Basic Kitchen Organizing Part 2 – Outside of the Refrigerator

Go ahead and wash the dishes before you get started.

Today we are going to completely clean the outside of your refrigerator. I want you to get a step stool and take everything off of the top. Take down all of those magnets and pictures off the front and sides. You should have the counter space to help you now.

The Outside Surfaces

Get a dust rag and dust the empty top. Always dust a space before you wash it, or you will make dust mud that makes a surface dirtier than it was before and even harder to clean.

Now get a soapy rag or sponge and really clean the entire outside of the refrigerator. I love the Magic Eraser type sponges that have come out. If you have one, scrub the handles with it and they will look as good as new. I haven’t found anything that seems to get the minuscule orange peel texture truly clean nearly as well.

Do not forget to clean the air vent (the slated plate) and vacuum off the coils. This seems like a waste of time, and a lot of bother, but your refrigerator works much better and lasts longer when this is done, And if the dust bunnies get too out of hand, they could slowly kill your refrigerator or worse, they could actually become a fire hazard.

Now if you have a stainless steel appliance, after washing it, you will have a few extra steps. Get a towel and completely dry all of the stainless surfaces. You now need to apply a stainless steel polish. Follow the directions on the package. Quickly remove any excess or you will be buffing forever. Make sure to buff with the grain (all of the little lines) of the steel panels and rub it to a shine. This step is not about making your appliances pretty, it is about protecting the finish.

All of the Stuff That Came Off ofThe Fridge

Go through all of the items you removed from your refrigerator. Even a spotless kitchen looks cluttered if the refrigerator is all covered up. And remember all of the little dirty fingerprints and smudges that you just cleaned off the front of the fridge? You will be protecting mementos from those.

Pull out any notes or notices that can be transferred to your calendar or notebooks. Put them in the basket or shoe organizer pocket that you designated yesterday for the little pieces of paper. Later you can transfer the information and then they can be discarded.

All of those pictures, including any that your kids have drawn will look better and last longer in frames or in an album. Do not do this now, just find a space or yet another little basket to put items to later be put in frames or albums and you can add to it as we go through the house. Like your little paper box and your donate box, this is another basket that will be added to often. There is a tip below on one way to display the artwork that you and your kids will enjoy.

Now look at what is left. Are there items that belong in other rooms? Put them in a basket to be distributed later. Are there trays or pantry items? Can you find better homes for any of these items? Are there things (like all of the annoying toys you’ve hidden up there) that should really be donated or tossed? Can empty magnets be put on a side of the refrigerator not immediately visible when you walk into the kitchen or, better yet, in a baggie in a your utility drawer? If you have a list for groceries, can it be put on the less visible side, too?

Ideally your refrigerator should be left a blank slate. It may seem startlingly blank at first if you had a lot on it, but you will quickly see how this makes a big positive difference to the clean appearance of your kitchen.

The only thing that should be on the front of the fridge is a magnetic calendar if you use one and only because of the functionality that it provides. You do not want to hide the calendar on a less visible side simply because you need to be able to see it often.

Handle the Follow Up Tasks

Do not forget to wipe down the counters again to remove any dust that was left behind.

Take the basket you set aside for items that belong elsewhere in your house and distribute those items.

Schedule on your calendar every two or three months throughout the length of the calendar to clear the outside of the refrigerator including the top. If you have a software calendar, make sure to set this as a recurring event so it will schedule itself about ever quarter.

Add this step to your Planner.

Displaying The Fridge Artwork Differently

If you have very young children, you may want to make a note now in your running to do list to find frames to hang their artwork. I would like to suggest that you make a rotating gallery. You can use a cluster of frames and little shelves.

My Favorite Child Art Display Idea – Remember back in school, especially college when the professors would decorate the little window beside their door for privacy? Take a look at the wall space just outside your child’s room. You can get one of the large acrylic poster size frames per child and let your kids help you make an artwork collage. (Look up a coupon for it before you go shopping!) These are easy to take apart and put back together. After it is full and they bring you another piece of their art, you can let them pick which older piece to swap out.

You will undoubtedly have child art that is not flat. You can add a shelf directly over the poster frame to hold those pieces. Use a regular frame or two with the glass removed for the cotton ball pictures. Flank them with all of those primitive looking ceramic cup holders they have brought home. Add a couple of little hooks in the underside of the shelf to hang macaroni necklaces or they can drape over the upper corners of the poster frame. You will be able to display a ton of artwork in a little bit of space. The artwork will be displayed in a more personal manner. And best of all, the adults will be able to reclaim just a little bit of the house. I truly believe that is important for MANY reasons.

What To Do With An Item When It Gets Removed From the Gallery – When an item gets removed from the frame or shelf, sparingly select which pieces if any you want to keep for yourself long term. Do not even try to kid yourself that you are keeping it for them. You are the one who is keeping it. Just admit it now and your life will be much easier. It is okay, all Mommies have been there.

You can purchase archival boxes and specialty containers to store the art. If you are looking for a less expensive option, find a pizzeria near you and ask if they will give or let you buy a few pizza boxes. Decorate them with paint, paper, or fabric to make them nicer. Just remember that it is a storage option, not a preservation recommendation.

Share some with grandparents and other family members. Take the opportunity to let your child learn about mail instead of just handing the artwork over. They will LOVE it!

The rest, you need to discard. If the thought of letting it go bothers you, take a close-up picture of your child with the artwork. You will preserve the art and the age of your little darling at the approximate age they made it without needing to keep the actual piece. A photo usually will take up much less space than the actual piece of art and can be tidily stored in an album or digitally on the computer. You may want to think about using the pictures to make a personalized calendar for next year.