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Welcome back to 30 Days To An Organized Home (also known as the 30-Day Organize-athon)!
In today’s 5 minutes we’re going to express-organize your fridge.
Let’s go!
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This past weekend was a kitchen weekend with fridge reclaimed and cleaned top to bottom and outside
Our group responses are as follows:
Gather all the items that need to be taken out of your home
Library books return to the library
Things that need to be taken for repair: shoes if repair is under $10.00 – over $10.00 purchase new shoes.
Clothes or linens that need to be dry cleaned if you can’t afford dry cleaning do not purchase the item
Items for errands; etc. Run like errands in the same area; if you ride the bus allot 3 hours.
Keep a magnetic pad & paper on your refrigerator. To keep your shopping list, errands, etc.
Keep a pocket calendar in your purse or bag to write appointments, return of library books, etc..
If you are forgetful you can create a checklist of items you need to take with you each day: cell phone, home & car keys, bus card, laptop, etc.
Our group decisions are as follows:
Grab a bag and toss expired food, wilted, funky or no one will eat.
Wipe down the refrigerator thoroughly.
The following guideline is for you to place your food as follows:
Top Shelf: Tall items & eggs. Place milk in the back where it is the coldest..
Middle Shelf: Leftovers, beverages, & ready to eat food.
Bottom Shelf: Keep raw meat wrapped properly & placed on lipped tray to catch drips & prevent cross contamination..
Crisper Drawers: One for fruit & one for vegetables.
Door: For long shelf items like condiments & soft drinks.
Remove everything from your freezer & defrost your freezer.
Clean the defrosted freezer thoroughly
Toss out of date food.
Return the good food to your defrosted clean freezer.
I purged fridge, cleaned it and added a few organizers to coral the items.
Our group decisions are as follows: Grab a bag and toss expired food, wilted, funky or no one will eat. Wipe down the refrigerator thoroughly & follow the guidelines below when placing items back in the refrigerator:
Eggs do best where the temperature is most consistent—on the middle shelf. Store in the original cartons (don’t transfer to the fridge egg container).
Milk should be on the bottom, all the way in back, where it’s coldest.
Yogurt, sour cream, & cottage cheese fare best on the bottom shelf for the same reason.
Packaged raw meat should go on the super-cold bottom shelf. And if juices drip, they won’t contaminate the whole fridge.
Vegetables stay fresh longer with a bit of humidity. The drawer labeled vegetables or high humidity is the moistest spot in the fridge. Store in the original packaging or in a plastic bag, loosely tied.
Fruit belongs in the low humidity drawer/crisper. Keep in the original packaging or in a plastic bag, loosely tied (citrus is fine with no bag). Tip: Leave vegetables & fruits unwashed until you use them. Water can promote mold & cause bacteria to grow.
Deli meats belong in the shallow meat drawer, which is slightly colder than the rest of the fridge, or (if there’s no such drawer) on the bottom shelf.
Butter & soft cheeses don’t need to be super cold, so they can live in the dairy compartment on the door (the warmest part of the fridge). Place soft cheeses, like Brie & goat cheese, in an air-tight container after opening them.
Condiments are generally high in vinegar & salt, which are natural preservatives. So ketchup, mayonnaise, & salad dressing are fine on the door. Same goes for pickles & jarred salsa. Olive & vegetable oils can remain in the pantry. But nut oils, like sesame & walnut oils, belong in the refrigerator, also on the door.
Orange juice can be stored on the door, as long as it’s pasteurized. Fresh-squeezed should be stored on the bottom shelf.
Last year I created baskets of sandwich makings (meats, cheeses) and another of snacks ( cheese sticks, fruit cups, baby carrot bags, grapes in baggies, etc.). Today I added a basket for drinks. They make it eaier for the kiddos to make their own lunch or snacks. I have some things I need to use up this weekend too.
I need to clean out the fridge. This is a good one for me oday.
I have sorted out the fridge, took longer than 5, but that’s because I ended up cleaning it too! I do have a small drinks fridge I need to do too, but the main food one is done. It makes me want to entertain, renovate the kitchen, learn to cook and adopt a healthy eating plan – more things for my to-do lists yayyyy (not!)! I recognise though the lesson that starting makes me finish it and those things above on the to-do list are positive things.