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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

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Original poster

AIBU or are DM and DH dirty ?

125 replies

Fibilou · 31/03/2010 11:21

I clean the fridge and freezers out every week, rotate the stock etc. Dishwash the fridge shelves and racks. My mum and DH think this is ridiculous and that I am obsessed with it.

I should say that I used to be a pastry chef in a 5* hotel and we stripped and cleaned our service fridge and rotated the stock daily so my clean-fridge obsession is probably a hangover from that. I am rather Monica about the house which again stems from 10 years in luxury hotels.

AIBU clean freaky ?

OP posts:

LifeOfKate · 31/03/2010 11:44

I too am wondering when you have time!

Mind you, even if I did have time, I don't think I'd do it every week. Mine was last done when I started maternity leave 22 weeks ago. It will next get done when I do The Big Spring Clean in a couple of weeks

Original poster

Fibilou · 31/03/2010 11:45

Anyhow, must go. The bottom of the bin needs polishing

{slopes off picking straw out of her hair and telling the Voices to be quiet}

OP posts:

Original poster

Fibilou · 31/03/2010 11:45

Anyhow, must go. The bottom of the bin needs polishing

{slopes off picking straw out of her hair and telling the Voices to be quiet}

OP posts:

drloves8 · 31/03/2010 11:50

do you do the bin deoderiser in the bottom of the bin efore you put the bag in too?

midori1999 · 31/03/2010 11:50

I feel reassured by this thread. (In that there are other women whoalso clean their fridges what is probably considerably less often than needed...)

LifeOfKate · 31/03/2010 11:52

Back again as missed the second page

VV of Fibilou, whose baby takes naps of over 25 minutes

angel886 · 31/03/2010 11:58

I do mine about once a month. Sooner if I spill something.

picmaestress · 31/03/2010 12:01

I don't think what you're doing is hugely unreasonable. I think the racks in the dishwasher is possibly a bit ott. My fridge at home gets done when it's cacky, once every few weeks.

The fridge at my office gets absolutely disgusting. When my friend and I first emptied it out, it clearly hadn't been cleaned for at least a year, if not longer.

There was stuff in there that was unrecognizable, and the bottom veg compartment had a thick two inch high soup of mouldy liquid in it, that people were still placing their food in! We both retched several times cleaning it out.

It made us wonder what some people do at home...

wishingchair · 31/03/2010 12:01

Imagine the sheer waste if we all adhered to use by dates. Nonsense!

My fridge gets cleaned maybe quarterly. My freezer when it needs defrosting. My sofa gets moved only when really necessary at which point we hoover up the swathes of dust that have gathered behind it. I have never pulled my cooker out to clean underneath it. Nor do I clean behind the kick boards in my kitchen.

I am fine. My family is fine. All this clean obsessiveness will surely lead to health problems when immune system has nothing to fight against so instead attacks the body. That's my justification for slatternly behaviour and I'm sticking to it

GetOrfMoiLand · 31/03/2010 12:02

Urgh our fridge, toaster and microwave at work are utterly disgusting, Irefuse to use them.

ASecretLemonadeDrinker · 31/03/2010 12:05

Weekly doesn't sound too bad too me (though not freezer) - monthly is about when I do it because it takes bloody forever and I have to drag all the bits to wash in the bath as they are so big.

runnybottom · 31/03/2010 12:05

Stuff in the freezer doesn't go off and won't give you food poisoning. The best before dates are because the quality can deteriorate with prolonged freezing.
Freezers are not a breeding ground for bacteria, thats pretty much the point of a freezer.

DuelingFanjo · 31/03/2010 12:08

I thikn it's a bit weird. I probably clean mine every couple of months!

ASecretLemonadeDrinker · 31/03/2010 12:09

Urgh, don't use flash in the fridge, it bloody stinks! I use a scourer, bicarb and a lemon. THen I know if food touches a missed bit it's only going to be lemon or bicarb, rather than drugged with bleachy stuff. DH cleaned it with flash once, the smell made me heave. OTOH I have to do my oven from time to time with hardcore stuff - I am gloved up, the lot! And weekly my bathroom is soaked in limelight. Ar well.

tortoiseonthehalfshell · 31/03/2010 12:13

How does it take 5 minutes? It would take me half an hour to unload and reload the food alone. That's the bit that puts me off, not the actual cleaning. I like cleaning.

notsochickchickchicken · 31/03/2010 12:13

Do any of you clean freaks masters of hygeine know how to remove a stain, possibly Reggae Reggae sauce from the back of my fridge?
Also what do you do if your fridge freezes stuff and your freezer always has the high temp light on?

Original poster

Fibilou · 31/03/2010 12:20

Notsochick, have you tried a thick paste made of bicarb and lemon juice ? Leave it on the stain for "a bit" and then scrub with a scourer.

I don't know about the 2nd bit I'm afraid. Turn the temperature up a couple of degrees ?

OP posts:

GetOrfMoiLand · 31/03/2010 12:21

Oh no I can't be arsed with that lemon and bicarb shit, I want stuff which pulverised the dirtt on contact and saves me having to scrub like a scullery maid.

Fridge doesn't stink of anything other than clean fridge.

Yes only takes 5 minutes ish. If it took any longer I probably wouldn't bother doing it every week.

Mouseface · 31/03/2010 12:22

notsochick.... get a new fridge and freezer! Sounds like it's on it's way out!!That way, no stian either!!

Pogleswood · 31/03/2010 12:22

Yes,GetOrfMoiLand - how on earth can you do all that in 5 minutes??Maybe if your fridge was empty to start with...or spotless..or just very,very small!

notsochickchickchicken,the solution to your stain at the back of the fridge is to put something in front of it and try not to think about it...

I clean my fridge when it starts to get icky,probably every couple of months,but I don't think I've ever cleaned an oven,we solved the problem of our last oven by moving and leaving it behind (more ).I probably should clean it ,shouldn't I? But because I never have it intimidates me...

Mouseface · 31/03/2010 12:23

Clearly I meant stain!

Poledra · 31/03/2010 12:23

Pogle, don't know where you are, but you need someone like these people. Worth every penny, IMHO

GetOrfMoiLand · 31/03/2010 12:25

Nah, is a normal sized fridge freezer.

Take all the stuff out and put it on the side. Takes about a min. Put shelves in sink of water and wipe all the sides with flash and a j cloth - takes couple of mins. Wash shelves. Put back. Put food back in.

Normal amount of food in a normal fridge.

notsochickchickchicken · 31/03/2010 12:26

Fibilou shall try the paste, sadly the temp is at the highest.

mouseface can't afford at the moment and they are only three years old

Still I am feeling merry at the thought of being able to put the shelves in the dishwasher.

mrstimlovejoy · 31/03/2010 12:30

i clean my fridge once a week usually the day before i do my shopping.i put veg trays in dishwasher but just wipe down the shelves.i've also just put my washing up bowl and drainer in the dishwasher i do this once a week too.

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