According to eatright.org, “Mold, bacteria and spills in the refrigerator can put you at risk for food poisoning.” To counter this, you need to make cleaning the inside of your refrigerator a habit, even if it doesn’t look dirty.

Clean up any spills that occur promptly. This particularly applies to leakage from raw meats. Raw meat spills are bacteria havens.

To counter this, experts say to defrost all meats on the bottom shelf and always cover meats while defrosting.

It’s important to remember to clean the inside of the refrigerator just like you would a counter or stove top. Thoroughly wash and scrub shelves, drawers and walls of the refrigerator with warm, soapy water, then rinse and dry. And take heed when using hazardous chemicals.  

Plus, don’t forget to disinfect the handle of your refrigerator door. Every time it's touched, the handle spreads bacteria. Never forget this step – particularly if you’ve just touched raw meats.

Vegetables Stored Improperly

Many people wash produce right after they get home from the store. However, this is not the best practice when it comes to keeping produce fresh.

According to eatright.org, fresh fruits and vegetables should not be washed until you’re ready to use them. Store them in bags or appropriate containers as opposed to the bag you brought them home in -- you just never know how dirty bags from the grocery store may be.