Clean Out Your Refrigerator Day

What the day is

Clean Out Your Refrigerator Day is observed on November 15. The timing is entirely practical: it falls a week or so before American Thanksgiving, when a very large bird and several days of leftovers will need space.

Origin and background

The observance is generally associated with promotion by an appliance manufacturer, which does not make the advice wrong.

The food safety case is straightforward. Refrigerators should run below 40 degrees Fahrenheit, or about 4 degrees Celsius, because bacterial growth accelerates sharply above that. A surprising proportion of home refrigerators run warmer than their owners believe, and the only way to know is to put a thermometer inside. The dial setting is not a temperature.

Placement matters more than most people realize. The door is the warmest part and fluctuates every time it opens, which makes it the worst place for milk and eggs despite manufacturers molding egg racks into it. The back of the lower shelves is coldest. Raw meat belongs on the bottom shelf, below everything else, so nothing can drip onto food that will not be cooked.

Date labels are also widely misread. Best-before is a quality indication and food is frequently fine afterward; use-by is a safety date on perishable items and should be respected. Confusing the two is a documented driver of household food waste, which runs at a substantial share of everything bought.

How to take part

• Put a thermometer inside and check the actual temperature before anything else.
• Empty it completely, wipe with warm soapy water, and dry before restocking.
• Move milk and eggs out of the door and onto a shelf.
• Put raw meat on the bottom shelf, contained.
• Check the door seal by closing it on a sheet of paper; if it pulls out easily the seal needs replacing.
• Vacuum the condenser coils at the back or underneath, which most households have never done and which affects efficiency considerably.