You have got to be kidding me

[pegkerr]

This "tip" was included with a series of e-mail tips I received from the Dollar Stretcher today:

I save time and energy with a little housecleaning trick I learned from a friend. If you've ever scrubbed the sticky goo from the top of your refrigerator, you understand how cooking oil and smoke can mix with dust and make a mess. Now I just cover the top of the fridge with a layer of clear plastic wrap. When it gets dirty, I peel it off and throw it away, and then I replace it with a new layer. Whenever I can take short cuts and eliminate even a small portion of housecleaning, I'm happy.

Ordinarily, I like the tips I get with Dollar Stretcher, but I'll have to admit that when I read this, I thought, Lady, what kind of stuff are you smoking? Do you expect me to care what the top of my refrigerator looks like? Ever???

Jeez. Get a life. One that doesn't involve worrying about the tops of refrigerators.

Comments

[cliosfolly.livejournal.com]

I wonder if height might be an issue in the attention one gives one's fridge? I don't know how tall you are, but I'm about 6' tall--so the top of my fridge is below my eye level, and while I don't clean it routinely, I do see how much dirt it accumulates and the space is functional for my kitchen (the microwave sits there). My grandmother, who is about 5' tall, has to use a ladder to see the top of her fridge, doesn't use the space, and consequently cares little what it looks like.

[sraun]

We used the top of our refrigerator for overflow storage - the waffle iron lived there, along with a couple of other things. And it was just barely above eye-level, so I did kind of see it sometime. I really noticed it when I was getting something down from it. It probably got cleaned once or twice a year.

Admittedly, her cleaning solution wouldn't really work for my situation - the plastic wrap on the refrigerator would be too slippery to put things on!

[sternel.livejournal.com]

Hmm. My brother, growing up, had sever asthma and extremely severe allergies to dust, dust mites, dust bunnies -- anything relating to dust. So every surface in the house was kept meticulously clean, in the hopes of keeping his attacks. This is exactly the sort of trick my mom used constantly. We were, however, a special case, and I don't think ordinary households would need to be anywhere near so neurotic.

[adjudicated.livejournal.com]

Haha, that actually sounds like a fantastic idea to me! Glad makes that new Cling press-and-seal wrap stuff that would probably work well on top of the fridge.

Housecleaning practices are definitely demonstrative of personal preference, that's for sure.

[cakmpls.livejournal.com]

It's still a great idea; I think I'm going to cover all the surfaces in the house with cling wrap ...

[jhetley.livejournal.com]

According to Wife (5'-2"), the tops of refrigerators do not exist. They are mythical. I could put a diamond tiara up there and she'd never see it.

[dreamcoat-mom.livejournal.com]

At 5'2" I don't much care about the top of the fridge, but maybe I can Saran Wrap the dog to keep her from shedding. Or the car - yeah, the car! And the range hood, and the piano and that little spot behind the jewelry box on my dresser!

Sheesh.

Think I'll stick to Saran Wrapping leftovers.

[minnehaha.livejournal.com]

Do you know anyone who has slipcovers on all their furniture?

B

[carbonel]

I was really disappointed when I read this, because I was hoping it would be a trick for removing sticky goo. I have a cookie baking pan that has that nasty combination of oil and whatever that has hardened into a plastic-like state that can't be scrubbed off.

I'm probably just going to toss it and buy a new one, unless there's some easy way to get it off that I haven't discovered.

[dejaspirit.livejournal.com]

Dude, I'm an almost neat freak and even I don't give a flying fuck about the top of my fridge...

[splagxna.livejournal.com]

yah. not to mention, if you care about the top of your fridge being disgusting, don't you also care if it's covered with disgusting plastic wrap?

although my own first reaction was 'god, what a waste of resources.' it is why i have so far resisted buying a swiffer, because i refuse to clean with something that has to be thrown away. that seems to be a trend in cleaning products lately, and i find it incredibly self-absorbed. (ahem. ending rant now.)