7 Things to Get Rid of in Your Fridge to Get Ready for Christmas—According to Professionals
With the Christams just around the corner, decluttering your fridge and getting rid of all the things that should no longer be in it is necessary. Do you know why? Not only will it enhance the safety of your food and decrease last-minute mayhem when entertaining guests but will also clear space for all the leftover sugary goodness during those Christams gatherings. Just imagine the joy of having a fully-stocked and organized refrigerator where you don’t have to sift through chaotic shelves to find the ingredients you urgently need because everything is in order and within access. By spending some time to declutter and deep clean your fridge, you can make sure you’re set for a stress-free Christmas season ahead.
To help you get going, we have compiled professional tips along with necessary equipment from renowned retailers like Amazon, Wayfair, QVC and The Container Store to ensure you can effectively declutter your fridge and celebrate a worry-free Christmas.
How to Prepare for Fridge Cleaning and Decluttering
Everything starts with proper preparation, and it’s importance increases tenfold if it’s a tedious and not-so-pleasant task like decluttering and cleaning your fridge for the holiday season. This is how you can prepare for the challenge ahead.
Set an Area for Temporary Storage
Before you start purging your refrigerator, arrange a clean countertop or a tabletop for temporary placement of all the stuff you’ll be taking out of your fridge. This will help you sift through things quickly and efficiently. To make sure you manage everything effectively and in an organized manner, consider using multipurpose containers for dumping junk, recyclables and compostable materials.
You can use stackable bins with lids to neatly store things during fridge decluttering. These bins are easily available on Wayfair. Another helpful product is a pile of reusable silicon bags; these are best for storing perishable products. Look for them on Amazon, and you’ll find plenty at economical prices.
Gather Cleaning and Organizing Supplies
Now, you need to collect all the essential supplies and tools you will need for cleaning and organizing your fridge to get ready for Christmas.
The things you will need are:
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Microfiber cloths
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Hot soapy water
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Multi-surface cleaning spray
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Disinfectants (e.g., vinegar or bleach solution)
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Odour neutralizers (e.g., baking soda or activated charcoal)
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Storage containers
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Trash bags
I would suggest consult QVC to get multi-surface cleaner spray if you don’t have one at home already. Also, The Container Store is another ideal option if you’re looking for adjustable shelves or organizers for storing things during the fridge cleaning task.
Steps to Declutter and Clean Your Fridge Accoridng to Experts
According to professionals, the following steps will guarantee help you declutter and deep clean your fridge thoroughly and without losing your sanity.
1. Empty Your Fridge
To begin cleaning, first you need to evacuate your fridge of everything to make sure nothing obstructs your cleaning. Set the products according to types.For instance, make sections for condiments, dairy and leftovers. This will help you easily sort out which products to keep and which to discard.
Pro Tip: Professionals suggest that following the "keep, donate, toss" formula can help you get the job done efficiently.
2. Clean and Sanitize the Interior
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Take out all the shelevs, trays and drawers to thoroughly scrub them with a soapy water. This is what the experts at The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recommend because soapy water will help you get ready of the invisible germs from all these detachable surfaces.
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Next, you need to clean all the walls, seals and hard-to-reach nooks of your fridge with the help of sponges and your old tooth brush (for gunk in sneaky corners).
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You can order antibacterial wipes from platforms like Amazon to wipe your refrigerator’s walls for a germ-free interior or simply use dishwash cloth or paper towels.
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To protect your fridge shelves from future spills and stains, get your hands on removable fridge liners easily available on Wayfair. This tiny investment will make your future maintenance ten times easier.
3. Get Rid of Lingering Odours
Another thing that should be not be present in your fridge is an unpleasant smell that refuses to go away, ruining the perfect ambiance of your Christmas decor. You can get rid of persistent odours caused by food items through baking soda. Place an unlid box of baking soda or activated charcoal in your fridge to kill the lingering smell. To minimize this issue in the future, keep your food in airtight containers. You can use refrigerator deodorizer pods available on Amazon or get activated charcoal bags from The Container Store.
Decluttering Checklist: What to Toss Before Christmas
Here’s a list of 7 things to must get rid of your fridge to ready yourelf for Christmas.
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Expired Items
Toss out all the food items and condiments that have long reached their expiry dates yet are still present in your fridge. This will hep you make space for the fresh holiday groceries and the upcoming Christmas delectables.
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Mystery Leftovers
Discard all the mystery food items stored in containers, such as half-eaten casseroles and leftover salads or takeouts, if they have been placed in your fridge for over 3 or 4 days to prevent food security hazards.
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Duplicate or Unused Items
All those items whose duplicates you already have or that you won’t be using anymore, toss them out as well like half-used bottles of ketchup etc.
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Seasonal and Outdated Products
Get rid of all the stuff that isn’t appropriate for the upcoming holiday season, such as summer BBQ dressings or half-eaten or old ice cream buckets.
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Condiments and Dressings
Go through the pile of condiments and dressings you have stored over months. Pay attention to their dates and throw the expired ones in the trash bag.
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Old Produce
Chuck out all the stale produce like wilted spinach and lettuce, rotten berries or any other greens that are no longer fresh and crisp due to improper storage or aging. This would help you preserve the freshness of other items in the fridge.
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Open Containers
Anything sitting in open containers for a while also needs to go away, such as sauces, dips or leftover food items, because they might be nurturing bacterias or have lost their freshness due to remaining exposed to air for quite some time.
How to Organize Your Fridge for the Holiday Rush
Do you know how else you can tackle your fridge to prepare for the approaching Christmas rush so that you don’t lose sanity when it’s in full swing? Simple: by keeping your fridge well-organized. By placing things in a properly arranged manner with the help of ingenious storage methods, you will not only be able to judiciously use the available space but also be able to access things easily for festive dinners.
Here’s what experts recommend to do to organize your refrigerator for the busy holiday season.
Group Similar Items Together
Dedicate specific spots to keep similar products together for easy access. For instance, group all your condiments in one slot, dairy products in another and leftovers in another to make your food prep simple, fast and stress and worry-free.
Product Recommendation: Transparent and stackable storage boxes bought from QVC can help you see all the stuff in a glimpse.
Maximize Shelf Space
If you want to make extra space in your fridge to accommodate taller dishes (beverage pitchers, dessert trays etc.) and Christmas goodies, rearrange its shelves or take advantage of stackable organizers to stack puny boxes one over another yet keep all the stuff within easy reach.
Product Recommendation: It is recommended to go through The Conatiner Store’s tiered shelves for fridge. They are best for increasing vertical storage in your refrigerator.
Maintain Proper Temperature
Expert advise to keep your fridge temperature at 37°F to ensure fresh produce remains fresh. For the safety of frozen products, keep your freezer temperature at 0°F. This will not only preserve Christmas ingredients but also keep leftovers in their optimal condition for a little longer.
Specialized Storage Solutions
Tools like fresh produce bags or bins are best for preserving the freshness of your food products for longer than usual anticipated time.
Product Recommendations: Amazon’s FreshWorks Produce Saver Containers will be a worthy investment according to professionals.
Expert Tips for Maintaining Your Fridge Throughout the Holidays
Looking for easy hacks to maintain freshness of your stuff, its organziation and your peace and sanity throughout the bustling festive season? Follow these professionals-approved simple and effective tips and your fridge will remain holiday-ready for sure.
Use labels
Label all your jars and containers properly according to the items inside them and dates to make sure you use these perishable items before they need to be thrown. It is an effective hack to decrease food wastage as well as your confusion.
Create a Holiday Stock List
Prepare an extensive inventory of the basic necessities you’ll require during the festive season, such as dairy, fresh fruits and vegetables, alcoholic beverages. What this will do is help you not to forget essential ingredients or overstock others.
Schedule a Weekly Declutter
To make sure you don’t have to start from scratch deep cleaning and organizing of your refrigerator when its the actual holiday time, allocate a little time each week to go through all the fridge items and discard the wasted ones while reshuffling your shelves. This will keep your fridge tidy and well-prepared for Christams preps.
Key Takeaways
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A clean, tidy, organized and well-stocked fridge promises three crucial things: safety and hygiene of your food items, reduction in your stress and anxiety and improved effcieny in your Christmas planning and preparation.
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By following expert-led tips and recommendations and using targeted products, you can make this seemingly exhausting process a lot easier and productive.
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Include these tips and expert recommendations in your pre-Christams to-do list to ensure a smooth, cheerful and worry-free holiday period.
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If you want to make your fridge holiday-ready, you must not forget taking a tour of Amazon, Wayfair, QVC, or The Container Store to find all the tools necessary for making the job easier.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
Is it important to declutter my fridge before Christmas?
Yes, decluttering of your fridge is an absolute must to make room for festive meals, ensure hygiene of your food and alleviate stress when the holiday rush is at its peak.
How far in advance should I clean out my fridge for Christmas?
Experts suggest that you should try to clean out and declutter your refrigerator at least a week or two before Christmas to have time for replenishing items and organzing stuff.
What things should I get rid of in my fridge to get ready for Christmas?
To get Christams-ready, it is advised to toss out all the expired items, spoiled fruits and veges, uneaten food and half-used condiments that you most likely aren’t going to use again.
How can I keep my fridge organized after decluttering?
The ideal and most effective way to maintain an organized and tidy fridge after you have decluttered it is to use labeled containers, categorize items to keep similar stuff together and arrange weekly or bi-weekly checks. These tips will help you ensure the freshness of your food items and their convenient accessibility.
