7 Great Reasons To Clean Out Your Fridge

All you wanted was a cold soda, but now you can’t avoid it – something stinks in your fridge. Like, really stinks. In fact, it smells like organisms might have developed and gained some type of intellect on Planet Deli Ham. You could avoid the problem, and hope that someone else takes responsibility (after all, you’re probably not the only person who uses the fridge – unless you live alone, in which this is all on you, buddy). Or, you could be a responsible adult (or, if you prefer the title, “Food Detective”) and take action.

If you’re in need of some motivation, here are seven solid reasons as to why cleaning out your fridge should be a practice you incorporate into your weekly routine.

1. Remnants Of Past Food Makes All Food Pretty Unappetizing

Food should be enjoyed, and you just can’t get the most out of it while looking at the stain left when you lost grasp of your fruit juice. You were in a rush that morning, and – well – kind of got used to staring at it after a few days.

Trust me – it only takes a few seconds, and it’ll make you look forward to opening up your fridge.

Speaking of food spills, make sure that all meat, poultry and seafood are wrapped and placed on the bottom shelf of the fridge – that way, you won’t risk meat juice contaminating the rest of your food.

2. Your Fridge Is, Strangely Enough, One Of Your Most Important Appliances.

A well maintained refrigerator will prevent you from getting sick. Food poisoning is real – and I’m sure that if you’ve experienced it at least once before, you know that you never want it to happen again. Also – while some expiration dates seem to be more like “suggestions,” others should be taken seriously. Don’t trust that yogurt that’s been wedged near the back. Always remember this simple rhyme: When in doubt, throw it out!

3. You’ll Save Money.

Listen, you guys. Every week, I used to buy a vat of spinach. Like, a Popeye-enhancing mound of the green stuff. And every week, I eat maybe 1/8th of it. Forgetting the fact that I don’t consume greens with every meal, I bought more and more spinach on a weekly basis. Let’s just say that it piled up, and turned into a disgusting disaster. I felt close to being a vegetable hoarder.

By cleaning your fridge, you have a weekly inventory in your mind. Not only have I stopped buying large amounts of spinach, but the spinach I have is fresh – no questions asked.

4. It’s Great For Your Mind.

Cleaning up your fridge gives you the same good feelings that cleaning any other room in the house does. By taking a big trash bag and tossing all of the questionable food, you’ll have the “out with the old, in with the new” feeling without emotions attached. (As in – throwing out the shirt you met your ex-boyfriend in 7 years ago? Sad. Throwing out mostly-bad celery? Fantastic.)

5. Stop Fooling Yourself. You’ll Never Eat Those Leftovers.

One of my personal fridge-demons is the almighty leftover. While leftovers can be amazing for lunches the next day, they’re just a waste of space if they remain in your fridge space for a few days. Even worse, if they’re not labeled, you might lose track of how old they actually are.

When you decide to save the leftovers, make sure you have a plan for them. Also, make sure to label them with the date in which they were originally made. This will help keep you more organized, and free of the dreaded feeling of discovering mold in one of those Tupperware containers.

6. Because You’re An Adult.

And if you’re not officially an adult, you’re an adult-in-training. And you’re old enough to figure out the best way to clean out those lesser-seen areas of your fridge. All glass shelves and crisper drawers should be at a room temperature before cleaning to prevent cracking when you wash them. And a great place to wash them? Your bathtub. Not only will you have a bunch of room, but it won’t seem as daunting as cleaning them in your tiny sink.

7. Because You Deserve It.

Seriously – you deserve it! Open up your fridge, and take a look inside. Get a reality check on your situation, and then ask yourself if you really deserve to be surrounded by food clutter. Do you really need 9 jars of mayonnaise? No. The answer to that will always be no, unless you’re planning on making potato salad for 18 people this weekend.

You deserve more room, and you deserve a chance to find what you’re looking for without having an obstacle course in your way. If you think about it, your fridge can very easily symbolize your life. The best lives, as well as the best fridges, have order to them.

Do you have any more tips on keeping your refrigerator clean?

Image Credit: Featured