Updated on April 15, 2022
Despite the fact that it’s sweltering outside, the inside of your refrigerator should be perfectly chilly. If you want to keep it that way, follow these simple guidelines. Keep your food fresh and your energy costs down with the help of these fridge freezers.
To be clear, we are not advocating that you clean down the shelves. When it comes to cleaning, we’re referring to the kind where you actually remove the fridge from its wall-mounted position and remove all of the dirt and debris from the coils. If you have an older refrigerator, you’ll find the coils on the bottom of the appliance, behind a grille. Just dust and vacuum the appliance’s exposed coils, and vacuum the area where the unit is located.
2. Keep it a few inches from the wall
Unless you count wiping off the shelves as part of our instructions, of course. We’re referring to the kind of cleaning in which you remove the fridge from the wall and actually remove the dirt and crud from the coils. As a side note, newer refrigerators include a grille that covers their cooling coils. As long as the appliance’s exposed coils are brushed and vacuumed, there’s no need to do anything else.
3. Fill it up
The more food you have in your refrigerator, the more efficient it will be. Your fridge doesn’t need to be overflowing with food every day of the year if Thanksgiving is your only exception: Make a few pitchers of plain tap water and store them in the refrigerator’s unused space. The full-factor will be created, allowing your fridge to operate at peak efficiency. In addition to that, you’ll have plenty of iced water on hand for those warm summer days.
4. Keep it closed
It’s tempting to put your head in the fridge during the sweltering summer heat, but that’s a bad idea if you want to keep your kitchen working smoothly. There is no reason to open the fridge door and let all that chilly air out like you wouldn’t do in the winter when making cookies (or the hot air from your kitchen in). As a result, we’ve arrived at our next point.
5. Organize things before it’s too hot
Make sure your fridge is in order before the next heat wave hits. As a result, you’ll spend less time looking for things.
6. Cool things off before you put them into the fridge
For the remainder of the week, you could build no-cook dinners from the items you cooked on Sunday. That was a good decision on your part. However, before storing hot food in the refrigerator, allow it to cool on the counter for a few minutes.
In order to cool down something that is heated, you must put it in the refrigerator (and to regulate the other contents in there). Keep your meals out of the “danger zone” at all costs. When food is left out at room temperature for more than two hours, it enters a dangerous temperature range between 40°F and 140°F. Even on sweltering days, you’ll just have to wait for an hour.
7. INSPECT AND CLEAN THE GASKETS
This small piece of rubber or plastic on the outside of your refrigerator door may go unnoticed, yet it is critical to the smooth operation of your refrigerator. As a door seal, it can become soiled or worn down over time.
To remove any filth off the door seal, wet a sponge or old toothbrush with warm water and mild soap. Close a dollar note in the door of your refrigerator to see if the seal is tight and in good operating order. You can’t keep the bill in place if your gasket isn’t properly tightened (if this is the case, you should look into replacing the seal).
8. VACUUM THE CONDENSER COILS
The compressor in your refrigerator is driven by the heat released by the condenser coils. Condenser coils become clogged with debris and pet hair, and the system overheats, resulting in a broken compressor and a malfunctioning refrigerator.
You might be able to get to the condenser coils on your refrigerator by pulling it away from the wall, or you might be able to get to them from the bottom front, depending on the model (remove the grill). If you have a pet that sheds, you should clean the coils with a vacuum or bristle brush every few months.
9. COVER FOOD TO REDUCE EXTRA MOISTURE
Your food will last longer in the fridge and you’ll be less likely to forget about it if you put it in a sealed container.
When food is exposed, moisture is released into the air, putting additional strain on your refrigerator’s ability to keep items dry. Covering your food will help to prevent it from becoming strangely dried out on a gustatory level.
10. Test the Seals
As long as the seals are in good condition, your refrigerator is wasting a lot of electricity. If you close a dollar bill between the seal and the door, you can see if the seal is working properly. At various points along the door’s edge, repeat. Consider replacing seals if you find that your dollar bill is moving too easily.
11. Check The Frost Accumulation
Refrigerators and freezers may struggle to retain their chilly temperatures if you don’t defrost them on a regular basis.
A manual defrost freezer should be defrosted every time it reaches a quarter-inch of ice buildup on the internal walls to keep it running at full capacity. You could end up paying more money in the long run if you let this frost build up.
When it comes to preventing the buildup of frost on the refrigerator’s interior, a frost-free freezer has a heating coil and temperature sensor. Even if it is frost-free, the frost may continue to build up.
Your freezer’s ability to function properly is hampered by the accumulation of ice. You should defrost your manual or automatic refrigerator on a frequent basis if you reside in a hot, humid area.
Hi, I am Alee Marton I am in the industry of kitchen products for almost 7 years. I have tested more than 20000 different gadgets used in kitchen for ease of work. I am here to share my experience and help you select the best product for your kitchen.