Care and Maintenance of Refrigerators for Thanksgiving

A Bit of Holiday Humor from Windsong

The week of shopping has begun – or at least we’ve been making our list and checking it twice… for Thanksgiving. Don’t worry- shopping for gifts begins next week, just as we’re figuring out what to do with all of those leftovers in the fridge.

But before we even get to the leftovers, this is a great time to sort out the contents of the fridge in order to make room for the ingredients for next week’s feast, that will then become the leftovers.

It’s a vicious cycle, indeed!

According to experts, the refrigerator should be thoroughly cleaned every three months or so. (Just who these “experts” are is uncertain. But they probably have nothing better to do than to ensure their own salad dressings haven’t passed their expiration dates, and there aren’t science experiments growing in a take-out container in the back of the fridge.) Of course, their recommendation comes with a taste of reality: “if nothing else, completely clean it once a year.”

It seems they understand our busy lives, and how cleaning recommendations are usually taken with a grain of salt. (But that’s the spice cabinet – a post for another day.)

These same experts recommend taking everything out of the refrigerator and wiping down the shelves and drawers with warm, soapy water.

That’s the easy part.

When you deep-clean the refrigerator, that’s when you find out where all of your Tupperware® containers have gone. And it illustrates just what an expert you are at Jenga! (You know, that game where you stack all the blocks then take turns pulling them out from the bottom to stack again on top? Sounds like how many people pack leftovers into their refrigerators!)

First, make sure the dishwasher is empty and the trash bin is double-lined.

Next, carefully remove the lids from the containers that were found at the way-back of the fridge. Don’t look, don’t sniff, just dump the contents into the bin, rinse the container, and move to the next container.

Check the expiration dates on everything in original containers, such as salad dressing, olives, etc., and toss any that are expired.

Finally, get rid of anything that is nearly empty. This includes jams and jellies, olives, pickles, and items you perhaps bought for a one-time occasion, then Jenga-ed into the refrigerator, thinking you might use it later.

Now, you’re ready to shop for all of the items on your Thanksgiving feast list, and they should fit into the refrigerator without a problem.

Congratulations! You’ve just celebrated Clean Your Refrigerator Day (yes, it’s a real holiday). And the day after that? National Fast Food Day. (We kid you not!)

At Windsong, each home features a spacious kitchen, plenty of cabinet and pantry space, and – yes – room for the refrigerator that will make your holidays a piece of cake.

Welcome to Windsong, Where Life’s A Breeze!