Clean the Fridge Once a Week

Good advice, Melanie. Some years ago I lived in an apartment in Atlanta and the place had a fridge... but it wasn't frost-free. It also had a bad (worn out) gasket on the door, so the freezer frosted up pretty fast. I defrosted it with a propane torch every month or two. I finally got enough of this... technology exists to build a "frost-free" fridge, and the dark ages were beginning to get on my nerves. So I bought a used frost-free fridge for $75 and it worked like a champ for years. I had to clean it well, and the defroster motor screamed like a banshee, so I had to fix that (no big deal; just had to pull the motor and spray the armature down with an anti-sieze lubracant).

It worked great for years, and I finally sold it for what I'd paid for it to a co-worker who had just got married. A few years later she contacted me to tell me it was still working fine.

But yeah, you gotta keep them cleaned out. Also, keep an open box of baking soda in there. It will absorb most of the odors that accumulate. Also, cover or wrap everything with plastic wrap to keep the various flavors and odors from mingling. It's very annoying to find that your potato salad has a fragrance and flavor of the catfish.

This is something which is fantastic to do. Not only do you clean out your fridge, but you will find food that has managed to "hide" itself from your children's and your eyes. This is a great way to use up food that would normally have to be thrown out because it has become a science experiment.

Not only are you keeping your fridge clean, but you will also find the makings of many meals in these enforced boogyings of your fridge.

p.s. Stir fries, salads, soups and many more meals can be found by doing this

Cheers

Bev in Australia