clean Archives - One Delightful Life

Sometimes we have to admit that things have gotten away from us.

This week I had one of those moments when I opened the refrigerator only to find teetering takeout boxes and a lack of vegetables. I know you’ve experienced this moments at least once too.

So, how do we cut down on our refrigerator waste while trying to slim our waist? If you’re like me, sometimes you buy healthy food but don’t prep it for the week and end up tossing it later. Perhaps you don’t even know what’s in your refrigerator right now.

Reducing food waste and restocking it with healthy food starts with a total refrigerator overhaul. Follow these six steps:

Toss food. You work hard for your money, which everyone can respect. But the food you buy just sits in the refrigerator and doesn’t get eaten. That’s a waste of your money. Example: Look at all those condiments! How many times a year are you going to actually use three kinds of horseradish? If it is expired or not something you’ll ever use, admit it and pitch it.
Clean it. Remove all items from the refrigerator from every bin and door compartment. Use a warm sudsy sponge to remove grime. For those difficult to remove stains or bits, I spray diluted Simple Green and they scrub away with little effort.
Check your thermostat settings for your refrigerator spaces. Make sure they are set to temperature for the items they house.
Return items to the refrigerator by category and face them (labels towards the front.) Have a hankering for pickles? Store them on the door near the ketchup and mustard. Like items should be placed with like items. Place taller items towards the back.
Visit the produce section of your local organic grocery store. Recently, I bolted to our city’s new Sprouts Farmers Market and came home with bags filled to the brim with berries to leafy greens. As you know from earlier an earlier post, I’m quite the hunter when it comes to tracking down low-cost produce and clearance grocery finds.
Clean and store your prepped veggies in transparent containers with secure lids. Lettuce should be washed and completely dried before storing it in new Ziplock bags. The only way you’re going to actually make time for smoothies before work is if you clean and dice all your newly purchased fruit!

Open bags and packaging, rinse with water, and allow them to completely dry before placing vegetables in new see-through containers. Place grab and go items at eye-level.

Admitting that you’ve fell off the “healthy diet” wagon isn’t easy but the shame doesn’t last long if you own it. If you admit that you live a rushed lifestyle and that the only way for you to eat healthy on a regular basis is to have grab and go produce or meal prepped food, then make sure your refrigerator (and pantry) contain those items. Taking a couple hours each weekend to prep your refrigerator for the week, will pay off.

I’ve included two produce driven recipes that are easy to pack for lunch or prep for breakfast. Try this fruit-filled spinach salad or one of five smoothie recipes!

If I can do it, you can too. Walk over to your refrigerator, open the door, and be honest. You got this!

Let me know your tips for overhauling the lazy eater’s syndrome and getting healthy in comments section below. I’d love to hear from you.

*While Sprouts Farmers Market did recently like this Instagram photo, they are not an affiliate.

Nothing gives me more pleasure then a clean home especially when I return from a summer vacation. Have you ever come home with a suitcase of dirty laundry after a family trip only to feel overwhelmed by a household mess?

Cleaning isn’t always fun and often drops to the bottom of your to-do list. (I confess that I enjoy cleaning thanks to growing up with a mom who was a professional residential housekeeper. I spent my summers cleaning houses and weekends at office buildings.)

Use this Ultimate Summer Housecleaning Checklist to return your home to a spic-and-span space where you’re proud host family and friends. Simply print this post and check off each item as you complete it. Maybe you don’t tackle all thirty-five items, but set your goal and seize the day!

Pull out your cars from the garage and pitch broken, aged, and unused items. Don’t forget to sweep or run the Shop-Vac over the garage floors. Organize!
Go through those boxes in the unfinished portion of your basement. Haven’t touched it in over a year? Pitch or donate it.
Recycle. Some animal shelters even collect cans and the money they raise goes directly to helping puppies and kittens.
Clean the inside of your oven. Line the bottom (under the coil) with foil to catch future food drips.
Scrub the inside of your microwave. Don’t forget the inside top area.
Use the solution in #2 and a sponge to refresh the inside of your dishwasher.
Shop-Vac your dryer’s lint trap. Prevent a possible house fire by keeping it clean.
Do the laundry but also include bed linens, bathroom rugs, and guest bath towels.
Wash your dog. It’s probably been awhile and your pup deserves a spa day, too.
Deep clean the inside of your washing machine by scrubbing that dirty agitator. Make a solution of baking soda, white vinegar, dish washing soap with hot water to use with a heavy-duty non-scratch sponge. Then run a small load rinse cycle.
Use glass cleaner to shine your windows inside and out. Vacuum the windowsills afterward.
Attack those closets and donate or toss any out-of-date clothes and accessories.
Open every bedroom drawer and get rid of shrunken shirts, old sweaters, and/or faded clothing.
Go through your purse collection and empty any contents. If possible, turn the bag inside out to remove any little trash.
Sit down at your desk with a recycling bin or paper shredder nearby and pitch any old bill statements.
Buy few dollar store bins and organize your bathroom vanity contents so you don’t waste time looking for items each morning.
Wash the pet bed.
Use a broom and run it around the wall corners of each room to catch any cobwebs.
Use a dry cloth to clean ceiling lights and fans. Make sure to cover your bed with an old bed sheet before you clean that dusty fan.
Run a moist cloth over dirty vents.
Clean dead bugs from overhead light fixtures. Replace any dead light bulbs.
Dust all furniture. Don’t neglect your furniture’s legs.
Run your dust cloth over the items sitting on tables, ledges, and countertops.
Don’t forget to use a cloth or handheld duster to clean up those window blinds.
Run the vacuum. Move the furniture first.
Trash old condiments bottles from the refrigerator, remove remaining contents, and clean the inside with soapy water and a sponge.
Run a wet cloth over inside kitchen cabinets shelves. Face your spice cabinets showing the labels out. Organize them by type.
Scrub any cutting boards with coarse salt, a halved lemon, and rinse it with hot water.
Deep clean the bathroom. Run a wet cloth over vanity items, which often get overlooked but they get dusty too.
Empty the trash around the house and place a new dryer sheet and an extra bag in the bottom of each can before re-lining it.
Head outside and grab the hose to spray down the front porch steps or deck. Careful to not remove deck stain with too much water pressure.
Spray for wasps or hornets and remove their nests from eaves or under the deck.
Use a degreaser spray to clean the outside of your barbecue grill.
Clean and refill any bird feeders.
Wash and refill any pet feeders.

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