Time to get rid of leftovers, lumpy milk – and whatever THAT is

Tuesday’s the day for everyone to throw away expired condiments, last week’s leftovers, frozen food from three years ago and the random something-or-other packed product that isn’t spoiling other food but that is surely disgusting and inedible.

Nov. 15 is National Clean Out Your Refrigerator Day.

The day was created by the home economists at Whirlpool Home Appliances in 1999 as a way to encourage people to clean refrigerators prior to the holiday season. At that time, the company offered a toll-free hotline for cleaning tips.

Nowadays, people can use #CleanOutYourRefrigeratorDay to post on social media and share tips.

The dreaded job of scouring the back half of a refrigerator where old and expired food gets pushed away will come with the reward of added space for Thanksgiving leftovers.

Here are some cleaning suggestions for National Clean Out Your Refrigerator Day.

▪ Empty each shelf and throw away expired or unused food.

▪ Wipe down the inside of the refrigerator and wash drawers.

▪ Vacuum condenser coils and under the refrigerator.

This story was originally published November 15, 2016 at 7:05 AM with the headline "Time to get rid of leftovers, lumpy milk – and whatever THAT is."