We often don’t give enough attention to the functionality of our domestic appliance, realizing their importance only when they are damaged.
The refrigerator is one of our biggest allies in the home, keeping our foods cool. It’s necessary to make it last as long as possible. To help you maintain it efficiently and for a long time, it is enough to implement a few simple steps.
Below there are some tricks that are of great help. Some must be implemented daily, others periodically. In this way, the maintenance of your refrigerator will not drastically increase the time you spend cleaning.
Daily Maintenance
We refer to the operations that you can carry out every day to avoid the classic problems of space and bad smells.
Food Arrangement
Arrange the food inside in a way that keeps a little distance from the refrigerator walls. This problem does not exist if you have a zero-clearance refrigerator or with front ventilation.
Keeping the refrigerator as full as possible allows you to improve energy efficiency and save money. In fact, liquids and solids keep the low temperature for a long time. In this way, the refrigerator works less and the monthly bills will go down.
When the fridge doesn’t contain many foods, you can use containers full of water to occupy more volume.
Avoid Bad Smells
Always wrap or cover food to prevent it from spreading and mixing its smells.
In case of bad smells you can eliminate them by using bicarbonate that is able to absorb them and purify the air.
Monthly Maintenance
Basically, we talk about cleaning the freezer trays. Ice is always present inside the freezer. Care must be taken to position the food so that it does not become a single block of ice. The risk is to spoil the food and create bad smells.
A good habit is to remove the ice with the appropriate tools from the walls and trays of the freezer. Furthermore, the bad smells can be treated with bicarbonate as described above for the refrigerator.
Quarterly Maintenance
Now let’s move on to what to do after a few months. Let’s talk about operations to be repeated every 3 months.
Check The Gaskets
It is important to check and clean the gasket of the refrigerator. Crumbs and dust can accumulate inside their folds.
In this way, the fridge could leak. the loss of air would lead to inefficiency and waste of electricity.
To keep them clean, you only need a toothbrush, hot water, and soap. With this little tool, you can reach the tightest spaces and the hard to reach dirt.
A test widely used to check that the gaskets work optimally is known as ” the dollar test”. This test consists of closing a dollar banknote between the seals on the refrigerator door. If it is easy to remove, you may need to contact a professional and replace the gaskets.
Check The Operation Of The Coils
The cold air inside the refrigerator is produced thanks to the correct functioning of a series of coils.
These components, also called condenser coils, have the shape of “snake “. They take care of absorbing the heat from inside the fridge and expelling it outside. They are located behind or under the refrigerator, covered by the protection grids.
Before cleaning, we advise you to disconnect the refrigerator from the power supply and to move it a few meters to be able to move around comfortably.
Once identified, check to see if they are covered in dust and dirt. Dirt causes more power consumption for correct operation. As a result, it needs a greater absorption of electricity which will increase the electricity bill.
To clean the coils, use a vacuum cleaner with a flexible hose and try to remove as much dirt as possible. For narrow cracks, where you can’t get there with the vacuum cleaner, we advise you to use a spiral brush.
Before putting the fridge back in its place, have a look and clean the floor.
Level The Refrigerator
To check that the appliance is correctly leveled, place a level on its upper part. If it is not well leveled, the fridge will not close properly, generating lots of problems and energy waste.
In this case, you can adjust the feet of the fridge (with your hands or a wrench) until you reach the correct position
Six-Months Maintenance
If you have a fridge with an ice and water dispenser, check the water filter twice a year. Read the instruction booklet to check where it is located and how to remove it. After replacing it, let run the water for a while to remove the carbon residue.
Clean the loading hole and the condensation tray. Remove any food or dirt residues from the drain hole and clean the tray in which the condensation has formed. Using a cloth, rub the surface well because the germs are always lurking and can cause bad smells.
Last Tips And Conclusion
Remember not to open the refrigerator continuously in the event of a blackout. In this case, try to use the foodstuffs you keep in the pantry so that the temperature of the fridge remains low for as long as possible. Usually, the refrigerator will be able to store food for 4 hours. If the freezer is full, it can guarantee food preservation even for 48 hours.
Finally, to avoid forgetting the last time you cleaned the fridge, we suggest organizing an intervention plan. You can use your calendar or activate different reminders on your phone.
Thanks to this guide we hope to help you in extending the average life of your refrigerator. Let’s clean!