Here’s another small but impactful project! I don’t know about you but I don’t clean out my refrigerator near enough! I’m pretty good about getting rid of old food but jarred and bottled items can hang out for years! I definitely rarely finish salad dressings or steak sauce or other sauces that I used for a couple of recipes!
BEFORE
My refrigerator is not that large and it wasn’t jammed pack but this task still took about 1 1/2 hours because I was ruthless and thorough. I got rid of ALL expired sauces and dressings and anything that just didn’t look right.
I also pulled the shelves, glass, baskets and side containers out and washed them all thoroughly.
You can see that it’s not terribly out of control!
I had some papers mats to help collect spills but you can see spills still occur.
MIDDLE
Everything is out, cleaned and ready to be arranged!
I liked the look of the polka dot mats but the paper material is not good for refrigerators. The mats do catch spills but they stain the mats so it ends up still looking dirty!
I found a solution at guess where??!!??
The Dollar Tree!! These are clear plastic cutting mats and there are 2 in each pack! Each pack is $1.00! I’m not sure that the quality is up to par for cutting anything on it but to catch spills in the refrigerator they to perfect!
The mats are 11X14 and can of course be used for any number of things other than their stated purpose. I can definitely see using these in my crafting. I used 2 mats on each shelf and 1 in each drawer. With them being clear, it will be easier to not only see the spills when they occur but to wipe them up as well.
Of course, using mats in your refrigerator is not a requirement but it definitely makes it easier to to clean up spills.
AFTER
After removing items and throwing out items, the refrigerator is much more manageable.
I like keeping my jarred things in the side of the refrigerator because it makes it easier for me to see what I have. This helps with meal planning as well because I can use what I have and not purchase new items.
Don’t be concerned that it looks as if I don’t have much food! I had a small grocery order scheduled to be delivered later this day. Also, I’m actively working on eating the food I have on had so that food does not go to waste. This picture makes me laugh because it demonstrates that I clearly like to make sure that I have all sorts of drinks on hand!!
And, just in case you’re wondering why I didn’t do the freezer at the same time, it’s because I cleaned out the freezer about 6 weeks or so ago.
So tell me in the comments-how often do you clean out your refrigerator? Do you use shelf liners or no?
