Say Goodbye To Messy Fridge Leaks With A Double-Duty Dollar Tree Fix

It can be quite annoying when things leak in your fridge. Not only does it get smelly quickly, but to clean it out, you have to take out all of your perishables and struggle to reach into the shelving while all the cold air leaks out and into your house. Fortunately, while you can't always prevent spills from happening, you can make them easier to clean up while simultaneously making your fridge more fun — and all it takes is a few cheap placemats from the Dollar Tree.

The Dollar Tree sells lots of different colored vinyl placemats for the slightly higher than typical price of $1.50 on the brand's website. These placemats have fun designs that can liven up your fridge, but more importantly, they can catch any spills or stains that would otherwise end up straight on your fridge shelves. Then, when it comes time to clean up, you can simply pull the placemats out and wash them in the sink. Not only is it easier to wash than the shelf, but you won't have to displace as many items or leave the fridge wide open while you desperately try to get a stain in the furthest corners. Instead, cleanup is as easy as scrubbing the placemat with soap, rinsing it, and leaving it to dry before putting it back in the fridge. This is especially handy if you're someone who likes to clean up the kitchen nightly, as it cuts down on cleanup time every day.

While any kind of cover over the fridge shelves will technically work at catching spills, you should make sure to get placemats that won't slip around when you're putting items in your fridge to prevent causing more spills, so don't try to use simple sheets of paper or anything similar. Dollar Tree placemats have the advantage of being inexpensive. If you've got some extra money to spend, you could consider getting higher-quality placemats from somewhere like Amazon to really keep everything in place and make cleaning even simpler. For instance, these faux-leather vinyl placemats on Amazon are advertised as both waterproof and oil-proof, so cleaning them up after a spill would be a breeze.

On the other hand, if you prefer to save money, you could get several sets of the cheaper Dollar Tree placemats and switch them out with the seasons. Dollar Tree's website shows flower, harvest, Christmas, and sunflower-themed placemats, and physical stores are almost certain to have even more options that go with the season. This means you can turn your normally boring fridge into a fun little place for seasonal decor while not taking up any additional space needed for actual food. You can also match the placemats to the rest of your kitchen decor to keep everything cohesive and stylish, all while preventing hard-to-clean messes. Pair that with some kitchen clutter tips, and you'll have a neat and mess-free cooking space.