Refrigerator Maintenance Tips

Refrigerator is one of the essential home appliances. It keeps your food cold and fresh. Follow these simple maintenance tips to prevent almost all refrigerator breakdowns, keep your refrigerator running efficiently for a long time and save money on the electricity bill:

Wipe the gasket down with soap and water

The gasket is the rubber seal around the door of your refrigerator and freezer. It is responsible for keeping cold air in and warm air out. If gasket is functioning properly, you can keep your electricity bill low. In case it is broken, your refrigerator consumes more energy. You can check if it works correctly by sticking a piece of paper in the door when you close it. If paper comes out when you pull on it, you should replace the gasket. Clean it with soap and water and keep it from drying out by putting a thin layer of Vaseline.

Clean the condenser coils twice a year

The condenser coils release heat, making the compressor run. When dust and dirt gather around them, the system overheats and refrigerator cannot keep your food cold. It is important to clean them twice year to keep your refrigerator running efficiently. Follow this step by step guide to clean the condenser coils:

• Unplug the refrigerator
• Remove the bottom toe grill
• Use the brush to knock the dust and dirt off
• Use the vacuum cleaner to pick up the dust
• Replace the toe grill and restore power to the refrigerator

Clean the interior of your refrigerator every week

Weekly cleaning would keep your refrigerator clean, fresh smelling, food-safe and organized.

To clean it follow these simple steps:

• Take all your food out of the refrigerator
• Remove shelves, drawers, trays and other removable parts from it
• Wash all the parts by hand or in the dishwasher
• Wipe everything down inside of the refrigerator with a solution of vinegar and water or any other preferred solution
• Dry off shelves and drawers before putting them back into the refrigerator

Defrost your refrigerator

Defrosting the refrigerator is one of the simplest maintenance tips, which helps it work better for a long time.  There are two types of refrigerators: manual-defrosting and self-defrosting ones.

To manually defrost your refrigerator you should:

For manual-defrosting refrigerators, follow these quick steps:

• Turn off the refrigerator
• Take all your food out and store it on the balcony if it is cold enough outside, or in a cooler
• Take out all the removable shelves and wash them carefully
•  Leave all the doors opened to allow warm air to circulate inside
• Place towels on the bottom of the refrigerator to absorb the water as it melts
• Once the refrigerator is completely defrosted, clean the inside with soapy water
• Wipe everything down inside with dry towels
• Allow to air dry for at least an hour
• As soon as your refrigerator is completely dry, turn it back on
• Wait the refrigerator to reach its operating temperature and replace the food.

Self-defrosting refrigerators work by heating the interior refrigerator coils at regular intervals. This prevents frost from building up and you do not need to do anything but they consume more energy than manual-defrosting ones.

Deodorize the refrigerator

The key to a fresh-smelling refrigerator is not to mask the bad odors, but to make them go away by throwing the spoiled food out and cleaning your assistant.  Next, you can place baking soda in the jar and add some essential oils in it. It will help to absorb the smell in your fridge. As an alternative, leave ground coffee in open containers, tea bags or natural corks of the bottles from vine or champagne.

Replace the water filtration system filter every six months

Your refrigerator filter should be replaced once in six months or after every 200 gallons of dispensed water.