Our fridge is home to all the delicious food we eat and it’s important to keep it clean! Not to mention, opening the doors of a very clean and organized fridge is a very satisfying feeling. A couple times a year (or as often as necessary) follow these steps below to achieve the perfectly clean and organized fridge you dream of seeing every morning.

Step 1:

Take out everything. Yep, everything. Your food’s not going to spoil in the one or two hours it takes you to clean your fridge. If it takes longer than that then we’ve got a bigger problem.

Step 2:

As you’re removing everything from your fridge, throw away ingredients that don’t “bring you joy” (from the words of Marie Kondo) But seriously, toss the old sh!t that’s been sitting in the back of your fridge or in the side door untouched for the past year. Throw it away, recycle it, do whatever it takes to get rid of it.

Step 3:

With a lightly damp cloth, wipe down your shelves and inside walls. Start from the top of your fridge and work your way down. No need to remove the shelves unless you really want to go all out. Then, clean your door shelves, again starting from the top and working your way down. Don’t feel like you need to go crazy, unless it’s in terrible shape.

Step 4:

Now that your fridge is wiped down and all your old food/condiments have been thrown away, start putting food back in your fridge. Start with your larger items and work your way down to small items. Rearrange things as needed. A basic organizational strategy for where things go is outlined below:

• Condiments and miscellaneous ingredients – fridge door or top shelf
• Produce – crisper drawers
• Leftover meals – store in clear glass containers and stack by what meal they are. Keep the older meals in the front of the newer ones.
• “Milk” cartons and larger items – bottom shelf (or whichever shelf has the most space)

Step 5:

Take a step back and admire your hard work. Pat yourself on the back and enjoy your beautiful accomplishment

I usually go through this process twice a year. One of these times, I’ll remove the shelves and drawers and give them more thorough cleaning. The rest of the time, I’ll spot clean things as needed. What are your favorite fridge-cleaning tips?