How to Clean Your Refrigerator Properly: This is Food Safety at Home | Episode 159

If your fridge could talk, would it confess to crimes against food safety? 

In this hilariously relatable episode of Don’t Eat Poop!, our hosts Matt and Francine tackle a topic every food safety professional knows, but many still neglect at home: cleaning out the refrigerator. From expired blue cheese dressing with a personality of its own to mystery leftovers that defy identification, this episode dives into food safety compliance at home, proper storage habits, and the real risks of ignoring expiration dates.

Spoiler: your condiments are probably guilty.

In this episode:

💩 [02:39] How often should you clean your refrigerator?

💩 [04:59] The hidden danger of condiments 

💩 [10:09] Weekly vs. deep cleaning: applying food safety training at home

💩 [14:43] Safe thawing practices and preventing cross-contamination in refrigerators

💩 [23:46] FIFO (First In, First Out): not just for restaurants anymore

💩 [27:26] Deep cleaning routines and why your fridge needs a sanitation schedule

Disclaimer: Episode title and content do not constitute legal or health advice.

Noteworthy quotes from this episode

“ When you’re cleaning out leftovers, and your question isn’t, ‘What is this?’ but ‘What was this?’ that’s not good.” – Matt Regusci

“ Folks, it’s time to clean out your refrigerator and get rid of those condiments from last summer. Get rid of them!” – Francine L Shaw

Connect with Francine, Matt, and the “Don’t Eat Poop!” show on LinkedIn! 

Check out Francine’s book Who Watches the Kitchen? on Amazon!