I mean absolutely everything. Groceries, boxes, containers, and shelves.

Carefully wash shelves and drawers with soap and water, then leave to dry. Unplug your refrigerator and wipe it clean inside and out. You can remove stubborn dirt on plastic with vinegar and grease with baking soda.

Put the shelves and drawers back where they belong, but make a small change.

Put non-slip mats on the shelves, these are sold at hardware stores. It's convenient and helps keep things clean, now you don't have to take out the shelves every time to clean them. It's much easier to do it with mats.

Guess who's a real container fan? Yeah, me! I hope you are, too, because the right containers work wonders. Including in the refrigerator. They help keep food sorted and store leftovers. They also look stylish, unlike keeping things in their factory packaging.

You will need:

• 2 large baskets or 2 open transparent containers (matching the size of the shelves) to store fruits and vegetables that do not fit in the bottom drawers.
• 2-3 small containers, for spreads, sauces, and sweets.
• 2 large glass bottles for juice and milk.
• 5-6 glass containers of different sizes with lids for ready-to-eat food. I don't recommend using plastic containers for cooked food as they can absorb odors.
• 2 medium-sized plastic or glass containers with lids for cheese and snacks.
• Sets of ziplock bags for ready-to-eat lunches and frosting.

This is a trick I learned from the hosts of my favorite show, The Home Edit. The more episodes you watch, the more you realize how much easier life can be with something as simple as labels.

I love having signed containers, jars, bottles, shelves… Just about anything! You can buy a set of pre-made labels, write on strips of painter's tape with a marker, or directly on the container (if you use a special marker for this).

Continuing my ode to signed containers, I want to add that this is the easiest way to get yourself and the rest of the family used to putting groceries into categories. It's actually very practical, with food in different containers by category, all you have to do is glance around the shelves to make a shopping list.

Now we need to do all the same steps with the freezer. It is often undeservedly forgotten. The mess in the freezer leads to the fact that some products lie there longer than usual and over-freeze. Thereafter, they lose all their useful and gustatory qualities and become almost unusable for food.

In addition, if you stuff the freezer without sorting and a system, you may find that you do not know where everything is. How many times, have you looked at a lump of something frozen in a bag and wondered what it was?

A freezer, like a refrigerator, has to have a system. Get it out, cook it, pick up containers, sign, and sort it.

Now that your refrigerator and freezer are tidy and everything is in its proper place, you can go to the supermarket.

A little secret; when you buy food, think of the fridge and try not to buy more than your containers can hold. This way, you'll avoid making rash purchases, and you'll end up with fewer expired products on the shelves.

Good luck keeping your fridge clean!

Your Clea.