by Jonte Rhodes

Created on: January 09, 2009

Refrigerators are more important than ever today for storing food, and for keeping things fresh, however if they aren't cleaned properly, then they can also be a breeding ground for germs and grime. These same germs can also cause food to spoil, and for pungent odors to begin to emanate from your fridge. Fortunately however, removing odors and germs from your refrigerator is a fairly easy process, and doesn't require all kinds of expensive cleaners and equipment.

Most smells from refrigerators tend to come from spoiled food, in particular salad and fruit items kept in salad drawers. The reason that these items tend to go bad is largely due to the fact that they don't stay fresh for very long compared to other items, and are often forgotten about. The danger of this is that often there is little or no wrapping between the salad and fruit items, meaning that if one becomes moldy, anything else it is touching will also be ruined.

Many people make the mistake of keeping food from the night before, with the intention of eating it the next day. However, this is rarely what actually happens, and more often than not, plates of food will tend to build up and sit for weeks. This not only means that the food itself will spoil and begin to smell, but that it will often clutter up the fridge and mean pieces of food will fall from the plates and spoil other food.

If you are someone who tends to keep a lot of jars and sauces in your fridge, then making sure they are clean and in date is essential. The tops and bottoms of bottles and jars tend to accumulate germs, and any spills will stick to the bottom of them. Out of date sauces and jars will not only begin to smell, but they can also cause food poisoning if someone were to eat them unwittingly.

Another cause of refrigerator smells is that drawers used to keep salad and fruits tend to build up water which leaks from the food over time. This rancid water is often a mixture of different kinds of foods, and as such is not healthy for keeping other foods around. Not only this, but it can cause spoilage, and can also leak into other areas of the fridge, coating everything with the foul smelling water.

If your fridge is in a sorry state of cleanliness, then the best way to clean it is to start by taking everything out and checking it over. If you have anything that has reached the end of its eat by date, then it should be disposed of, as well as anything that seems discolored or moldy. Also you should take this opportunity to get rid

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