Day 128: Beautiful, neat fridge

Ok... so I have talked about cleaning BEHIND and UNDER the refrigerator before, but beyond throwing away anything green or growing, I have not addressed cleaning INSIDE it.  Of course, as a neat freak, I am always cleaning up crumbs and spills with cleaning wipes.  But, this time around, I decided to remove EVERYTHING... and get this darn ice box in order!

You can see in this photo that the spills and stains weren't terrible... but they were still there!  Gross!  And these goops and blobs, of course, can cause your fridge to smell a little funky.  (I'm just glad I decided to do this before grocery shopping!  The fridge was already a bit packed, and there was food spread out all over my kitchen counters!)  Once all the food items were out, I removed all the trays and drawers, washed them and wiped them down with cleaning wipes.  Ah, fresh, lemony clean!

OK.... I'll admit it.  I sort of had ulterior motives with this whole fridge clean-out thing! About a month ago, I spotted yet another neat product that I knew I had to try: Fridge Coasters.   What the heck is a fridge coaster, you may ask?  Well, simply put, it's a decorative, absorbent cardboard-thick liner that goes in your refrigerator!  There are super-cute patterns and colors (gray, blue, pink and yellow) and different sizes for different needs, but I knew I wanted gray and a mix of patterns.  (Hey all these patterns are so IN right now!) I was extremely fortunate to receive a "fridge pack" from Fridge Coasters.... BUT, my hubby knew I had been talking about these handy things, and he gave me a "fridge pack" as a birthday present!  YAY!  TWO whole fridge packs were just enough for me to cover every space!  All I did was line up the coaster with my shelves and drawers and figure out how to size them.  I removed some perforated pieces, and I cut down some others.  It's super easy.  No real thinking involved! :)

These photos show how incredibly cute -and neat - my super-clean refrigerator door turned out, with my gray fridge coasters dressing up a once all-white, dull bunch of bins, and how dapper and tidy the drawers and shelves look!  I love it... almost enough to NOT return the food....  Hmmmmmm.

Since a refrigerator with no food makes no sense, I went ahead and reloaded my food items (sans a few expired or unneeded things), and now we can enjoy a clean, organized fridge that stores food... in style!

Now, THAT's neat!

NOTE: Fridge Coasters supplied me with one pack of "fridge coasters," but they did not pay me to say any of the above.  Those are all my thoughts!

Day 113: The Fridge File

It seems that I am always picking up random scraps and pieces of paper, even though I do my best to sort mail, bills and other important what-nots, not to mention all of the lovely little paperclips, toys, markers and other random items that wind up on the kitchen counters or in the centerpiece on the island. (Don't you LOVE these space-alien shrinky dinks? It's a new decor MUST!)

I guess I still have yet to find the perfect catch-all spot.... until today! So, if you feel a little crafty (just a teensy bit, I promise!), then get out some scissors, packing tape and pretty paper. This is an AMAZING idea from a fellow blogger (spotted on Pinterest). It really is amazing how you can turn something so plain, simple and everyday into something beautiful, fun and useful!

THE do-it-yourself, recycled-cereal-box FRIDGE FILE:
1. Select an empty cereal box of your choice. (Iain helped us "empty" this one by eating the rest of the cereal!)


2. Cut off the top, and shape the box so that the front is a little smaller than the back.

3. Secure all edges with sturdy packing tape. (You don't want all those odds n' ends escaping their holder and crashing to the floor!)


4. Wrap the box neatly like a package, using your choice of wrapping paper or scrapbook paper. I like scrapbook paper, since it's sturdier! (You can use a coordinating pattern or color on the inside, or do it all the same! I also decided to add some ribbon and a little "happiness always" stamp with a metal plaque on the front; I also distressed the paper to give it that cool, antique look!)


5. Hang your new "fridge file" with some coordinating, magnetic clips!
(I am showing the blogger's version, too, for some added inspiration! And... BTW, yes, I plan to go out and get some "coordinating" clip magnets ASAP... instead of using SpongeBob!)

6. ENJOY your handy, new storage - for mail, school papers, coupons, random tidbits or whatever your heart's desire!



Now, THAT's neat!

Day 74: Yes you CAN!

When I was in elementary school and junior high, we had to sell stuff from catalogs of 100's of random things to raise money for our choir, band, sports teams, etc., etc. One of those catalogs came out at Christmastime, and I distinctly remember ordering silver snowflake wrapping paper, chocolate caramel apple candies... and a soda can holder.

It's such a simple little device, but it truly can save time... space... and frustration, if you enjoy canned drinks! Just roll a whole case (or 12 cans, total) of your aluminum-encased beverages into the holder...

...and place the whole thing in your fridge! The cans should just roll right down to the bottom as you need them!



Now, THAT's neat!

Day 42: Forget About the TOP of The Fridge...

...have you seen what's underneath and behind the refrigerator!? EEEwwwww!

I was recently inspired to clean behind -- and under -- our refrigerator after seeing a little tip in the May edition of Real Simple magazine on this dirty (but necessary) job (see pg. 209)! So, if you have at least an extra 15 minutes, then this might be a nice thing to tackle (it not only helps keep things clean and dust-free, it can help keep your refrigerator in shape, too!).

*BTW -- it's recommended to do this at least twice a year! OOOPS! How about once every 3 years.... since that's how long we've been in this house!

So.... here is what I discovered when I gently wiggled my fridge back and forth out of its little spot in our kitchen. YUCK!

(NOTE: Real Simple warns you to unplug the appliance and be very cautious not to disturb the water hose, if you have an ice maker!)

Then I grabbed my Swiffer and mopped up all the loose dirt and grime. I then used a damp cloth to finish cleaning the floor and the back, sides and top of the fridge. You can use a brush attachment on your vacuum to get a really good clean (or to help clean a really big mess). I did not take this extra step today since the Swiffer caught just about everything! Also, I did not unscrew the back plate to get to the refrigerator coils. I did, however, clean out the plate and wipe off all the debris. (Apparently there is a special tool called a "refrigerator-coil brush" just for cleaning the coils on your fridge. But I don't happen to have one of these.... do you!?!?!)


The hardwood floor looked pretty good when I was done, so I did not have to take any extra steps to de-gum it! But if your floor looks bad, Real Simple suggests a solution of 1/2 cup white vinegar and 1/2 gallon warm water for most surfaces (but NOT for tile or stone).

Now, THAT's neat!

DAY 36: As The Milk Sours

Sorry about all these random product mentions, but I was surfing the Internet today and just stumbled across something that really struck a chord with me: a kitchen gadget that tells if your milk has gone sour!!!!

Now, apparently this new-fangled milk jug is currently still in the "research and development stages," so isn't available for purchase just yet. But I assure you, I will be one of the first in line if and when Cravendale gets this out for public consumption -- even if they are located in England!!!

I am so neurotic about milk; I smell the milk before every use! In fact, I’m so careful about milk that I’ve probably dumped tons of perfectly good milk down the drain before. WHY!?! Well, because like many of you, I've gotten burned by sour milk before. You know, you sit down to a nice big bowl of cereal, and EEEWWWWWW! ACK! Sour milk. Or, even worse, you just take a BIG swig right from the jug, only to realize: the milk has gone bad! VERY bad!

At any rate, when it arrives on a planet near you, this sour-sensing milk jug will feature a LCD display that will either read "fresh" or "sour." It determines the milk's freshness through a sensor at the bottom of the jug. When milk goes bad, it’s more acidic, so the sensor looks for a drop in pH.

So no more sniffing, sipping or accidentally downing a huge gulp of nasty, sour milk. And no more dumping perfectly good milk down the drain! Hooray! Bring on the magic milk jug!

Now, THAT's neat!

Day 10: Refrigerator Refurbish

I am NOT showing you a "before" photo on this one....

Why? Well, I don't know anyone in his or her right mind who would actually enjoy peering into the depths of old leftovers, sticky glops and goo and spilled, caked-on foodstuffs. Those words alone are enough of a picture of what lurks... even in the ice box of an obsessive neat freak! (Again, may I remind you that I, being the neat freak, am not the only one using said refrigerator. Thus, containers of all sorts of things get spilled or shoved into odd spots, even if they're old, outdated, moldy, gooey or empty!)

To get started on my fridge refurb, I chose a day when the well-respected appliance was a bit on the empty side. This made my job of discarding "unwanteds" MUCH easier! Plus, I was able to remove the "good" items or just move them around so I could clean off the shelves and clean inside the bins and such. Mind you, I did not do a complete re-haul on the fridge. I just did a little tidying. Here's a list of the things I took care of today, in about 25 minutes!

• Checked all items and threw away anything outdated (i.e. potatoes with alien life forms growing on them; green sour cream that I am sure is not for St. Patty's Day; and dried-up, half-used ketchup packets from Chick-fil-a).
  
• Cleaned all handles, surfaces, shelves and drawers with Lysol disinfecting wipes. (I also removed the fridge pieces that came out in order to dump whatever crumbs and bits were hanging around inside, trying to start-up new societies.)
• Placed clean, folded-up paper towels inside bins and holders to help catch chunks and spills. (This will make cleaning even easier next time! Hooray!)
  
• Moved foods covered loosely with foil or with plastic wrap into lidded, air-tight containers. (Wow -- what a difference in the SMELL, not just the LOOK, of the fridge!)
• Put "like" items together. Cheeses are together. Veggies are veggin' out in their very own drawer. Condiments now live in harmony in their very own bin. Jellies are all jammin.' Leftovers have retired to their spot. And canned drinks can celebrate on their very own shelf, some even in a handy drink holder/dispenser. (No, I did not alphabetize. And, no, nothing is labeled. But it looks neat, and it makes sense!)
• And while this is not something new for me (or new for this particular clean-up), there's a plastic container on the lower right side of the fridge for meats that I plan to use for meals that are coming up. This way things can defrost without getting wetness and goop all over the fridge. (Ever have that 4 pounds of roast defrost into a bloody mess all over the shelf, and leak into the vegetable drawer? Yeah. I learned my lesson!)
  

This is something I do every now and then when I get tired of things jumping out every time I open the refrigerator door! And now that you know the routine, I will share the "after" picture.
Ta-da!



Now, THAT's neat!