It’s important to take good care of your fridge for the health and safety of your food. Regular refrigerator maintenance and cleaning will also help you to avoid so many repairs. Taking the time to understand how your fridge works and following a regular fridge maintenance schedule will help to improve your fridge’s energy efficiency and extend its life span. Let’s review some helpful hints on how to maintain your refrigerator.
Clean it out
It doesn’t take long for old food near the back of the fridge to grow mold. Not only is this unsafe to eat, but it can start to affect the other food in your refrigerator too. Go through the food in your fridge at least once a week and toss out anything that’s expired or rotten. Follow this with a good wipe down using hot water and a gentle cleaning solution. Don’t forget to wipe down the door handles and trays which can harbor germs and bacteria.
Organize your items
Have you ever opened your fridge and wondered how long something has been open? Following a few simple steps can help you better organize your fridge. Start by moving the oldest items to the front of the fridge and use them first. Next, use storage containers to avoid cross-contamination and to make it easier to find items. Use labels to indicate when items were stored in the fridge to ensure things like leftovers are eaten or tossed. This will help reduce the chances of food poisoning.
Set the correct temperature
Food should always be stored at an appropriate temperature to avoid bacteria from spreading. To get an accurate reading, reset the dials to 0 for the fridge and freezer then turn it back up to the recommended temperature. Fridges should be around 2 degrees celsius, while the freezer should be set to 0 degrees celsius.
Check door seals
One of the most common reasons for fridge repair is broken door seals or gaskets. This can cause your fridge to work harder to remain cool, costing you money and lost efficiency. When cleaning your fridge, check the seals for crumbs and debris. Use a vacuum or a cloth to remove any dirt. Close the door of the fridge to check that you have a tight seal. Hold your hand near the door to feel for cool air that might be escaping. If you discover any leaks, contact your fridge repair expert to replace the seal quickly.
Keep it full
A full fridge does more than ensure you have a great meal every night. Keeping your fridge full also helps regulate the internal temperature. If you’re going to be away for a few days, make sure to put in a few extra items like bottles of water to help maintain the temperature level.
Following these helpful tips will help to ensure that your fridge is operating efficiently. If you’re still finding that your fridge isn’t staying cool or your energy bills are continuing to soar, it may be time to call the pros from Appliance Wizards. Our expert technicians can identify the issues and conduct any necessary refrigeration servicing. Contact us today to schedule your appliance repair and installation service!
