Yesterday, Victor’s mom noticed some water on the floor by the ‘fridge. I brushed it aside, saying it was probably just an ice cube. Today, the water was back – and we hadn’t gotten any ice cubes! Oh no. A clogged drain!

I took off the grill at the bottom of the ‘fridge, and noticed it hadn’t been cleaned very well, lately. Let’s see… We moved in here 5 years ago, the ‘fridge was delivered May 6, 2001… Okay, I haven’t cleaned the grill since – never.

Out came the vaccuum cleaner to start the process… And then out came the repair manual to see what and where things were located. (Okay, I may not clean under my ‘fridge very often, but I have EVERY repair manual for every product I have ever bought. Neatly organized and categorized.) I mean, I can’t be a fanatic about everything!

The manual was extremely helpful! The first thing it did was tell me where the drain was located. And then it gave the most marvelous tip! Hot water – not boiling – mixed with some baking soda, and a turkey baster! Yes, boys and girls, a turkey baster! Fill it with the water, put it in the drain hole, and squirt!

VOILA! In mere seconds, the drain was running clear! There was ice build-up on the very bottom, so a bit of the same water and baking soda cleared that up, as well. Then, as long as I was in there, I pulled out ALL the baskets, cleaned them, the runners, the walls… and put everything neatly back. Surprisingly, there weren’t any freezer-burned-science-experiments in there! I do work the food in-and-out pretty well, and about once a month, I don’t buy any groceries and just work out of the freezer for a few days. (See?!? I really can utilize systems!)

What was interesting, was the manual stated you should do this during your “yearly cleaning.” Yearly cleaning….. Riiiiiiiiight…..

I suppose at some point I’m going to have to get on a schedule.

In the meantime, the freezer and fridge are all cleaned out – top to bottom, inside and out. I have a year to think about this…..