Dealing With Mold And Bacteria In The Refrigerator

Stop and think for just a moment how many times you open and close your refrigerator in a single day. Obviously, there will be days where you do this more often than on other days. And obviously, if there is more than just a single person living in your residence, you will have to double, triple, quadruple, etc., the times the fridge is opened and closed. The doors are opened the most when you are preparing food because you need all the right ingredients to make your meal.

The refrigerator gets a lot of action. With spills, the occasional forgotten celery bunch that is decaying in the vegetable compartment, and handling by numerous individuals, it can get downright dirty. Cleaning the refrigerator is something no one wants to do. It is kind of like doing the laundry, washing the dishes, or vacuuming. Nonetheless, it is necessary to clean it at least once a week or every two weeks to prevent bacteria from spreading, especially when you store meats that can harbor bacteria when uncooked.

Many times, leftovers are stored in the refrigerator so that they do not spoil on the stove. Keeping foods at a colder temperature allows them to stay fresh longer, but these foods should be consumed or thrown out within the first couple of days that it was cooked. The longer that it sits in the fridge, then the more likely it will start to grow mold. All foods start to decay within a matter of hours or days, and allowing mold to grow in it and letting it sit in your refrigerator is extremely unhealthy and harmful to your health and the health of all of your other food. Like outside of your refrigerator, mold is capable of traveling from object to object and when the conditions are favorable, it will start growing on your other food.

If you are like the many people who do their grocery shopping just once a week, then take that time to clean out your fridge before putting new and freshly bought groceries into it. Set aside a few minutes and wipe down the insides, the trays, the special compartments, and everywhere else with a disinfecting spray. You could also use bleach to keep it sparkling white, but make sure you dilute it first with some hot water prior to wiping it down. Using the bleach at maximum strength might stink up your fridge. Also take this time to throw out all of your old groceries that you know you will not need anymore.