While many of us neglect to keep our fridges clean, it can be unhealthy to live with a dirty refrigerator. Spoiled food can foster the growth of microorganisms that can spread to the rest of your food. Take spring cleaning to the next level this year by getting your refrigerator clean, and keeping your family healthy.

If it’s been a while since you last cleaned the fridge, then a deep-clean is in order:

• Unplug your fridge, removing all food and discarding anything that is no longer edible
• Thoroughly scrub the interior with a powerful disinfectant, careful to clean seams and corners
• Place a fresh box of baking soda to help with odors
• Reload the remaining food into the fridge.

While it might take a bit of work, it’s important for your health that you deep-clean your refrigerator. To take it even further, you can change your habits so that food lasts longer and your fridge remains cleans for a longer period of time:

• Maintain fridge and freezer temperatures of about 40 and 0 degrees Fahrenheit, respectively
• Follow a food freshness guide to learn how long various types of food last in storage, and be sure to throw away anything that outlasts the recommended time.
• Store food in air-tight plastic containers after opening packaging

By following these tips, you’ll have a lot less fridge cleaning to do next time spring rolls around!

Keeping a clean fridge is about more than just unpleasant odors – it’s about your health. Make sure that you’re doing everything you can to maintain a bacteria-free fridge by following these simple tips.

While you might laugh at the thought of cooking your pet a meal, switching to homemade pet snacks can provide benefits for both you and your pet. For you, it will save a few bucks on grocery bills each month, which is always a good thing. More importantly, however, homemade pet snacks are often the healthy choice for your pet. Many store bought brands are filled with additives and chemicals that aren’t always beneficial to your pet’s health, which is especially important for animals with food allergies or medical conditions.

Next time you run out of dog biscuits or cat treats, try whipping up one of these simple and healthy pet food recipes:

• Peanut Butter Dog Biscuits– This easy recipe, created by a veterinary employee, is healthy alternative to prepackaged dog treats. Approved by both vets and pets, this recipe is sure to become a staple in your home.
• Wheat-free Biscuits– When your pet has food allergies, homemade pet snacks can be hugely helpful. For example, this recipe is a safe and healthy choice for wheat-sensitive dogs.
• Martha Stewart’s Dog Food– Instead of making individual treats, Martha Stewart opts to mix nutritious ingredients with her dogs’ dry food each morning.
• Crunchy Tuna Cat Treats– We can’t forget about our feline friends! These tasty tuna treats contain much less sodium than anything you would buy at the store, while still packing the flavor that your cat loves.

As you can see, there are plenty of simple and healthy recipes you can cook up as an alternative to prepackaged dog food. When you make pet treats yourself, you’re helping your pet stay happy and healthy, and hopefully having some fun in the process.