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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

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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 WIBU to clean their rather grimy fridge and throw away some of the multitude of out of date jars?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:

toldmywrath · 03/05/2016 17:03

I think it's a lovely idea to clean the fridge & bin the mouldy stuff, but keep out of date jars as pp have said (best before dates mean nothing with regard to condiments & jams etc)
I'd be pleased if someone did that for me
How you can compare a fridge to riffling through knicker drawers is beyond my ken! (I often make cuppas for friends at their houses & so I'd go to the fridge.)

chalkiegirl · 03/05/2016 17:06

No, no, no! Please leave her fridge alone. I'd be furious if anyone did that to me!!!! Not for you to judge the standard of her housekeeping.

2catsnowaiting · 03/05/2016 17:10

I would be cross if someone threw away my out of date jars. Stuff like pickles, jams, mustard, curry pastes the whole point of them is they are preserves, they were invented to stop fruit/veg etc going off in the days before fridges and they basically don't go off themselves unless you leave crumbs/butter in them which will go off. I use stuff well past sell date all the time. Hate pointless waste and have never had food poisoning.

However, if something is mouldy then it's ok to throw it. I personally wouldn't mind someone cleaning my fridge. When my super-clean friend fed our cats I slightly hopes she'd feel the need to clean my kitchen while we were away..... she didn't. Maybe I should have left the flash spray and cloth out more prominently :-D

Cleanermaidcook · 03/05/2016 17:10

Rude! that would be rude! If the stuff that's mouldy is in the jars just close the jars and don't go noseying in them again. The only thing you could reasonably throw is mouldy fruit/veg. Also they must think their fridge is clean enough as they left it like that so leave it be.

Katedotness1963 · 03/05/2016 17:14

A couple of weeks ago I was having a lie in when my husband, helpfully, decided to clear out my spices. Three shelves full down to 5/6 jars. He wasn't aware they kept for years after the best before date. Four times since then I've been cooking something only to find out I don't have the damn spices I need. He won't do it again!

RubbishMantra · 03/05/2016 17:17

I'd love you forever.

When i went on a mini-break, I bought loads of veggie food and a bottle of rum (her tipple of choice) to say thank you. And returned with a gift from Duty Free.

I arrived home, and it looked like a horde of locusts had been through the cupboards/freezer/fridge. Bacon, steak, you name it, (her bf isn't veggie) Even my bottle of vodka from the freezer was gone. EVERYTHING had been eaten/drunk. The house was a mess - greasy pans in the sink etc.

When DH got married, they got ready here, and we discovered an elephant sized shit in the toilet. (Naice wedding present) Rubber gloves were needed for extraction.

She is no longer my friend...

blankmind · 03/05/2016 17:17

She may be doing some experiments to see how long things keep or at which rate mould grows, you could mess all her hard work up by imposing your ideas of 'clean and tidy' on her 'ongoing experiment'

But seriously, if the mould is in the jars or containers and isn't stinking the fridge out, wipe the shelving, wipe the outside of the jars and put them back.

In the days before refrigeration, it was just normal practise and common knowledge that if homemade jam grew a bit of mould, then once scraped off, the contents are still edible. Similarly a joint of cooked ham that was a bit maggoty, the worst area would be cut off and discarded, then the ham would be wiped down with vinegar, rinsed and eaten.

fragsjones · 03/05/2016 17:20

I'd clean it but not throw any jars as others have said - many different reasons for their contents.
I'd be thrilled if someone cleaned my fridge because it seems to have a few design flaws and gets mouldy quickly in certain places and I can't stand it! I have to use skewers to get into some of the difficult places 😭
Just put those jars all on one shelf (after cleaning) and leave them so you can use the rest 👍🏻
As long as you do a proper job and don't break/damage or use the wrong product then go for it!

specialsubject · 03/05/2016 17:26

clean, yes.

throw away mouldy or squishy stuff. But a lot of other things keep regardless of the dates so don't be a slave to those.

PigletJohn · 03/05/2016 17:32

I have to use skewers to get into some of the difficult places

try scrubbing at it with a half-inch paintbrush and an eggcupful of warm water and WUL. Sponge away the lather and the grime will come too. Residue of WUL prevents bacterial and mould growth.

flirtybird · 03/05/2016 17:35

I would clean out the fridge and say I spilt something and had to clean it up!

LordoftheTits · 03/05/2016 17:38

Do any of you clean types live in or around Glasgow? You'd have a blast at my house!

nobilityobliges · 03/05/2016 17:40

Someone did this to me last summer! I was a bemused but not massively offended.

BabyDubsEverywhere · 03/05/2016 17:40

OP you can come and stay with me if you do ovens too! And you could have a field day with the cupboard under the stairs, and I wouldn't mind at all.

BoffinMum · 03/05/2016 17:41

Cath40t your mum would be welcome here.

Campbell2016 · 03/05/2016 17:41

Would someone come defrost my freezer please?

Alisvolatpropiis · 03/05/2016 17:50

Do it!

A friend babysat recently, got bored so cleaned the kitchen. I love her!

limitedperiodonly · 03/05/2016 17:50

If you did that, I'd never have you round again. Next time you might decide my cat looked a bit mangy and take him to be euthanised for his own good.

Tidy, tidy, tidy...

NeedAGrip · 03/05/2016 17:55

I would leave well alone.

I have a relative who did a similar thing to someone else's house. It was well meant, but the house owner viewed it as a major invasion of privacy, and there was a massive falling out over it.

madmomma · 03/05/2016 18:08

I'd bloody love it if a pal did this for me. Dh however would be incensed cos he's a horder, so it's a risk!

GarlicShake · 03/05/2016 18:18

Are you taking orders? How soon can you get here?

Feed the cat whilst you're here, too

magratvonlipwig · 03/05/2016 18:21

Very rude. My mum does it to me i hate it. Some items were frozen therefore not as old as they look, but either way its my choice. Plus i think printed dates are a con, use your eyes and nose to decide.

Having a wipe round is ok, but dont chuck other peoples stuff away.

ATruthUniversallyAcknowledged · 03/05/2016 18:21

What are you doing in August op? I have a filthy fridge and a house that needs sitting.

DerelictMyBalls · 03/05/2016 19:38

My friend did this whilst cat-sitting for me: she organised the fridge and food cupboards for me, I was delighted!

FluffyPineapple · 03/05/2016 19:50

No way! Don't let them know you have been snooping in their house while they trusted you with their wordly goods

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