YOU might not give much thought to where things go in your fridge, but according to one foodie it matter more than you think.
In fact, putting certain foods in the wrong place could even increase your risk of food poisoning.
Each food type has a certain spot it should kept[/caption]
Posting on Instagram, Bailey, who is a dietician, explained exactly where everything should go and why.
So, here’s what should really go on each self.
Top shelf
This space should be reserved for “drinks, leftovers, and things that don’t require cooking,” Bailey said.
Certain condiments can also go here if they don’t fit in your fridge door.
Large jars and sauces are good to store here.
Middle shelf
This is the “most constantly cold area,” she noted, so you should store items like eggs, cheese and other dairy products here.
If you have any ready meals you could also store them here.
Bottom shelf
Keep your uncooked meat here, including chicken and fish, Bailey said.
Alternatively, you could also keep these items in one of the two bottom drawers most fridges have.
“The last thing you want is any of that stuff dripping onto food that’s not going to get cooked, that’s how you get food poisoning,” she said.
Bottom drawers
As Bailey noted, you can keep uncooked meat in one of the drawers if you want, but the space is best used for fresh produce.
“The bottom drawers are used to control humidity, so that’s where you can keep your fruits and veggies,” she explained.
In some fridges you can even set each draw to different humidity levels, but this isn’t needed for the most part.
Fridge door
Generally this is the warmest part of your fridge so it’s perfect for condiments and drinks.
“Things that aren’t crucial to be kept cold,” are best kept here for that reason.
You can also keep jars of things like mustard, jams and sauces here if there’s room.
How to clean your fridge
1. Empty your fridge
The first thing to do is to empty your fridge from all the food and drinks you keep in it.
While doing so, take the opportunity to see what is still good and throw away anything which has passed its expiration date.
Try to keep the food in a spacious area in cool air so that it does not change the temperature too quickly and risk it going bad too.
2. Wash shelving and drawers
After, take out all the shelves and drawers and rinse them with hot soapy water and clean them.
Once they’re clean, rinse with cold water to wash off any soap on them.
3. Clean the inside of your fridge
Make sure to clean the walls and the shelving in the door – when doing this step you should turn off your fridge so that it does not feel too cold to clean and you can do it more comfortably.
Rinse the inside with hot soapy water and then follow it through with some cold water to remove the soap.
4. Dust the condenser coils
It is important to have the fridge unplugged during this step because you do not want to risk getting electrocuted.
The condenser coils are the metal grid that can be found on the back of the fridge.
It’s important that these are cleaned at least once every six months, or once a year, because the cleaner the condenser coils, the smoother the fridge runs.
If the coils are filled with dust, then they will struggle and have to work harder to help the fridge convert heat energy into cold air and you might end up having to buy a new fridge earlier than expected.
To clean the condenser coils, simply dust them, and then use a smaller brush to remove any small specks of dust that you might have missed.
5. Clean the outside
Now the inside of your fridge is clean, you can put everything back in and plug the fridge back on.
You can also give the outside of your fridge a clean with warm soapy water.
