If you have leftovers from last Tuesday lurking in your refrigerator, now’s the time to pull on your latex kitchen gloves and clean them out. You could be putting your family at risk for food poisoning should somebody decide to snack on the smelly scraps.

It’s true a refrigerator operates more efficiently when fully stocked. But if it’s full of the remains of once-healthy, useable food, you need to remedy the wrong.

Try these tips to clean out and organize your refrigerator:

• Gather the kids for a total fridge cleanup. Arm them with large trash bags and have them throw away old leftovers. Make sure they check the expiration dates on rarely used condiments and salad dressings, and toss out any past their prime.
• If you store foods in the fridge and they spoil before you eat them, vow to freeze them in the future.
• Adjust the height of each shelf so food is easier to see and reach. This could free up space. Designate a space for fruits, vegetables, meats and drinks so nothing is “out of sight, out of mind” and left to rot.
• Store leftovers in transparent containers and label them with the date the food was prepared so children won’t eat spoiled food when they raid the fridge.
• Cool hot foods before you put them in the refrigerator to save energy.