The One Thing You Can Do to Instantly Upgrade Your Fridge (It Matters!)
Apartment Therapy’s Spring Cleaning Cure is a free 10-day program that’ll help you achieve a tidier home. Get all assignments delivered to your inbox by signing up here and download our calendar page to follow along.
The way your fridge looks is important. If your fridge is in a constant state of disorganization, it can lead to spoiled foods, duplicate items, and total chaos come mealtime. But when it’s put-together and even nice to look at, you’re more likely to keep it that way and find exactly what you need when you’re cooking.
Today, we’re going to deep-clean our fridge and get it looking so good.
Day 6: Reclaim the fridge.
To get your fridge clean and organized, you’ll first need a few things: a cleared surface like the counter or floor to hold everything that comes out, an empty trash can, an empty sink, some dish towels and microfiber towels, and an all-purpose cleaner or some dish soap and warm water.
Follow these steps to get your fridge totally clean.
- Take everything out of the fridge, and sort as you go. Toss anything that’s gone bad in the trash, put dirty containers that need washing in the sink, and place what’s being kept on your free surface.
- Clean the inside of the fridge. Take out all the removable drawers and shelves, wash them with soap and water, and dry them with a clean dish towel. Wipe down the inside of the fridge with a damp microfiber cloth and use the all-purpose cleaner or dish soap and some water to clean it and buff out anything that’s stuck. Wipe it dry with a clean towel, and don’t forget to clean the seams, corners, and crevices of your fridge.
- Clean all the items you took out. Condiments, sauces, etc. — whatever is in a container should be wiped clean.
- Put everything back. Now put back the shelves and drawers, followed by the fridge’s contents.
- Clean the outside of the fridge. Take down magnets and all the other things that adorn your fridge and clean them. Wipe down the outside of your fridge and put back those items you took off.
- Bonus: Clean on top of and under the fridge. If you really want to take things “above and beyond,” take some time to clean the top of your fridge and below it too.
How’s the state of your fridge looking? Share it with us in the community forum.
More ways to participate in the Spring Cleaning Cure:
- Sign up for email updates.
- Visit the Spring Cleaning Cure page and catch up on assignments.
- Download the Spring Cleaning Cure calendar.
- Check off that you’ve completed this task and track your overall progress here.
- Join the conversation by checking out the Cure board in our community forum.
- Listen to our one-hour cleaning playlist on Spotify.
The Cure Program is a tradition here at Apartment Therapy — it happens every January, April, and September. Click here to learn more about the year-round program and when to sign up.