Post-Hurricane Purification

As a self-declared Floridian (my blood has thinned after moving from Jersey as a child), I have experienced many a hurricane. Power outages for days, weeks or longer have innumerable impacts – not just on your mental well-being, but your physical home as well.

Ensure to take time to recharge yourself however it suits you best during these stressful situations. Even the most extroverted people require time to themselves.

After contacting your family and friends to ensure their well-being and calling your insurance company for any damage, make sure to first check your refrigerator. Check out this Simplified Suggestion from my handy hubs:

Put a coin on top of a piece of ice in your freezer.  When you arrive home after a possible power outage, check the coin to see if it is still on top of the ice or has melted within it, which indicates a significant loss of power.

According to the FDA, refrigerated food should be safe as long as the power was out for no more than four hours and the refrigerator door was kept shut. Discard any perishable food (such as meat, poultry, fish, eggs, or leftovers) that has been at temperatures above 40° F for 2 hours or more (or 1 hour if temperatures are above 90º F).

I try to remain optimistic in that with any outcome there is a silver lining, and that for me after Hurricane Irma was an opportunity to clean the ever-loving s&?t out of our fridge and freezer. We removed everything and checked the contents against the FDA guidelines – lo and behold that led to two large garbage bags of spoiled food down the trash chute. We aired out the fridge and freezer until they were dry and then bleached the crap out of them (make sure you have power and air flow before you bleach!), then we rinsed and dried.

Once the fridge and freezer were ready for restocking, we used our containers to organize and streamline. There are a variety of options in which to acquire these magical trays and boxes, my favorites are any dollar store and The Container Store (swoon!). Rearrange your fridge, shake it up and have fun with it!

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