A few weeks back, I read a really interesting article in The Wall Street Journal about how refrigerator manufacturers are designing their products to solve a problem: that people don’t clean out their refrigerators often enough.
I tend to clean my fridge about once a week, before I go grocery shopping, which entails tossing leftovers that have passed their prime, checking freshness of perishables and wiping down the shelves and removing and washing the drawers, if need be. I use a clean rag with a solution of bleach and water, and I follow immediately with a clean, dry cloth.
Every month I do a total cleanout of my refrigerator and freezer. I take out all the contents and wash the interior of the fridge thoroughly. I check expiration dates on foods that are easy to forget about, like pickles, mustard and sour cream. I toss what needs to be tossed and use up what is on the verge of turning.
My husband thinks my insistence on a clean fridge is a bit extreme. I just tell him that a fridge is not a magic box that prevents all spoilage, and now I have an article to back me up.
Clean your fridge!
What’s the worst thing you’ve ever found lurking in your fridge?
