Cleaning Challenge: Expiration Expulsion

When I was helping my beloved clean out his apartment and put everything in storage, we ended up throwing out two 13 gallon bags of expired food from the pantry and fridge.  In his defense, being in the Navy means not always being around to eat things before they go bad.  I have no excuse for my own fridge except that I hate cleaning out the fridge.  I ended up cleaning out his fridge in stages over a period of about a month because in addition to the expired food there were dozens of plastic containers; I swear they were breeding because every time I thought I'd got the last of them I'd find another one.

Throwing out expired stuff can give you more room in your fridge/pantry and it's not as scary as tackling the mystery foods in plastic containers, so this is the assignment for the week!  Go through your fridge, freezer, and pantry and toss out anything that's past its expiration date.  You might be tempted to keep food that's expired but I would caution you not to.  There's actually no such thing as "stomach flu".  If you've ever been sick to your stomach you've probably had a case of food poisoning.  It can be dangerous for adults but deadly for children or the elderly so it's not worth keeping food around if it's suspect.

You might be tempted to keep around stuff in the pantry like baking mixes, but those use chemical leaveners which lose their effectiveness over time and you could fail to rise.  While things that are kept in a perfect sub freezing environment will last indefinitely, your freezer is not a perfect sub freezing environment.  For one thing, you open and close the door almost every day.  For another, your freezer uses a thermostat similar to the one for your heat or a/c.  It goes off and on as the temperature rises and falls which causes food to freeze and thaw repeatedly.

Some day I'll get around to writing an article about how to prevent yourself from wasting food, but for now let's just get rid of anything that's not good.  While you're at it, if you have any boxed or canned goods that are still good but you know you'll never eat, put them in a bag and drop them off at the food bank.  Your grocery store might even have a collection bin to save you a trip.

Cleaning Challenge: The Microwave

Hi all!  The cleaning challenge for this week is your microwave.  I don't use mine much so I'm a bit lackadaisical about cleaning it right after making a mess. Then a few days later I'll open the door and notice how it looks like a food murdering B horror flick occurred inside.

Grab your multipurpose cleaner of choice and pop open the door.  Spray the glass tray and then move it to the sink to soak while you work.  If the plastic ring the tray rides on is removable, spray it and take it out as well.  Spray the ceiling, sides and bottom of the inside of the microwave as well as the inside of the door thoroughly and let set for 2-3 minutes.  If your microwave is especially dirty, soak a rag in a mixture of vinegar and water and nuke it in the microwave for 60 seconds before spraying the inside with cleaner.  The steam will help the food release from the walls.

While you're waiting for the inside to soak, spray some cleaner on your rag and wipe down the outside of the microwave.  Mine sits right next to the stove so I make sure to get all the grease cleaned off the outside.  Don't shy away from using your nail to press the cleaning rag in to cracks and crevices.  I've been known to bust out a qtip to clean tight spots.

Next, wipe down the inside.  Start with the ceiling first, you might want to crouch down so you can see it because they are usually contoured and you'll miss dirt if you try to do it by feel.  I usually fail at this and clean the walls first, then have to clean them again when I wipe off the ceiling.  Continue wiping down the walls then the floor and sweep any chunks in to your hand.  Do the same with the inside of the door.

If your microwave sits on the counter top, take a moment to move it and clean underneath.  Dirt is tricksie and loves to hide in dark places.  Wash and dry the glass plate and plastic ring.  Place them back in the microwave and you're done!  Back pats for everyone.

If you don't own a microwave, take a moment to feel smugly superior and then go clean another kitchen appliance.

So, did anyone do the Hump Day Half Hour of Housework this week?