Cleaning Freeze

The weather is getting cooler, the leaves are changing and the stores are filling with pumpkins.  The fall is upon us and that means it is time for Fall Cleaning!  The long lost forgotten brother of Spring Cleaning, Fall Cleaning can be so much more enjoyable and thorough.  In the spring, I just want to get outside and enjoy the weather, whereas in the fall, it is easier to stay inside and focus on all those areas that need some extra TLC.  It also makes the fast approaching holiday decorating that much more enjoyable.

The first project in my Fall Cleaning this year was my freezer.  Because it is kept closed so often and the cold temperatures keep odors away, the freezer can be easily forgotten about year round.  After the recent hurricane and days without power, my freezer was bad.  I mean really bad.  I had frozen bananas thaw and seep black juice down the freezer door, soups in bags on the top shelf that leaked brown broth down each shelf beneath it and a Shepherd’s Pie that oozed colors I didn’t even know were in a Shepherd’s Pie.  It was bad.
 
But cleaning it took me less than 30 minutes.  Many websites have tips on cleaning your freezer that make it sound like quite a large project: emptying the contents, unplugging it, defrosting it, using baking soda, vinegar, soaps and more, turning it into a process that could take hours.

Rather then waste half your day, here is my simple method of cleaning your freezer in less than a half an hour:

• First, move all the freezer contents to the bottom shelves (if your freezer is very full, you may need to remove some items).  Keeping everything packed together on the bottom shelves will help keep them frozen so you shouldn’t have to worry about thawing for the short period of time your freezer door will be open.
• Fill a bucket with the hottest water your hands can handle and some mild soap (Dawn dish soap works great). Using a clean washcloth, wipe down all the surfaces of the freezer.  Since the hot water will thaw the mess quickly, wiping your freezer clean should be fairly simple requiring minimal elbow grease.
• Next, using a dry clean cloth, wipe over the surfaces.  The idea is not to dry it completely, but to remove the water beads that will freeze quickly on the walls.  This is not a necessary step but it makes your freezer look nicer when you are finished.
• Then move the contents to the top shelves and repeat on the bottom.
• If you have removable drawers in your freezer, I recommend washing them in the sink.

The transformation of black and brown puddles and streaks that covered my freezer to the immaculately shining white surfaces in under thirty minutes was amazing.  It made me wonder why I only clean my freezer once or twice a year. How often do you clean your freezer?  Go ahead and begin your Fall Cleaning with this easy process that will leave you feeling accomplished.

For more great homemaking tips, check out: Far Above Rubies and Time Warp Wife