Your date says, “Why don’t I get that bottle of champagne you’ve been talking about? You just sit and relax.” And that’s exactly what you do.
That is, until you hear the refrigerator door creak open, and you realize that you haven’t cleaned the fridge since the Clinton administration. And to think what’s in there! Pizza still in the delivery box. Green hot dogs. Milk that long ago turned to yogurt. Dog hair clinging to the mayonnaise jar. The stench is enough to sour romantic feelings in anyone.
Refrigerators collect all kinds of debris, and bachelor pads are notorious for having some of the worst. But by adopting a few easy habits recommended by home-organizing experts, you can prevent your refrigerator from ending relationships before they begin.
First, acquire the right tools, said Amber Kostelny-Cussen of Amber’s Organizing in River Forest. “Do not put opened cans or uncovered plates of food in the refrigerator. That’s an easy cause for smells.” She recommends clear, square food containers that save space and are easy to spot when their contents start to mold.
Next, clean. Do it once a week. “Take time to read expirations and throw stuff out,” Kostelny-Cussen urged. “If you do it before grocery shopping, you’ll also have a better idea what to buy.”
What about the freezer? “Throw out anything that’s covered in a thick layer of frost,” she said, “and anything more than 6 months old. If you haven’t eaten it by now, you’re not going to.”
Then, organize. Group similar items together, drinks on one shelf, produce on another.
Finally, shop. “Women are impressed when a guy has more than mustard and milk,” said Alison Stryzack of Chicago, who runs Go-To Girls, a personal-assistant service.
Stryzack suggests that bachelors buy “flexible items with staying power” that will allow them to entertain at a moment’s notice: hard cheeses, tortillas, frozen appetizers, dark chocolates, prepackaged dips — and ice.
“Guys never have ice,” she said glumly.
You’ll need it to chill that champagne.
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