Christmas Preparations - The Fridge

Preparing for the Christmas period may have you head spinning will all the things that need to be organised, but a bit of preparation before the mayhem begins can make the difference between a hectic or a relaxing Boxing Day! We’re here to help with advice to get your kitchen clean and organised all throughout December, so stay tuned for top tips and festive ideas from us (you can subscribe to our posts by entering your email to the left of the blog page!). Today we’re tackling the fridge!

Have a party!

You’re going to need a lot of spare room for all those extra treats, festive leftovers and tipples this Christmas, so start to either eat up or throw out anything you’re not going to eat over the holiday period. If you've still got lots of ‘bits’ why not make a night of it and invite a few friends or family over for a pre-Christmas get together and make some nibbles out of the surplus? Don’t forget to compost any old leftover fruit and vegetables.

Clean and deodorise

Once the fridge is empty, switch off the power, take out the removable shelves and draws and wipe them down with a 50/50 solution of deodorising White Vinegar and water, then do the same to the inside of the fridge. Some parts can be very fiddly to wipe, so use an old toothbrush to reach the hard to clean areas. For any stubborn marks, spray with a regular Soda Crystals solution, leave for a few minutes and then wipe clean. 

Nasty niffs

By placing a small dish of Bicarbonate of Soda on a shelf to absorb odours, you can make sure your fridge continues to smell clean and fresh throughout the holidays.

Plan ahead

Once you've cleaned an organised the fridge, planning meal times and being efficient with leftovers will keep it that way, as well as helping you save you money. Stock up on storage containers that you can write the date on to keep leftovers safely, and don’t forget the golden rules about storing food like raw meat – always keep raw meats in the bottom of the fridge to avoid any drips contaminating food below and whereas ‘best before’ dates can be exceeded, make sure ‘use by’ dates are followed to avoid bad tummies.

FREEZE!

Inevitably everyone splashes out and buys too much food over Christmas, but overfilling you fridge uses up a lot of electricity to keep it cool, whereas freezers are actually more efficient when they are full!

In our next post we’ll be sharing how to keep you best friend (the dishwasher) happy and smell-free! Read it here!

5 time-saving tips to make cleaning easier

Let’s face it, although we all like to live in a clean, tidy environment, very few of us actually enjoy cleaning. In our busy lives it can be difficult to find time to dedicate to keeping a clean home, but there are some handy tips (as well as some downright cheats) to help save time when it comes to housework. 

Here are 5 of our top time-saving tips, please feel free add your own on the comments or via the Dri-Pak Facebook page.

1. Wipe it up

Facial wipes are a brilliant at removing make-up and dirt from your face at the end of the day, but don’t throw them straight away once you’ve cleaned your face – give your sink, shower or any bathroom surface a 10 second rub with a used one to remove dust, hair, toothpaste and soap scum.  This works great as an everyday task until you have the time to clean it properly with a squirt of Soda Crystals!

2. Don’t let your hard work go down the plughole

We’re sure most people have seen these sink strainers to collect the food before it falls down the kitchen sink and blocks the pipes? Well who says you can only use them in the kitchen! Pop one in the shower and bathroom sink to collect hair and gunk then simply wipe it with a tissue after each shower and ta-da, no need for plungers and drain snakes, just an occasional cup of Soda Crystals and boiling water to keep the drain totally clean and clear!

3. Foiled again!

Lining the grill pan with tin foil will prevent and spills from cementing themselves to the tray. Once it’s cool, scrunch up the foil and use it to brush any bits of food from the grill and make it easier to clean.

4. Clean as you go

We’re not sure what to think of these ‘slipper mops’ which are supposed to clean up messy floors, but we like the idea behind them! Gadgets that help you multi-task like automatic vacuum cleaners have to be a good thing. 

 
We’ve even found this joke baby suit for when the little one starts crawling! At least we think it’s a joke….

5. Find a cleaning routine that works for you and stick to it

Some people have a weekly routine by dividing rooms or cleaning tasks into days. Some people prefer to clean little and often. Whatever fits around the things you like to do works best for you, for instance frugal lifestyle blogger A Thrifty Mrs, swears by her 3 minute rule. She gives herself the 3 minute ad break when watching TV to do a small task like emptying the bins, or putting the dishes away, etc. It’s surprising what we can do when we put ourselves under a little bit of pressure, and as they say ‘every little helps’.

What top cleaning tips do you use?