The New Year is now upon us and for me that brings with it a time of renewal for cleaning and organizing our year.
I will admit that the refrigerator is one area that could use some concentration in our house.
I would imagine after all of the holiday festivities and leftovers, it might be a spot to tackle in your home as well.
Today I wanted to share with you some ideas for cleaning out the refrigerator and some great items to refill your refrigerator with.
Here are some easy tips for cleaning out your refrigerator:
Gather Your Cleaning Supplies
Break out two dishwashing tubs and a cookie sheet .
Fill one of these tubs with two tablespoons of baking soda and one quart of warm water for wiping down the interior of your refrigerator.
Then use your cookie sheet and other dishwashing tub to put all of the condiments on and empty your drawers into for removing items quickly and easily so you can wipe down the interior without a hassle.
Let the Drawers Clean Themselves
Before cleaning the interior of the fridge, fill each drawer with the same amount of baking soda solution in each one and let the baking soda solution do the dirty work of cleaning them while you are wiping out the inside of the fridge.
Wipe Down the Interior
Using a rag or microfiber cloth, dampen the cloth with the baking soda solution.
Gently wipe the interior of the refrigerator and all of the surfaces.
If the washing solution begins to look murky, be sure to dump it and get another tub full to for cleaning.
Tips for Stubborn Spots
For stuck on interior stains, you can sprinkle a little baking soda directly on the spot and add just a little water to it to make a paste.
Allow the paste to work on the set in stain and then scrub gently to remove the gunk.
Put It Back Together Again
Go back to your drawers and empty them and wipe the interiors of these.
Now place these back into the fridge and then take your dishwashing tub of solution and empty it into the sink.
Refill the tub with just warm water and add a dash of lemon juice to the water.
Use your rag to do a final swipe using just this water & lemon juice solution.
This will remove any grit that might be left in the fridge and the lemon juice will give it a nice fresh scent throughout.
Dry thoroughly with a terry towel.
Take your cookie sheet of condiments and make sure to give each of these a quick swipe with the rag before returning them.
Half the battle is not having clean items in your fridge and this is a good way to start fresh.
Return all of the items in the other tub to their proper homes.
Tidy the Exterior–
The exterior of your fridge can often be overlooked, but it needs attention too.
As a mother of two little ones, fingerprints and smudges are all over my fridge on any given day.
To remove these, I spray my homemade all purpose cleaner on my fridge.
You can use a microfiber cloth to clean the outside of your refrigerator, as it is gentle but also abrasive enough to remove any marks.
Any scuffs still left?
Break out your Mr. Clean Eraser (a mom’s best friend!)
You can find a generic equivalent of one of these at your local dollar store.
If you have a stainless steel appliance, dip your microfiber cloth into a little vinegar and give the outside of the fridge a good swiping with the vinegar.
Then give the appliance another swipe with just plain water and dry thoroughly with a terry towel.
Restock Your Fridge
Now that your refrigerator is nice and clean it is time to restock it for the New Year.
Here are ten essential items to have on-hand when restocking your refrigerator.
Ten Fridge Essentials
- Milk
- Coffee Creamer
- Butter
- Jelly
- Cheese- Slices & Shredded
- Minute Maid Pure Squeezed orange juice
- Carrots
- Lettuce/Romaine Hearts
- Lunch Meat
- Condiments (check your expiration dates on your condiments & toss any expired items)
Minute Maid has graciously offered to give one of our lucky readers a year’s supply of Minute Maid Pure Squeezed orange juice to get your New Year started out right. (**Sorry this giveaway is now closed**)
Just imagine that you don’t have to pay for this great fridge essential for an entire year.
I am so excited for you!
Today we are offering one lucky reader a year’s supply of Minute Maid Pure Squeezed orange juice. Leave one comment for each entry you wish to complete:
- First Entry: Leave a comment and let us know which variety of Minute Maid Pure Squeezed orange juice you are interested in trying for your family- No Pulp 100% Orange Juice, No Pulp 100% Orange Juice with Calcium and Vitamin D, Some Pulp 100% Orange Juice, or Light Orange Juice Beverage with Calcium and Vitamin D with 50 calories per 8 fl. oz. serving.
- Additional Entry: Let us know you are a fan of Minute Maid and join the Minute Maid Facebook Page.
- Additional Entry: Follow me on Twitter and get an early scoop on what I am up to!
One winner, chosen at random, will receive a year’s supply of Minute Maid Pure Squeezed Orange Juice (52 coupons). Please submit your entries by Tuesday (01/10) at 8PM EST. Our winner will be drawn at random. Good luck, everyone!
Sorry! This giveaway is now closed! We would like to congratulate Sandy N. (Comment #4) on winning this great prize! What a wonderful way for her to start her new year!
I am a spokesperson for Minute Maid Pure Squeezed orange juice and have a relationship with the company. Want to know more about how things are handled here at MomAdvice? Be sure to read our Disclaimer which clearly states how things work and know that we will always offer only the best reviews to our readers. In full disclosure, the email addresses that are collected for this giveaway will only be used for the purpose of contacting the winner(s), and will never be sold or given to anyone. This giveaway is only open to residents of the United States who are 18 years of age or older. Entries that do not follow the above criterion will automatically be disqualified. This giveaway will close Tuesday, January 10th at 8PM (EST). I’ll announce the first name of the winner(s) that will be added to the top of this current giveaway post and contact the winner(s) by email. I will draw the names of the winner(s) by using the random number generator at Random.org from the eligible entries received. If a winner does not contact me within 72 hours by email, I will draw a new winner. The winner(s) will receive their prize from the PR agency responsible for this giveaway.
Sorry! This giveaway is now closed! We would like to congratulate Sandy N. (Comment #4) on winning this great prize! What a wonderful way for her to start her new year!
Photo credits: katisworld & Michelle Wutkon
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