However, "You know it's dirty back there, but it's not stopping the fridge from keeping your food cold."
If you don't properly maintain your fridge and allow too much dust to build up you could end up burning out the compressor.
Everything needs to be done thoughtfully, in moderation, and with purpose.
1. Fridge dust compounds linearly with time. Technical debt compounds faster the more technical debt you have.
2. Most of us aren't in the fridge business. The downside of a burnt out fridge is probably a lot lower than the downside of a terrible code base.
Note that I assume basic documentation, proper naming conventions, and adequate testing are part of "working correctly". Those are the things you do as you write the code initially. It's the refactoring/rework/gold plating that you leave for later, only if you need it.