to be an attractive solution for the refrigerator. The question remains, should you follow this trend? In our opinion, the answer is mixed. Firstly, we believe that in addition to beautifying your fridge, these accessories can greatly help you in your organization. However, we have to admit that this trend can easily become a means of over-consumption of products, to get a full look, which can really pose a problem in terms of waste. On top of that, these storage accessories are quite expensive and can unnecessarily take up space in your fridge.
The key is to think carefully about your needs, to avoid unnecessary purchases. However, we’d like to reiterate that the use of a few storage bins is perfectly acceptable if you want to achieve a certain final visual yield.
How to use storage accessories wisely
The primary role of storage accessories is to organize your refrigerated products by category. For example, place all snacks in one bin, followed by a second bin containing fruit. If you want to separate your product categories to avoid cross-contamination, it’s worth considering the purchase of storage accessories. However, you still need to respect the temperature levels explained above. You shouldn’t put eggs on the top shelf just because you’ve now put them in a plastic container.
Don’t forget
Don’t forget to reconnect or reactivate your refrigerator once all your products have been returned to your fridge.
For more advice on refrigerator cleaning, contact us! Put your trust in Monsieur Propreté!
