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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

To clean out friend's fridge?

108 replies

TooManyJars · 30/04/2016 21:16

House/cat-sitting for friends for a couple of weeks while they are on holiday and we are between houses. WIBU to clean their rather grimy fridge and throw away some of the multitude of out of date jars? Found a few from 2013!

OP posts:
WonkoTheSane42 · 30/04/2016 21:45

Mustard will basically never go bad; old mustard will just gradually lose its strength. We throw away so much in this country that is still perfectly good just because of a date on a jar.

NoCapes · 30/04/2016 21:46

The fridge and the oven?
OP want to come and stay at my house? Grin

greenfolder · 30/04/2016 21:46

You should do it then tell them there was a power cut so you had to.

PestilentialCat · 30/04/2016 21:46

I'd throw them out, tell them I'd eaten some of their mustard & buy a couple of new jars...

elephantpig · 30/04/2016 21:47

I'd love you for doing it, but also feel incredibly guilty that you felt the need to clean my fridge as it was so repulsive.
I think you'd have to play it off as, 'I hope you don't mind, I just really felt in the mood to clean, you aren't an animal. It's me not you etc etc.'
Even though you'd both know it was bullshit.

blueturtle6 · 30/04/2016 21:47

Bin everything, say there was a power cut and didn't want them to get poisoning

peasofcake · 30/04/2016 21:48

If they are that laid back be prepared for them not to notice a clean fridge and oven. I'm not 100% sure I would notice a couple of jars/ accompaniments missing from my fridge. Don't replace anything that's year out of date either it means they don't use it much.

Wagglebees · 30/04/2016 21:49

No! You can't! Won't they be offended that you obviously think they're total mingers? I mean clearly they are, but that doesn't mean you let them know.

Although if they really don't care about cleaning etc then maybe they won't even notice.

I wouldn't though.

Wagglebees · 30/04/2016 21:49

I wouldn't do it I mean.

WhatALoadOfOldBollocks · 30/04/2016 21:50

Don't throw anything away, even if it's mouldy. It's not yours to decide whether it should be kept or not. Anyway, it might be her personal supply of penicillin Wink

ghostspirit · 30/04/2016 21:50

you can clean mine if you like... and if you see anything else that needs cleaning your very welcome to carry on Grin

Toddzoid · 30/04/2016 21:51

Don't throw anything away but yeah, I'd give it a clean. If you're close friends I highly doubt they'll be offended that you did a chore for them. I'd be over the moon if someone did mine! Horrible job it is...

ratspeaker · 30/04/2016 21:56

Jars I'd leave
Liquid cucumber I'd chuck
Been there, done that.
Fousty cheese,chuck
Out of date ketchup, keep

Original poster
TooManyJars · 30/04/2016 21:58

They told me to use anything in the fridge so perhaps I could pretend i'd eaten it all...

OP posts:
Sophia1984 · 30/04/2016 22:01

My friend once cleaned out the plughole while staying at our house - it was mortifyingly embarrassing. Please don't do it.

MohammedLover · 30/04/2016 22:01

I would be raging and mortified in equal measures.
I have home made condiments in my fridge that my Nana made and she has been dead over ten years! I have no intention of serving them to my guests however it still brings me a smile just looking at her hard work!

PigletJohn · 30/04/2016 22:02

It's no worse than going through their wardrobe and binning anything you considered unfashionable. Would you do that?

FuckityByes · 30/04/2016 22:06

Oh god, I desperately wanted to do this at MiL's house. Her fridge was chock full of jars and stuff which was well past its sell-by date. I am convinced she's a secret prepper. I didn't do it because DH said she would be annoyed but I got itchy throwing-away urge every time I opened the fridge.

honeyroar · 30/04/2016 22:08

Clean the fridge if you want, clean the oven if you want, but don't throw anything unless it's truly disgusting. They'll only think you are a greedy cow that ate everything!

Wagglebees · 30/04/2016 22:09

Go the whole hog and Konmari the whole house whilst you're at it. Grin

Original poster
TooManyJars · 30/04/2016 22:11

Sooo tempted wagglebees!

OP posts:
afromom · 30/04/2016 22:15

I think I would have to do the fridge if I had to eat from it.
The oven too, although my parents had friends staying in their house when they went away for 3 weeks last year. The man cleaned the oven before they got back (it was already clean when dp's left for holiday) and it's never worked right since! It continually relighted the gas throughout cooking, with a tick tick sound - so annoying!!
So if you are going to clean don't get too carried away and break it!

hollinhurst84 · 30/04/2016 22:23

I'm with NoCapes
If you cleaned my oven I would probably love you forever. I reckon you could clean fridge but wouldn't bin anything unless it was obviously mould/liquid

FirstWeTakeManhattan · 30/04/2016 22:25

Your friend may thank you through gritted teeth and never ask you to house sit again if you did that. Of course throw away any fresh stuff that's 'gone' such as a slimy bag of salad or something, but don't touch jars.

A quick wipe where you want to put your food is fine.

LoopyNuts · 30/04/2016 22:27

Just leave it. That would be weird.

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